ATTENDANCE AND ABSENCES: Your child's attendance patterns often have a direct link with achievement. Frequent absences hurt academic performance. California State Law mandates that unless children are ill, they must be in school on time every day. Absences are considered excused for the following reasons:

1. Student illness
2. Student medical appointment
3. Bereavement (some restrictions apply ... please contact the school office).
4. Some religious observances

For any of the above reasons, California State Law further stipulates that parents must notify their child's school office within 24 hours. This can be done by phone (707-933-4046) if you feel there's a possibility that your child might miss more than one day. When your child returns to school, you should send an absence note with an explanation for the child's absence from school. ALL other absences are considered unexcused. Three unexcused absences can result in referral to SARB (School Attendance Review Board). Excessive excused absences and excessive tardies may be cause for referral to SARB. If your child has excessive excused absences (more than 14 in a school year), the school can require that a doctor's verification of illness be provided for each absence or there may be cause for referral to SARB. If you would like more specific information regarding school attendance laws, please ask in the office for the School Attendance Review Manual.

TARDINESS is a serious detriment to each child's and each classroom's success. When a child is tardy, it prevents him/her from benefit of the most important part of a school day when the day's work is outlined. Tardiness is a serious distraction for the teacher and students who are punctual, because it detracts from the progress of the class. Although excessive tardiness is when a child is late in excess of 30 minutes, the habitual tardiness of 5 to 10 minutes is equally detrimental. This is typically the parents' responsibility. Please assist your child to learn the valuable lesson of personal responsibility by setting the example for punctuality. It is a most valuable life skill.

INDEPENDENT STUDY: If your child must be absent from school for more than five or more days, an Independent Study Contract will keep absences from being unexcused. An Independent Study Contract is simply a way for your child to have appropriate academic activities during a school absence, but it is in no way a substitute for school attendance. Please contact you child's teacher a week before the planned absence to have work prepared. You and your child will sign a "contract" guaranteeing the work will be done.

EARLY DISMISSAL: If a child needs to be taken out of school before the regular dismissal:

1. Come to the office to sign the student out.
2. Please do not go to the classroom to get your child.
3. The office will send for your child.