A Word About Attendance
Regular school attendance is critical for academic success. Consistent school attendance, academic success, and school completion have a positive correlation.
Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes. Consistent with the importance of classroom participation, unexcused absences, tardies or early dismissals may affect a student’s class participation grade for the marking period.
CHPCS recognizes that regular school attendance is a major component of academic success. Through implementation of this policy, the school expects to reduce the current level of unexcused absences, tardiness, and early departures (referred to as “ATEDs”), encourage full attendance by all students, maintain an adequate attendance record keeping system, identify patterns of student ATEDs and develop effective intervention strategies to improve school attendance.
EXCUSED AND UNEXCUSED ABSENCES
It is imperative that all students enrolled at Cascade Heights be accounted for each day. If your child will not be attending school on a given day, please telephone the school prior to 8:00 a.m. on the day of the absence. The attendance line is 503-653-1850 ext 2. If parents do not call, the school will telephone the parents at home or at work. If a parent cannot be reached, persons listed on the emergency form will be contacted. Please contact the student’s teacher to arrange for make-up work.
Absence due to vacation or other events is strongly discouraged. We offer a challenging and rigorous curriculum and each day is important. The multisensory nature of our school makes it impossible to replicate classroom time. When students will be absent from school for reasons other than illness, parents are asked to inform the teacher at least two weeks in advance. For every day a student is absent one day will be allowed to make up work that was assigned during the absence . For example, if a student is absent for three days, three days will be allowed to make up all work. Work that was assigned prior to the absence and due during the absence becomes due the first day back in class. We ask that whenever possible, routine medical and dental appointments be made during non-school hours.
A. TARDY - At 8:00 a.m. all students should be at their desks, ready to learn. Being tardy is a form of absence, interferes with student learning and disrupts the rest of the class. We take advantage of every moment and if students are late they miss instruction time. Students arriving after 8:00 a.m. are considered tardy and are required to be signed in by a parent or guardian or car pool driver to receive a pass for class. Students will not be allowed into class without an office pass. The back gate will be locked each day at 8:00 am. Tardiness will also be classified as excused or unexcused.
U>Excused ATEDs are defined as absences, tardiness, and early departure from school due to:
- Personal illness;
- Illness or death in the family;
- Impassable roads or weather;
- Religious observance;
- Quarantine;
- Required court appearances;
- Other approved reasons (after a written request has been made to the director).
All other ATEDs are considered unexcused (this includes family vacations during school days and oversleeping.) All ATED’s must be accounted for. It is the responsibility of the parent or guardian to provide a written excuse upon the student’s return to school.
Upon returning to school, the child must present a note for a reason of absence.
If a child is absent or tardy for unexcused reasons three times, a letter and a list of “helpful hints” will be sent home from the teacher reminding parents of the attendance policy and their responsibility. If the child is absent or tardy for unexcused reasons five times, parents will be asked to complete a questionnaire and conference with teacher. After a child is absent or tardy for unexcused reasons seven times, parents will be asked to conference with teacher and sign a contract of attendance. After nine unexcused absences or tardies, a meeting with an administrator and a second contract will be signed. If the unexcused absences or tardies continue, the family will be asked to consider transferring to a school that may be more convenient and where the student can arrive on time each day. Additional action will be considered to help ensure the health and well-being of the student (e.g., contacting child protective services).
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