Attendance

Attendance is the responsibility of the student, parents, and the school. Consistent, daily attendance is important as a basis for academic achievement. Absences have a negative effect on instructional continuity, regardless of attempts to make up work. The regular contact of the students with one another in the classroom, and their participation in a well-planned instructional activity under the guidance of a competent teacher, are vital.

Elementary School Hours

Arrival Time: No earlier than 7:40am (8:15am on Wednesdays)
Start Time: 8am (8:30am on Wednesdays)
Dismissal Time: 3pm
Half Day Dismissal Time: 11:30am

Students should be in their homeroom seat by the designated start time or a tardy will be issued.

NOTE: Excessive absenteeism (more than 6 absences per quarter, excused or unexcused) may result in a lowered or failing grade, parent/teacher/Principal conference, or dis-enrollment. Sixty+ days absent from school constitutes truancy.

Excused Absences

The following will be considered excused absences, if the parent calls:

A student who is temporarily ill or injured
Family bereavement
A student who is attending any school-sponsored activity of an educational nature with advance approval of the Administration
Emergency or medical appointments (medical and dental appointments should be scheduled before or after school hours whenever possible)
If students will be absent from school for more than two days due to a family vacation, approval must be given by the principal at least two weeks before the vacation.

If your child is going to be absent, it is imperative that you notify the school office within the first half-hour of the school day. If your child will be absent for an extended period of time, contact the school office, prior to the absence. If the office has not been informed of an absence, the student will be considered absent and an unexcused absence will be issued. Persistent absenteeism may result in a Principal/parent conference, a lowered or failing grade, or dis-enrollment.

Make-Up Work

Please refer to Make-Up Work under Academic Policies for information on making up work after an absence.

Unexcused Absences

Unexcused absences may be defined as:

Failure to contact the school in the event of absences requiring prior notice
Being kept home for family convenience
Leaving the school without permission from the office

After three unexcused absences, a zero will be given for class work and homework assignments missed as a result of the unexcused absences. Any make up tests for unexcused absences will receive a grade no higher than a “C.” Please refer to the policy on Make Up Work under Academic Policies for more information.

An unexcused absence will result in a phone call from the school office to determine the whereabouts of the student. The school reserves the right to call local authorities for students with unexcused absences.

Tardiness

Being late to class hinders the student’s learning and interrupts classmates and the teacher. If a student is tardy, a parent or guardian is expected to accompany the student to the office. Habitual tardiness (more than five in a grading period) will first result in a phone call and, if the behavior continues, a parent conference will occur with additional consequences if deemed necessary, such as after-school detention. A “late arrival” due to a medical appointment will not be recorded as a tardy as long as the parent notified the office of the appointment.

Tardy Child Check-in Procedure

To help curtail tardiness and ensure safety, parents are asked to bring their children to the office if they arrive anytime after 8am (8:30am on Wednesdays); children are not to come to the office alone to check in. A parent or guardian must accompany the child (including those in a carpool) to the office and remain with the child in the main office area until the front desk staff can inform the homeroom teacher that the student has arrived.

EXCEL Program – Extension Class for Elementary Students grades 3-6

EXCEL is the Excessive Tardy & Absence Recovery Policy for students grades 3-6.

When a child is absent from class for extended periods of time (or habitually tardy) their ability to keep pace with instruction is compromised which may lead to lower grades, poor self-esteem and/or digging themselves out of an academic hole from which they may not recover. No amount of homework or make-up work can substitute for time spent in the classroom under a teacher’s direct instruction. To help ensure a student’s success FRCS Elementary has a program designed to assist students in making-up missing work. This policy is NOT a penalty or disciplinary measure. It’s a support measure. If a student misses an excessive amount of valuable class time they may be required to attend a special tutoring session (EXCEL) outside of regular school hours, provided at cost to the parents and scheduled at the teacher’s discretion in cooperation with the student’s parent(s).

Policy Specifics

If a student (grades 3 through 6 only) accumulates 5 days absent (excused or unexcused) during the period of a school quarter (eight weeks) he/she will be considered excessively absent (missing five days is the equivalent of missing an entire week of school). Please note that every two tardies are considered the equivalent of one day absent.

If a student reaches the five days absent mark within a school quarter:

The Principal will contact the student’s teacher and determine (based on a student’s current academic progress/status and amount of assignments and/or assessments missing) if the student meets the requirements for an EXCEL session.
If the students meets the criteria for an EXCEL session the student’s teacher will then initiate contact with that parent partner to schedule a EXCEL session which may take place after school, or on a Saturday morning (at the school). The teacher and the parent will work together to determine the best time for this session.
The cost per child for an EXCEL session is $20 and may last from one to three hours. Payment must accompany the child to their session and checks should be made out to FRCS. Cash is also acceptable as payment.
During the EXCEL session, the student will work with his or her teacher to catch-up on missing school work, receive valuable course content (that was missed), and may take a missed assessment.

Note: If a student is scheduled for an EXCEL session and does not attend, the family will be assessed the $20 fee, and the session will be rescheduled for an additional $20.

Early Dismissal of a Child

Planned early dismissals must be noted to the office the day of the dismissal. The office will then inform the teacher. When parents come to the school to pick up their child(ren) for early dismissal, they must first visit the office and sign them out.

After School Pick-Up

Full days of school conclude at 3pm. Half-days conclude at 11:30am. Please follow the pick-up procedures specified in the beginning of the year registration packet.

Late Pick-Up

Any child not picked up by 3:15pm will be kept in the school office. The parent/guardian must then come to the office to sign his/her child(ren) out. A $5 fee per child will be assessed to your account for each 15 minutes late that they are not picked up (this fee is assessed for each child in a car pool who is waiting for the driver’s arrival). Late Fee Notices, listing the amounts due, will be sent home in Friday Folders. Be mindful that there are often after-school meetings our staff must attend. Please be prompt in picking up your child(ren).

Physical Exemptions from P.E. or Recess

Physical exemptions from recess or gym class can only be granted by virtue of a doctor’s note. Any child without a doctor’s note who is not healthy enough to participate in recess or physical education class should not attend school that day.