Attendance Policy
Absence and Tardiness
Regular attendance is necessary if high standards of achievement are to be met. Every effort should be made to schedule dental work, doctor appointments, etc. during non-school times.
1. Arrival of Students / Extended Care
Students should not arrive at school before 8:05 am or stay later than 3:00 pm (2:00pm on early release days) unless they have a class or are participating in an authorized school activity that is supervised by an adult or teacher. Students must remain outside the building until the first bell at 8:15 am. Supervision is not provided on the playground before or after school except through the Our Lady of the Lake Extended Care Program. Any student(s) arriving before 8:05 am or left at school after 3:00 pm (2:00pm on early release days) will be sent to Extended Care.
2. Absence
Much of the learning in the classroom takes place through teacher presentations, thus it is important that students not miss class. It is imperative that all children enrolled at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic School are accounted for each school day. If your child will not be attending school on any given day or days, it is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to notify the school office by telephone (206.525.9980) before 7:30 a.m. on the day of the each absence. If the Parent/Guardian does not telephone the school to report the student's absence, the school will telephone the Parent/Guardian at home or work to verify the absence
Excessive absences (13 per trimester) may have an adverse effect on the child and may result in a lower grade than the child may have earned if present the entire trimester. Absences can be found on the child's report card.
3. Tardiness
Students should be at their desks ready for class to begin when the tardy bell rings at 8:20 a.m. It is the school's belief that teaching children to be prompt is an important part of developing a sense of personal responsibility. It is important that both Parent and Child accept responsibility for arriving at school in plenty of time, so that the child(ren) are ready to begin the day. Late arrivals disrupt class and cause loss of instructional time. If the child arrives to class after the 8:20 a.m. bell, the child should go to the office and will be given a tardy slip. They are expected to proceed promptly to class and give his/her teacher the tardy slip. The school office will document the tardy. Tardies can be found on the child's report card.
4. Appointments
Whenever possible, doctor/dentist appointments should be made outside of school time. If the appointment is necessary during school time, the child is to be picked up in the school office only. Since the homeroom teacher and the school Principal are legally responsible for each child's whereabouts, Parents/Guardians are asked to come to the school office to pick up the child. Please do not disrupt the classroom. It is required that Parents/Guardians sign the child "out" of school and back "in" again upon the student's return to school.
5. Vacations Taken During School Time
Vacations taken when school is in session are discouraged. Children miss important instruction as well as the introduction of new class material. If a child(ren) is going to miss more than one, but less than fifteen school days, the following procedure should be followed:
- Parents/Guardians are asked to notify the school of the planned absence at least one (1) week prior to the absence.
- Parents/Guardians will be responsible to see that all missed assignments are completed when the child returns to school. The teacher and student will mutually agree upon a reasonable amount of time. The teacher is not required to supply work ahead of the vacation time for the student to complete while away from the classroom.
If a child is going to miss more than 15 school days in a trimester due to an extended vacation or educational opportunity:
a) The parents will notify the school at least two weeks before the planned trip.
b) The teacher may give some assignments before the trip begins – but the parent must realize that some work cannot be made up i.e. class discussions, science experiments, current events, etc. This may have an adverse effect on the child when testing take place upon return. This may result in a lower grade than the child may have earned if present the entire trimester.
6. Students Leaving School Grounds
No student is allowed to leave the school grounds without explicit written permission from his/her Parents/Guardian. Such permission must be cleared with the Principal. Students who leave without permission are considered truant.
Important: No member of the school staff will release any student to any person who calls at the school unless the release is to the child's Custodial Parent or Legal Guardian or their delegate and is verified in writing.
