Attendance Information

A FOR ACCURACY
All teachers must carefully mark their attendance each period of each day. Students must be accounted for at all times. The Attendance Office will verify attendance if a student has been marked absent in one or two periods. If you make an error that cannot be fixed at your computer, let Georgia know. Keep Georgia happy by being accurate! Begin class with a starter no later than 30 seconds into the period. Do not lock doors to deny entrance to late students. Suspensions do not count as absences. The attendance office will call for students using a pink slip. Please release students as quickly as possible.

ABSENCE
Regular attendance and participation at school are the keys to success at IHMS. Each student is expected to be in class every period of the day unless properly excused. Frequent absences of students from the day-to-day classroom experiences disrupt the instructional process. The benefits of instruction, once lost, cannot be entirely regained. The entire process of education requires a continuity of instruction, class participation, learning experience, and study. Students are expected to be in attendance every school day in order to receive maximum benefit from their educational endeavor. When students are absent for legitimate reasons, the parent or guardian must call the Attendance Office. Students who are absent from school as a result of medical appointments must provide a note from the doctor to the Attendance Office to have the absence excused. The student must make up all missed work according to each teachers make -up policy. Utah has a Compulsory Education statute (53A-11-101) that requires students to attend school except when a parent excuses the students absence for legitimate reasons. A legitimate and verified excuse from school must be in the form of a note fro m a doctor, dentist, orthodontist or other medical professional. If attending a family funeral, the parent must call the attendance office. Reasons for which absence may be excused: Illness (verified by doctor note provided to Attendance Office) Medical appointments (verified by dentist/orthodontist/doctor note provided to Attendance Office) Family wedding, family emergencies Death of family member or close friend Family activity or travel consistent with district/school policy (Educational Leave must be filled out in advance) Court appearance

Attendance Codes
Attendance Code For:
A T W L C E G I J N O U V Z Absence Tardy Way late Excused/made-up tardy Check in/out Verified excused absence Guardian knowledge Check in Testing School Activity Check out Unexcused check-in Educational leave/vacation Verified truancy Definition The student was absent and the school received no call or note from the parent or guardian. The student came to class 10 minutes or less late. The student came to class more than 10 minutes late. The student came to class late or left early with a valid and verified excuse or has made-up a tardy. The student checked in with a valid and verified excuse and then checks out later in the day or period with a valid and verified excuse. The student was absent and is considered excused because of illness, medical or dental appointment verified by note from doctor, death or funeral of family member, family wedding, court appearance. The student was absent and is considered unexcused because the parent or guardian provided a call or note with an excuse not considered excused by the Truancy Court or Canyons School District. The student was absent during the beginning of the day or period and checked in with a valid and verified excuse. The student was taking a school administered test. The student is out of class due to a school-sponsored activity. The student was absent during the end of the day or period and checked out with a valid and verified excuse. The student checked into school late with no excusal. The student is absent due to a prearranged vacation or educational leave. The student was truant and parents, police or school officials verified the truancy. This includes a student leaving school without checking out through the attendance office, not arriving at school as expected by parents and school authorities, or missing any part of or all of a scheduled class without permission.

CHECK IN/OUT
If a student arrives after 8:15 a.m., s/he must check in with the attendance office. When a student must leave school during the day, it is his/her responsibility to obtain a checkout slip from the attendance office. The parent/guardian must phone the attendance office to confirm the checkout prior to the student's leaving school. Only the parent or legal guardian may approve a student to be checked out from school. Students may be released to others listed on their registration card only after the parent or guardian has given direct approval. If a child is not to be released to a non-custodial parent/guardian listed on the card it is the custodial parents responsibility to notify the Attendance Office and provide proof of a protective order or court order. If a court order is lifted the custodial parent must provide a copy of the court order to the Attendance Office.

CLOSED CAMPUS AND VISITORS

Indian Hills Middle School has a closed campus policy which means students are not allowed to leave the campus without following the proper checkout procedures. Also, student visitors will not be allowed at school. Adult visitors must obtain a visitor pass from the main office before proceeding into the school building, or they may be charged with trespassing. Parents wishing to attend a class must obtain the permission of the principal and the teacher prior to their visit.

EDUCATIONAL LEAVE
Students may apply for up to 10 days of educational leave per school year. A parent must call or send a note to the Attendance Office before students can receive an Educational Leave Form. The form may be obtained in the Attendance Office and must be completed and returned before the student leaves on vacation.

EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS

In order that we can reach parents in an emergency, please submit changes of address or phone numbers to the attendance office.

HOME AND HOSPITAL

When a doctor writes an order to a student to be out of school for over 10 days, a parent needs to contact the attendance office to arrange for home and hospital teaching services. The doctor note must be provided to the attendance office before home and hospital instruction can begin.

