Attendance

			Attendance
			Glenwood Middle School *111 Lacey, Suite 100 Glenwood, Iowa 51534 * 712-527-4887 * Fax: 712-527-3411**

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Parents & Students

Students will be expected to attend classes regularly and to be on time in order to receive maximum benefit from the instructional program. While it is possible for an absent student to make up much of the school missed, it is impossible to completely compensate for absence from classes. Life-long patterns of responsibility and self-discipline of regular attendance and promptness are fostered by attention given them during the years of school attendance.

We realize absences occur that are completely appropriate and legitimate. Therefore, a call from a parent or guardian is needed each day the student is absent. Please call the middle school at 527-4887 or 527-3111 before 8:30 a.m. (Messages of student absences may also be left on the middle school answering machine.) Please help us by making this phone call so there will be no misunderstanding as to the type of absence the student has. When parents call the school to report absences, the school is assured that the child is safe. The principal shall determine whether the absence is excused or unexcused. The following are usually considered excused.

	Student is ill
	Medical or dental appointment that cannot be made other than during school time
	Death or serious illness in the immediate family or household
	Other reasons which can be justified from an educational standpoint

Excessive absenteeism may result in a student needing a doctor’s note.

The following schedule is used to determine if an absence is to be counted as a full or half-day.

	Students need to be in their classroom by 8:15.
	If a student arrives to school after 8:15 a.m. and before 9:00 a.m. it will be considered a tardy.
	If a student arrives after 9:00 a.m., but by or before 11:30 a.m., it will be counted as one-half day.
	Entry after 11:30 a.m. will be counted as a full-day absence.
	If a student leaves before 11:30 a.m. and does not return, the absence is counted as a full day.
	If a student leaves at 11:30 a.m. or after and does not return, the absence is counted as one-half day.
	No absence is counted if a student leaves after 2:30 p.m.
	Special allowances may be made on shortened school days.

COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE

In January of 1995 the Glenwood School Board revised the compulsory attendance policy that requires parents within the school district to have their child attend on a regular basis. This revised policy specifies the number of days each student is to be in attendance. The revision states that students "shall attend a minimum of forty days per quarter and a minimum of one hundred sixty days per year." Most students in the Glenwood School District have good attendance and this policy will have little impact on them. If, however, a student is absent more than five days in a quarter or more than 20 days a school year and the parent fails to communicate with the school, or the reasons for the absences are not approved, the matter will be referred to the county attorney.

TARDINESS POLICY

Students are considered tardy when school begins at 8:15 and they are not in their assigned seats. Any time a student enters the building after 8:15, they must report first to the office for a pass to class. The principal will then determine if the tardy is excused or unexcused. Students will be allowed two unexcused tardies for the year without penalty (after-school detention). If a student has been in the building but is tardy to class periods 2 to homeroom, he/she should report directly to the classroom and the teacher will handle appropriate discipline and notify the office. Students who are often late to school or classes will be required to serve after-school detention or possibly ISS.

MAKE-UP WORK

Students will usually be given two days to complete assignments for each day of excused absence or tardy. There may be cases when the time allocated for make-up work will be extended or shortened. This decision will be made jointly by the principal and the teacher. Completing the make-up work is the responsibility of the student, not the teacher.

Assignments and books may be sent home if a request for homework is made by the parent/guardian by 9:30 a.m. Teachers will fill out the assignment sheets during their preparation period, therefore, parents are asked to please make arrangements for the books/assignments to be picked up from the office after 3:00 p.m.

MAKE-UP WORK FOR ADVANCE ABSENCES

When a student knows in advance that he or she is going to be absent from school for a family vacation or a non-school related activity, the student will need to complete the school work he or she will miss before the absence occurs. The following procedure should be followed when the student knows in advance he/she will be absent from school.

	Bring a note to the office from parent/guardian explaining the planned absence and the date(s) the student will be gone. The student should try to do this several days prior to the absence in order to complete work before leaving.
	Student will be given an advance assignment sheet which he or she will take to the teachers. The teachers will then give assignments for the day(s) the student will miss.
	The student will complete all assignments and turn them in to the respective teachers. Each teacher involved will then sign the advance assignment sheet to show the work has been completed and handed in.
	Student will return the signed assignment sheet to the office before checking out or on the last day of attendance.

STUDENT PASSES

Students in the hallways during class periods must have a pass signed by a teacher or member of the middle school staff. If you want to see a teacher or go to another room during your study hall period, you must have a pass signed by the teacher requesting you before you go to the study hall. You may not leave the study hall to go to various classrooms without a pass.

DETENTION

Students may be required to remain after school because of disciplinary actions. In most cases, students will be given a 24-hour notice of the detention in order to inform parents/guardians. It should be noted, however, that some situations may require a telephone call to parents/guardians to make arrangements for a detention to be served the day it is given. Detention period starts as soon as school is dismissed for the day and usually will last for 15 to 30 minutes. The time may be extended for a more serious problem. In special circumstances, such as student transportation problems, a detention may be arranged before school if this is approved by the respective teacher or principal.

Every student will develop the skills to be an independent, cooperative, respectful citizen with a positive attitude.

Glenwood Middle School Rams
Glenwood, Iowa
08/30/07

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