Gunnison Valley Middle School
Attendance Policy
Steps to follow if your child is absent:
- Parent or guardian should call the school and inform the office of the absence. GVMS phone # 528-5337
- If no phone contact has been made the date of the absence, the parent or guardian must send a signed, dated note or phone call excusing their child when the child returns to school.
- A student will have one school day beyond his/her return to school to clear absences.
- If your student is absent 3 days they will need to bring a doctor's note to be excused.
Tardies:
1. Check in at the office when coming to school after the first bell has rung.
You will be given an admit to class.
2. Excused tardies must have a note from a parent or the parent needs to call
the school to excuse.
General Attendance:
Students typically do better in school when they attend regularly and
consistently.
Keep absences to a minimum.
Thank you for your assistance in this matter.
Pay Attention to Attendance: Keep your Child on Track in Middle and high School
Showing up for school has a huge impact on a students' academic success starting in kindergarten and continuing through high school. Even as children grow older and more independent, families play a key role in making sure students get to school safely every day and understand why attendance is so important for success in school and on the job.
Did you know?
- Students should miss no more than 9 days of school each year to stay engaged, successful and on track to graduation.
- Absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with school work, dealing with a bully or facing some other potentially serious difficulty.
- By 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that a student may drop out of high school.
- Missing 10 percent, or about 18 days of the school year can drastically affect a student's academic success.
- Students can be chronically absent even if they only miss a day or two every few weeks.
- Attendance is an important life skill that will help your child graduate from college and keep a job.
What can you do?
Make school attendance a priority
- Talk about the importance of showing up to school everyday, make that the expectation.
- Help your child maintain daily routines, such as finishing homework and getting a good night's sleep.
- Try not to schedule dental and medical appointments during the school day.
- DON'T let your child stay home unless truly sick. Complaints of headaches or stomach aches may be signs of anxiety.
Help your teen stay engaged
- Find out if your child feels engaged by his classes and feels safe from bullies and other threats. Make sure he/she is not missing class because of behavioral issues and school discipling policies. If any of these are problems, work with your school.
- Stay on top of academic progress and seek help from teachers or tutors if necessary. Make sure teachers know how to contact you.
- Stay on top of your child's social contacts. Peer pressure can lead to skipping school, while students without many friends can fee isolated.m
- Encourage meaningful afterschool activities, including sports and clubs.
Communicate with the school
- Know the school's attendance policy - incentives and penalties
- Talk to teachers if you notice sudden changes in behavior. These could be tied to something going on at school.
- Check on your child's attendance to be sure absences are not piling up.
- Ask for help from a school officials, after-school programs, other parents o community agencies if you're having trouble getting your child to school.
