ATTENDANCE
Please notify us of your student’s absence each day by emailing blakeattendance@email.medfield.net or calling the Blake absence line at (508) 242-8501.
Arrival: When students arrive at school each day, they should wait in the gym or cafeteria area for the 8:30 a.m. music and then go to lockers and report directly to their first class. Students should not arrive before 8:10 a.m., as no supervision is available. Students are required to be present, unpacked and ready to begin class, in their classroom by 8:35 a.m. when attendance is taken. In order to accomplish this, it is recommended that students arrive no later than 8:30 a.m. Students with band instruments should put them away in the High School band room on their way into school leaving time to get to first period by 8:35. Daily announcements are made at the beginning of the day but are not an indicator of tardiness or on time arrival.
Tardy to School: Students are responsible for being in school on time each day in order to prepare for the day and maximize learning time. Students arriving after 8:35 a.m. must report to the office to get a tardy pass. Students should have a note from home explaining their tardiness. The office logs all tardies as ‘excused’ or ‘unexcused.’ Examples of excused tardies are medical appointments, illness, and unavoidable events. Examples of unexcused tardies are traffic and oversleeping. After the third ‘unexcused’ tardy is registered, the parent/guardian will receive a letter, and the student will be assigned a detention for each subsequent ‘unexcused’ tardy. Morning, afternoon or lunchtime detentions may be given for unexcused tardiness. After six tardies, excused or unexcused, the Assistant Principal will meet with the student and contact the parents/guardians.
Absences: Attendance at school is required by law and students are to be accounted for at all times during the school day. Students have the responsibility to be in school and in their class on time and are to attend all classes and participate in all assigned activities. parents/guardians must call the Blake absence line at (508) 242-8501 each morning that a student will be absent or more than a few minutes tardy. Please note that a call to the absence line is required even when the student plans to come to school later in the day after an appointment. Habitual excused tardiness or absence is unacceptable.
If a student is absent for five or more consecutive days, a doctor’s note is required for re-admittance to school. Upon return to school the student must report to the Main Office for an admittance slip. A student absent during the school day may not participate in school-sponsored activities that day.
Parents/guardians that go out of town and leave children with a caretaker need to provide the school with a letter granting the school permission to dismiss the student to the caretaker in the event of illness or to act in the place of the parent/guardian in the case of an emergency.
Students are required by state law to attend 180 days in school unless students are absent for illness, religious observances, legal proceedings, or family emergencies. Absence from school for vacation purposes is discouraged. We are aware that some parents/guardians make the decision to take their student out of school based on specific circumstances that may allow for the family to be together or for the student to gain a different educational experience. We strongly request that student vacations or family obligations be scheduled within the framework of the school calendar. When parents/guardians do remove students from school, we request that two weeks notice is provided to the administration so that teachers can be notified.
Should parents/guardians keep a student out of school for reasons other than those sanctioned by the State, they are assuming the responsibility for their student to make up the work. It should be realized that teachers cannot realistically provide work to take the place of instruction missed during planned absences. Since assignments are based on material that has been previously taught, work cannot in most cases be identified until after the student returns. Teachers, both regular and special education, are not required to reteach the missed lessons.
EARLY DISMISSAL
If a student needs to be dismissed from school before 3:10 p.m., an email must be sent by the parent/guardian to blakeattendance@email.medfield.net.. Please include the following information:
Date
Time of dismissal
Student name
Reason for dismissal
Person picking up
Alternatively, that student may bring a written request signed by a parent/guardian and give it to the Main Office first thing on the day of dismissal. If a request is made by telephone, a parent/guardian must come to the Main Office to dismiss a student and sign a dismissal note. Students must always check in at the Main Office before being dismissed and also when returning to the building to obtain a pass for class. Students are not called on the public address system before being dismissed. They should report directly to the office for dismissal at the appropriate time.