Regular attendance is necessary for a child to progress in all areas of development. Therefore, absences should be minimal and kept only to those situations that are absolutely necessary. Parents will be contacted by the counselor to express concerns and offer help once a child's absences reach no more than five within a semester; if absences continue, the parents will be contacted by an administrator to discuss concerns and strategies.
Absences for causes other than illness or emergency should be avoided, if at all possible.
Make-up work for unexcused absences is at the discretion of the teacher and divisional director.
Vacations should be scheduled according to the school calendar.
Parents are also encouraged to make every effort to arrange appointments before or after school.
All absences will default to unexcused until the parents call or the student submits verification of absence to the office.
Excused Absences
Excused absences include illness of the student, illness or death in the student’s immediate family, or other circumstances conferred upon with the Director of Pre-K to 8. Students are given an excused absence when they miss school due to a religious holy day or holiday. Students will be allowed to make up work they miss because of an excused absence (see make-up work). If possible, teachers will provide assignments in advance.
If a student is absent for any reason, parents should contact the child's homeroom teacher or advisor and Wendy Payne on the day of the absence. Upon returning to school, the student should bring any official documentation showing reason for absence. All absences will default to unexcused until the parents call or the student submits verification of absence to the office.
Planned Absences
To approve a planned absence, parents must complete a Planned Absence Form at least one week prior to the date the absence is to occur; this form is available on the parent portal. This gives the teacher and student time to confer about work that will be missed while the student is absent. The Planned Absence Form, with signatures from teachers, should be turned in to Angela Pieroni prior to the absence. The Director of Pre-K to 8 will determine if the absence will be excused. All work is due the day of return; tests and quizzes should be coordinated with the respective teacher.
Make-Up Work
Requests for homework due to excused absences must be called into the office before 11 a.m., and homework may be picked up in the office after the last class of the day. In grades 6-8, students are expected to retrieve their assignments from the website.
The office closes at 4 p.m. each day.
Make-up work is the student's responsibility. After an excused absence, a student should contact the teacher to arrange for make-up of his or her work. The teacher will determine the appropriate length of time to complete assignments based on the length of absence. In isolated cases, the make-up work may be adjusted by the teacher. For a planned absence, all work is due upon return; tests and quizzes should be coordinated with the respective teacher.
