Attendance

I wanted to take a moment to emphasize the crucial role that regular attendance plays, especially since our students are enrolled in our Spanish Immersion Program.

In our unique language immersion environment, the primary model for acquiring the target language is the teacher. Our dedicated educators are committed to providing an authentic and immersive experience in the Spanish language, creating a vibrant learning atmosphere for our students. However, achieving fluency in a second language requires consistent exposure and practice.

Given that our school community is not predominantly Spanish-speaking, the classroom becomes the hub for language acquisition. Your child's attendance is key to maximizing this linguistic immersion. Regular participation ensures that they receive the full benefit of our engaging curriculum and the invaluable opportunity to interact with their peers and teachers in Spanish.

As we strive to nurture a supportive and inclusive environment, each day of attendance contributes significantly to your child's language development and overall academic success. Additionally, it fosters a sense of community among our students, creating lasting friendships and enhancing their cultural awareness.

We understand that unforeseen circumstances may arise, (like the extreme weather we are currently experiencing) but we kindly request your cooperation in prioritizing attendance and punctuality. Together, we can empower your child to excel in our Spanish Immersion Program, providing them with a strong foundation for future academic and personal achievements.

Excessive Absences/Truancy:  Excessive absences due to illness may require a doctor’s note in order to be excused.

Truancies are defined as follows:  California Education Code 48260 requires that we notify parents if a child is considered to be truant. Truancy refers to the absence by a student from school without a valid excuse (see Excused Absences above) for three (3) full days in a school year, tardiness (lateness), or absence without a valid excuse for more than thirty (30) minutes on each of three times in one school year. It is important to note that an unexcused absence may include an absence for which a parent did call the school (e.g. for a family vacation or family business), but that does not meet the definition of an excused absence and, therefore, must be recorded and counted as unexcused.

Please be sure to bring your child to school every day, on time. We know that students get ill, but for most children, getting ill is a rare occurrence. Please help our school get back on track so we don’t lose any more funding. The loss of funding directly affects your child’s academic program.

Tardiness: Please make every effort to see that your child arrives at school on time. Children need to be in their classroom line when the 9:00 a.m. bell rings. At that bell, teachers take students to class. Students will be in their seats (or on the rug, or on the blacktop for fitness) when the 9:05 a.m. tardy bell rings. Being tardy is very disruptive to your child’s learning and morning routine, as well as those of his/her classmates and teacher. Please keep this in mind, because every minute of instructional time missed cannot be replaced. Students who arrive late to school miss out on valuable instructional time and daily class meetings with their peers. If your child is arriving at school after 9:05 a.m., they are considered tardy. A parent/guardian must bring the student to the office to sign in. A late pass will be issued and the student can return to class. Parents will be notified if their child has frequent tardiness to assure prompt arrival to school. Juarez’s parents are super at modeling prompt attendance for students, which students will carry into their careers.

Students with excessive tardies or absences will be referred to the site’s School Attendance Review Team (SART) or the district’s School Attendance Review Board (SARB).

SART Team: The School Attendance Review Team, or SART, is composed of the principal, counselor, health technician, and attendance clerk. The team meets at least one time per month for operational purposes. The team holds meetings on the first Thursday morning of each month with the parent(s) of families whose children have excessive absences/tardies. Three (3) absences/tardies per month are considered excessive.

During a SART meeting, the team brainstorms ideas for the parent to improve their child(ren)’s attendance. A plan is developed and an attendance contract is signed. Should the child(ren) continue to have excessive absences/tardies, the team will decide whether or not an additional SART meeting is held or to refer to the case directly to the district School Attendance Review Board (SARB).

Last year, our district lost tens of thousands of dollars due to absences at Juarez alone. Whether an absence is excused or unexcused, we lose funding. Attendance intervention begins in the classroom; we impress upon students and parents the importance of being in school all day, every day.

PERFECT/OUTSTANDING ATTENDANCE 

District-wide Requirements

Notes: Excused tardies or early dismissals are limited to those for documented medical appointments. 

Release of Students: Parents are reminded that students are expected to remain on the school grounds during school hours. If you wish to have your child released from school during school hours, you must come to the office and obtain a release slip. For you and your child’s protection, students are only released to parents, guardians, or other authorized persons whose names are listed on the student’s emergency card. Students will not be released by telephone requests. Parents who wish to release their children from the classroom will be asked by the classroom teacher and/or staff person to go to the school office. The school office will contact the classroom and release the child to meet his/her parent(s) at the office.