If your child is absent, please call the office or email us by 9:00 am to report the absence. You may also send your child with a note when they return to school stating specifically the reason for each day's absence, your child's first and last name, and his or her teacher's name. Please sign the note and state your relationship to the student. Absences remaining unverified for three or more days after the student's return to school will be considered truant or unexcused.
California law requires students attend school regularly and promptly. The state of California considers four or more absences to be excessive. The VUSD School Board Goal is 98% attendance (98% attendance is three absences per school year per child.). The only acceptable reasons for excused absence are illness and doctor's or dentist's appointment. All other absences are considered unexcused.
To comply with this goal, a letter is sent home when a child has a combination or five absences, tardies, (30 minutes or more) or lates (less than 30 minutes). Letters are also sent when a pattern of poor attendance and/or punctuality develops. To further assist, parents and students may meet with the principal or counselor to complete an attendance contract. Continued defiance of the California Compulsory Attendance Laws will result in a referral to the School Attendance Review Board (SARB). District policy also requires a doctor's note for each successive absence once a child has ten absences. (VUSD Attendance Policy) (VUSD Attendance Policy: Spanish)
TARDINESS
Students are expected to arrive at school on time. If a student is late to school, an adult must accompany them to the office when they arrive. Students are expected to be in class and in their assigned seat on time throughout the day. Excessive tardiness will be reflected in district attendance reports. Students attending Monte Vista on a District Transfer request must be at school on time each day. Transfers can be revoked for excessive tardiness/absences.
EARLY STUDENT PICK-UP
Monte Vista Elementary School has a closed campus. Once a student arrives on campus, he or she must remain on campus for the remainder of the school day unless checked out at the office by a parent or 18guardian.
No one may check out a student who is not listed on the emergency card. Photo identification is required for any adult checking out any student. If for some reason an individual whose name is not listed on the student's Emergency Card is authorized by you to pick up your student, please write or email the office in advance and provide the school with all the pertinent information. Students will not be released to anyone who is not listed on the Emergency Card nor anyone under the age of 18. We prefer students not be picked up within 15 minutes of dismissal time.
Please schedule doctor/dentist appointments after school or during vacation days. This will enable your child to be present for our entire instructional program. The office keeps track of early pickups and missing instructional minutes count toward your child's attendance record. If early pick-up is necessary, please notify your child's teacher in writing.
AGE REQUIREMENTS
State law provides the following requirements for students entering public schools. A child must be 5 years old on or before September 2, 2013, in order to enter kindergarten. To enter first grade, a child must be 6 years old on or before September 2. Proof of the child's age must be submitted at the time of enrollment.
RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS
Proof of residence in the Monte Vista and/or VUSD attendance area is required.
INDEPENDENT STUDY CONTRACTS
Parents are encouraged to plan family vacations when their child is not in school. If it is unavoidable that your child will be out of school for five to ten days, please ask about an Independent Study Contract. To qualify for an Independent Study Contract, students must demonstrate proficiency in all academic areas and have good attendance. Prior administrator approval is required for an Independent Study Contract. VUSD School Board Policy is followed.
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE REVIEW BOARD (SARB)
If your child is excessively absent from school for whatever reason, including truancy, illness, and tardiness, he/she will be referred to VUSD's School Attendance Review Board.