Weekly Wildcat

• How to report absences to Walteria staff when your child is absent
• Why attendance matters
• TUSD attendance policies and state attendance laws

By putting out this newsletter, our ultimate goal is that your child is on campus and in class everyday. We hope your child enjoys and can fully participate in all the learning and fun activities that school brings. Thank you for reading this newsletter. Your child's attendance matters at Walteria!

Option 1: Fill out this form OR

Option 2: Email walteriaattendance@tusd.org OR

Option 3: Call 310-533-4487

Be ready to report the following:

• Child's name
• Teacher name
• Reason for absence
• Date of absence
• Your name, relationship to student, and your contact information

The research is clear: Attending school regularly and consistently matters for the future success of all of our Wildcats. Specifically, the skills our students are building in Kindergarten and first grade are directly linked to proficiency in reading when students get to the third grade and beyond. But equally important, our Wildcat community is an even better place when your child(ren) are present for learning and participating in the school day! Below you will find some important research and data that demonstrate the importance of consistent attendance.

• Starting in kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school.
• Missing 10% of the school year can make it harder to learn to read.
• Students can still fall behind if they miss just a day or two every few weeks.
• Being late to school may lead to poor attendance.
• Absences can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up.

**the bottom of this newsletter contains source links

While we want students to stay home when sick, we also encourage families to save vacations and trips for non-school days. When students don't come to school they miss out on fun experiences like Spirit Friday, Monday Assembly, Monday Prize Drawings, lunch with their peers, art, music, physical education and lastly learning! Please contact us if we can provide support with attendance matters - we have resources!

Attendance Policy

By law, all students must attend school. At Walteria every hour is filled with learning, we expect students to attend school every day and be on time. This is the main way to ensure educational success. When students have excessive absences and tardies they fall behind quickly.

Attendance Guidelines

Excused Absences
An absence is excused with a written notification (handwritten note or verified email) or a verbal notification from the student's parents or legal guardian. A doctor's note or court note is best for medical or legal reasons for the absence. Any medical absence over 5 days requires a doctor's clearance to return.

Absence Notes must include:
Return Date
Child's first and last legal name
Grade level
Date of absence(s)
Reason for absence
Parent name, contact email or phone
Parent signature

What is an Excused Absences (Education Code 48205):

• A student’s illness (not parent’s or another family member).
• Medical, dental or eye appointments.
• Attending the funeral of an immediate family member: one (1) day in California; three (3) days out of California. Immediate family member means student’s mother/father, brother/sister, child, grandmother/grandfather, or spouse, spouse’s mother/father, spouse’s child, spouse’s brother/sister, or any relative living the immediate household of the student.
• Court appearance when the student has subpoena with his/her name on it.
• Religious holiday/retreat/ceremony (max of four (4) hours per semester) with prior written request from parent and approval from school.
• Schedule medical and dental appointments after school or on school holidays.

Seek assistance from a school counselor if you are having problems getting your child to school. They can direct you to resources that will help you.

Long Term Absences
A students who must be away from Walteria for more than a week (5 days) for a planned non-illness related reason will need to be put on a Independent Study Contract. The school would like notification well in advanced, one week if possible, to put get future assignments and materials from teachers.

Unexcused Absences
Parents must let the school attendance office know if a student will be absent for more than three (3) days. An email will be sent out which parents can reply to when a student is absent. In addition, a call home may be made. If our school isn't contacted during this time the absence is considered unexcused.

Please Note: After three (3) unexcused absences, any unexcused/unverified absence going forward will be considered truant.

When absences become too frequent…

• If a student shows a pattern of chronic absenteeism due to illness, District may require physician verification of any further student absences.

• School can revoke parent's privelege in excusing absences without a doctor's note.

• Visit to the student's home by the verifying employee, or any other reasonable method that establishes the fact that the student was absent for the reasons stated.

Excessive Unexcused Absences
Students that are absent 10% of the overall school year are categorized as being excessively absent. To avoid this, after 5 absences, a letter will be sent home, to be signed by guardian and returned by the student. After 10 absences, a meeting with the Principal will be arranged to discuss attendance. If absences reach 15 or more, your child can be referred to the District's School Attendance Review Board (SARB). At any point, your