Attendance is taken seriously at John Muir Elementary School.Per district requirements parents are expected to contact the school if your child is absent for any reason. Any student with two (2) unexcused absences in a month or five (5) excused (unless prior notice of absences or doctor’s note is provided) will receive a letter from the assistant principal requesting a conference via phone or in person. Any student with five (5) unexcused absences in a month or ten (10) excused in the current school year (unless prior notice of absences or doctor’s note is provided) will receive a letter and expected to establish a contract with the assistant principal and district attendance specialist.Any student with 10 unexcused absences in the current school year can expect the Lake Washington School District Attendance Specialist to file a truancy petition per Washington State Law guidelines.

Unexcused absences include, but are not limited to, waking up late, traffic issues, and not making contact with the school.

Admit slips will be written beginning at 9:00 a.m. per the school wall clocks. At five (5) absences and/or tardies in a sixty (60)-day time period or if a teacher has significant concerns, classroom teachers will be notified and asked to make contact with the family, explaining the educational impact on the student.

Vacation Homework Policy:

Family vacations are special times, and we ask that you please consult the school calendar when making your vacation plans.Classroom attendance is positively related to student achievement. We cannot duplicate what is learned in the classroom by only providing written make-up work for the vacation (nor are teachers required to). Often written work is practice or an extension of what is taught/discussed in class.Assignments that can be completed outside the classroom environment will be accumulated and saved by the teacher for your student.Upon return, the student will be asked to complete them at home with parental assistance.

The Washington attendance law, the BECCA Bill students by law to be in school. This law can apply to elementary school aged students when they are excessively absent even if they are excused.Washington State law requires that all children from age 8 to 17 attend school. This law also applies to children ages 6 and 7 if the parent enrolls the child in public school.Regular attendance is a major factor in determining a child’s success in school and helping them to perform well academically.Although missed assignments can be made up, nothing can replace valuable in-class instruction.

We understand that there is the occasional vacation and/or circumstance that take students out of school, but we ask that you think about the repercussions of students missing this time and instruction in class. When students are not in school, they miss valuable instruction.Missed assignments may be provided following the absence for completion with parent support.Teachers are not expected to create additional assignments or remedial instruction for students who miss school as a result of vacation scheduled during school time.

SAFE ARRIVAL PROGRAM:

The safe arrival program notifies parents if their child has not arrived at school. The program is managed by parent volunteers and/or the school attendance specialist. If a child is absent and the school has not been notified, a call is placed to the parent. For this reason, parents must also notify the attendance specialist in the office if their child is late (otherwise a call will go home expressing that your child is absent). To report an absence, parents are requested to call the school anytime between 4:00 p.m. and 9:30 a.m. at 425-936-2641. You will be able to leave a recorded message stating your student’s name, teacher’s name, date, and reason for the absence.