Policies
Attendance
Absences
Parents/guardians must contact the school office whenever their child is absent.
Call Spruce at 650-877-8780
- Caller’s name and relationship to absent student
- Student’s full name
- Spelling of student's last name
- Room number
- Date(s) of absence
- Reason(s) for absence
- Caller's phone number
Excusable absences include:
- Illness
- Medical/dental appointment
- Death or funeral of immediate family member.
Students who have accumulated more than ten (10) days of medical excuses, must provide a doctor’s note for the next absence.
Parents/guardians may clear excused absences by providing the school office with a signed note within 72 hours of the absence that includes the current date, student’s name, and exact days he/she was absent.
Attendance
Studies show that there is a direct correlation between attendance rates, health, and student achievement. Some of the negative impacts of spotty attendance include:
Help your child achieve consistent attendance by:
- Students must work twice as hard the next day to catch up on missed instruction and missed assignments including homework.
- Teachers lose class time by having to repeat lessons for students who were absent.
- Schools lose funding from the State of California when students are absent from school. This includes all absences, even those related to illness, medical, or dental appointments.
- A loss of funding can lead to the loss of programs such as music, technology, summer school, etc.
Chronic absence in kindergarten is also associated with lower academic performance in first grade among all children and may predict lower levels of educational achievement by the end of fifth grade.
- Creating a contract with your child;
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Discussing problems your child may have at school and informing teachers about anything serious;
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Reinforcing the importance of punctuality;
- Setting regular bedtime schedules;
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Incorporating regular exercise in your child's daily activities.
Health
The health and welfare of our students and staff are a top priority. Please observe the following guidelines to help maintain your health and that of your child:
- Teach children to wash their hands properly, especially after using the restroom, and frequently throughout the day.
- Provide healthy, nutritious food and a good breakfast everyday. Reduce the consumption of soda and foods with processed sugar, while increasing daily intake of fruits and vegetables.
- Designate regular and consistent bedtimes for children, so they can receive 8 hours of sleep each night.
- Cough into the elbow to reduce the spread of germs.
Punctuality
Regular attendance and being on time is closely related to achievement and success at school.
The cafeteria opens at 7:50 AM for breakfast, and school starts at 8:25 AM.
Students should come to school on time each day.
Because school attendance is compulsory under state law, parents/ guardians must ensure that their child attends school on time.
Student Pick-Up and Drop-Off
Students may be picked up early during school hours for emergency appointments only. Parents/guardians must notify the school office no later than 24 hours after the emergency appointment.
To minimize learning loss, parents should refrain from making appointments for their children during school hours, and students should attend classes up until the time they need to leave for their appointment.
All persons picking up students early from school must provide appropriate photo identification when signing students out at the school office.
School staff will review the student’s emergency card information to confirm that the person is authorized to pick up the student.
The student will not be authorized to leave school, if the person is not listed on the student's emergency card.
Tardiness
Tardy students must obtain a tardy slip from the school office before entering class.
The school will initiate a discussion with parents/guardians in the event of a student's excessive tardiness.
Three (3) tardies of 30 minutes or more may result in referral to the district's attendance and welfare office.
Truancy
First Notification Letter
To be classified as a truant, a student must have had three (3) unexcused absences or three (3) tardies of 30 minutes or more. Education Code Section 48260.5 requires that the parent/guardian be notified by a letter informing them of what can occur if their child fails to attend school.
Second Notification Letter and Truancy Meeting
In the event of continued attendance issues, the school will generate a second letter that includes a time and date for a meeting with the school principal.
Students who have been identified as truant (5 or more unexcused absences and/or 10 tardies) will be presented with an attendance contract or attendance improvement plan.
Regular truancy meetings will be held with students and their parents/guardians to improve the student's attendance rate. Our schoolwide average daily attendance (ADA) goal is 98%.
Third Notification Letter and School Attendance and Review Board (SARB)
In the event of continued attendance issues, the student child will be referred to the School Attendance Review Board (SARB).
Uniform/Dress Code