MAKE UP WORK
Teachers will encourage good attendance, punctuality, and behavior in their classroom. Teachers will make sure that students understand participation and citizenship is graded in the same way as other course work. Accountability and reliability are being evaluated in this portion of the grade. IHMS teachers will use the following attendance guidelines in developing their disclosure statements: Parent-excused absences (attendance code G) are absences for sickness or family emergency. Parents may excuse these absences either by sending a note or making personal contact with the Attendance Office. This type of absence is not to affect negatively either the participation portion of the academic grade or the citizenship grade. If absences become excessive, teachers should contact the Attendance Office. Absences excused by a doctor, dentist, orthodontist, family funeral, or family wedding must have documentation provided to the attendance office (attendance code E). A properly verified school-related absence (attendance code N) will not impact negatively either the participation portion of the academic grade or the citizenship grade. Vacation release (attendance code V) does not negatively impact either the participation portion of the academic grade or the citizenship grade. Truancy (attendance code Z and W) A verified truancy could cause a student to lose points on the participation portion of the academic grade and the citizenship grade. Teacher discretion will determine if work due the day of a truancy will or will not be made up. Tardies (attendance code T) Excessive tardies may cause a student to lose points on the participation portion of the academic grade and will cause the student to receive a citizenship grade of U. The Disclosure Document will indicate the number of tardies necessary for receiving a U and for loss of participation and citizenship points. Alternative activities to make up for missed work and/or lack of attendance must support class goals and should not be an activity where a student is already receiving credit. All students with excused absences (parent, school, suspension) must have the same deadlines, the same requirements, the same access to receiving homework, etc. while out of school, and the same opportunity to make up work. The teachers disclosure statement will have a make -up work policy. Make-up assignments will be tempered according to the circumstances surrounding the absence and the ability and needs of the student. A deadline must be extended by at least the number of days a student missed school prior to the original deadline.

REQUESTS FOR HOMEWORK

The Attendance Office encourages parents to go to the teachers website or email teachers to obtain homework when students are absent three or more days. After the parents request work, teachers can send it to the Attendance Office where parents may pick it up.

TARDIES
All teachers will use the same definition for tardy: Students are tardy if they are not in their seat when the bell rings. IHMS will follow this policy: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. All teachers will require their students to complete a graded activity each day as soon as the bell rings. This starter activity will be computed in with each students grade in each class. Tardy (unexcused) students will receive a zero on this starter activity thus negatively affecting their overall grades in their classes. These points cannot be made up. If a student is tardy (excused) or absent, teachers will have the option of allowing a make-up of that days starter activity OR not counting it. An excused tardy or absence will not adversely affect a students grade. When a student reaches ten cumulative tardies, the assistant principal will send home a letter alerting parents. Consequences for further tardies may include suspension and parent conference.

TRUANCY
Utah has a Compulsory Education statute (53A-11-101) that requires students to attend school except when a parent excuses the students absence for legitimate reasons. Truancy or sluffi ng is an unexcused absence. Students are truant if they: Leave school without checking out through the Attendance Office Leave school without parent permission Arrive at school, but does not attend one or more classes Obtain permission to go to a certain place but does not report there Stay home without the parents knowledge Leave a class without permission Use a forged note to check out of school Arrive to class more than ten minutes late or leave class early The law requires that school administration work with students and parents of students who are truant. Student attendance will be tracked for appropriate action, which may include parent conferences and referrals to truancy school, truancy mediation and/or truancy court. Consequences for truancy: Up to 3 periods sluffed: 1 After School Detention for each period missed When the fourth period is sluffed, one of the following truancy interventions will be used: o Parent comes to school with student and attends all his/her classes, including lunch o Student will do school service by working with the custodian after school o ISS time to be determined The assistant principals will closely monitor truancies and follow district procedures for contacting parents, issuing citations and making referrals for truancy mediation and truancy court as necessary.

WITHDRAWAL FROM SCHOOL

When students move outside the school boundaries, they need to withdraw from Indian Hills. This process includes obtaining a withdrawal sheet from the attendance office, receiving clearance from each teacher, returning all textbooks, cleaning out lockers, and paying any fines. Failure to complete all of these steps may result in delay or denial of credit.

CLASS STARTER ACTIVITY

1. Prepare and use a meaningful daily, point-earning activity to begin class. Use a variety of activities throughout the year; these activities can be student led. Some examples of appropriate activities: short quiz be in seat with all necessary materials (appropriate for each discipline) write a definition of a term in locker room before tardy bell rings and journal write then in designated place, in roll call order, 3-5 questions covering yesterdays lesson/activity dressed and ready to participate in activity short pre-assessment for current lesson (appropriate for p.e. classes)

2. 3. 4. 5.

6.

character ed. Tie-in: for example: Caring is . . . (write synonyms used to define it) write down the word of the day/use the word of day in sentence solve the math problem of the day brain teasers current events discussion D.O.L. read-a-loud preparation check This starter activity will be included in each students grade in each class. Enter these points once per week. Tardy (unexcused) students will receive a zero on this activity, thus negatively affecting his/her overall grade in the class. These points cannot be made up. If a student is tardy (excused) or absent, teachers will have the option of allowing a make-up of that days starter activity OR not counting it. An excused tardy or absence will not adversely affect a students grade. Take an accurate roll each period. Consider a student tardy if s/he is not in his/her seat when the bell rings. Mark excused tardies with an L code. Mark unexcused tardies with a T code. Mark a W if the student is more than 10 minutes late unexcused (W is an absence code and is considered a sluff). Dont have tardy make-up activities. Insist that all students be to class on time.

write down a scientific/math formula