Attendance

The school year is beginning soon, and we want to welcome you as our partner in your child’s education. We value, appreciate, and seek out your involvement and collaboration for the success of your child.

We are asking all parents to help us ensure the regular, on-time attendance of their children at school. We monitor attendance closely because research has shown that regular attendance is vital for the success of children in school. California law states that absences are excused only if the child is ill or there is an excuse which meets the requirements of the California Education Code Section 48205. Even excused absences that cause your child to miss significant amounts of school can cause your child to fall behind in class.

Chronic Absenteeism is defined as missing 10% or more of the school year or 18 days over an entire year. Both excused and unexcused absences count towards chronic absenteeism. The state monitors our school’s chronic absenteeism rates. Increases in student chronic absenteeism can negatively impact our Charter Renewal Process.

Education Code Section 48260 defines a truant as a pupil who has missed more than 30 minutes on three days without a valid excuse in one school year. Our goal is to have all children present in school every day and on time. Please be aware that going “out of town” when school is in session with your child is an unexcused absence.

We look forward to working with you in a meaningful partnership for your child.

We at Discovery Charter School will work very hard with you to ensure that your child receives the best education possible. We are depending on you, and we want to thank you for entrusting us with your child. To provide your child with an outstanding education, your child must maintain excellent attendance.

For your information, please review the new board approved Attendance Policy for the 2024-25 school year:

Reporting Absences:

Q: What do I do when my student can't come to school?

A: We have 2 convenient options for you:

Call 408-300-1358 and press 5 for the 24 hour Attendance Line. Leave a detailed message with your student(s) name, teacher, room number, and reason why they are missing school.

Email FalconAttendance@mydiscoveryk8.org with a detailed message including your students full name, teacher, room number, and reason why they are missing school.

*NOTE: If you notify the teacher, please remember to also notify the Attendance Line through one of the options above. Please do not email or message the office staff directly with an attendance notification.

Parent Square Attendance Notifications:

Beginning Tuesday, September 3rd, when your student is marked absent by their teacher, an auto-generated message will be sent via ParentSquare. This message is sent at approximately 9:15 am to the parents/guardians notifying you that your student has been marked absent. Please note: This confirmation is sent out even if you notified the school that your student will be missing school. If the message is received in error, please contact the office at 408-300-1358. If you have not reported your student's absence, please follow the following instructions.

Short Term Independant Study Requests:

We are able to offer Short Term Independant Study Agreements for up to 15 school days. To begin this process, please email Karla.Lund@mydiscoveryk8.org with the dates you will be missing. The agreement must be made at least 2 weeks prior to your first day requested.

Medication

We do not have a nurse on campus. We are able to offer ice and bandaids as needed.

If your student needs to have medication (over-the-counter items, Benadryl, antibiotic ointment, prescription meds, etc.) on campus, please bring it to the office.

Do not deliver it to your classroom or leave it in a backpack.

You will need to complete the Permission and Instructions to Administer Medication Form for us to keep in a file with the medication. The office needs this completed for all medications. Students must come to the office to take medication.

Nut-Free School

Discovery Falcon is a Nut-Free School. Please understand that this policy is in place, not to limit you on what you can send with your children to school, but for the safety of the students and staff who have severe and life-threatening nut allergies.

List of legumes and nuts not allowed at our Falcon Campus:

Peanut
Almond
Beech Nut
Brazil Nut
Butternut
Cashew
Chestnut
Hazelnut
Ginkgo Nut
Hickory Nut
Lychee Nut
Pine Nut
Macadamia Nut
Pecan
Pilinut
Pistachio
Shea Nut
Walnut
Acorns

Below are a few common items that are not allowed due to their nut content:

Anything with almond extract or almond milk (most poppyseed muffins have this)
Nutella contains hazelnuts
Pesto contains pine nuts
Macadamia nut cookies

FAQs:

Q: Are peanuts actually tree nuts?

A: No, peanuts are ground roasted legumes, but they are not allowed at school due to allergies among students and staff.

Q: Coconut is considered a tree nut. Is it also not allowed?

A: Coconut and nutmeg are allowed at school.

Q: Some food labels say "Product is manufactured at a facility that also uses nuts". Are we allowed to bring those if they do not contain nuts?

A: Yes.

Q: Soy is not a very good option for a replacement for peanut butter. Are there other products out there that would be another choice?

A: We find the following to be good alternatives: sunflower seed butter, pumpkin seed butter, sesame seed butter (sugar free and no additives), coconut butter, etc. There are many different brands and options: Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Sprouts, and other grocery stores carry these products.

Drop-Off & Pick-Up Procedures

We have drop off zones available for all students along with guidelines on where to park. Please review the document below.

Falcon Drop Off Procedures 2024-25

Late Arrival / Early Pickup

Early Pickup

If you are picking up your student(s) prior to dismissal, please park in a legal parking space on the street. Do not park in the staff parking lot. Do not park in the loop at the front of the school. Once safely parked, proceed to the office first. You will have to sign the student(s) out on the iPads in the office and the office staff will contact your teacher to have your student(s) sent to the office to meet you. Please do not go straight to your classroom to pick up your student(s).

Late Drop Off

If you are arriving after 8:35am, please park in a legal parking space on the street or use the ‘Quick Drop Off Zone’ indicated on the map in the Drop-Off & Pick-Up Procedures (available until 8:45am). Then proceed to the Front Office to check in and your student will receive a pass to bring to their teacher. Do not walk your child straight to the class before going to the office. They will be marked absent for the day if they are not signed in at the office.

Volunteer & Visitor Check-In/Check-Out Procedures

All volunteers and visitors must check in on the iPads in the office prior to continuing onto the campus. When you leave the campus, please return to the office and check out on the iPads.

Checking in and out are vital to school safety. In case of an emergency, it allows us to account for all persons on the premises. If you plan to be on campus for any length of time, please check in.

Technology Agreement

Technology Agreement 2018.5b52e3dd4bf4a9.25534681.pdf

Family Handbook

2024-25 Discovery Family Handbook.pdf

Additional Policies & Documents

For additional policies and documents, please visit Discovery Charter School's website.