N.O.E. News

Good Afternoon N.O.E. Families!

It is my hope that everyone is staying safe and warm with the current weather. I would like to thank everyone for their flexibility over the last week. Our students have been making adjustments to get back into routines and become engaged in their learning once again. It is my hope that some warmth will come as we enter the month of February! 💖

If you ever need anything, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Mr. Cobb

cobbc@cvcolonials.org

Can you believe it…we are halfway through the school year! NOE would like to take this opportunity to thank families for their diligence and support of attendance for their students so far this year. Attendance is not only mandatory according to Board Policy 204 but it is a major indicator for student success, academically and socially. Good attendance matters!

By way of reminders, here are a few things we wanted to continue to share with you as we all help manage NOE student attendance for the remainder of the school year.

• When your student misses school, please provide an excuse for that absence within

5 days after the last missed day.

• If your student misses 3 consecutive days, they will be required to submit a doctor's note for those days.

• For pre-arranged absence requests, closer tracking will continue for attendance percentage and academic performance moving forward. As per policy and our form, students must maintain at least a 90% attendance rate and be in good academic standing with passing grades for the absence to be approved.

• Prearranged absence requests must be made 2 days prior to being out of school. The request will be denied or if your student still misses school, those days will be recorded as unlawful. Please make every effort to submit pre-arranged absences within 2 days prior to leaving to ensure approval by building administration.

• If you request an early dismissal for your student for a medical/dental appointment, you will be required to provide a note from your healthcare provider the next time your student returns to school, for that time missed during the appointment, to avoid recording the absence as unlawful.

• Please note that Seesaw messages to teachers regarding absences, are not considered acceptable means for excusing a student’s absence.

• We recommend submitting excuses through Sapphire by going to: Student Data Form → On Demand Forms → Absence Excusal Form K–8. Doctor’s notes may also be uploaded in this section.

• You may also complete a paper Absence Excuse form or send a written note directly to the office. Please be sure to include your child’s name and homeroom teacher on the note.

• We strongly encourage you to check Sapphire to confirm that your child gave the note to their teacher to submit to the office.

We understand that young students often get sick several times in their early elementary years, and that one illness—or a needed surgery—may result in several days away from school at once. First and foremost, we are looking for communication, and for absences to be “excused”.

Attendance Letters…Why am I getting this?

It can be alarming to receive an attendance letter in the mail from NOE for your student. We are required to send letters when your student attendance record reaches key thresholds to document and inform you and help manage the student’s attendance during the school year.

In most cases, letters are simply a reminder or “courtesy” letter letting families know their student has reached a certain number of absences and no further action is needed beyond closer monitoring of their student’s attendance. However, after a certain number of absences have been reached during a school year, further action by the school or outside agencies may be necessary to support and manage student attendance.

Here is a quick “cheat sheet” on attendance letters and a brief explanation for each one.

Pre-Fine Warning Letter - received when a student reaches 3 unlawful absences (no excuse notes were provided for those absences within 5 days after the last day of school they missed). This letter is not a penalty - only a courtesy.

6 Day AIP Letter - student has accumulated 6 unlawful absences indicating that by school policy an Attendance Improvement Plan (AIP) meeting will be scheduled to help understand why students are missing school and what we can do together to support better attendance.This letter is not a penalty - only a courtesy. Families will be notified directly by NOE of date/time.

Fine Warning 7 Unlawful - a courtesy letter alerting families that their student has reached a key threshold of 7 unlawful absences and identified as “truant”, as per policy, Children and Youth Services may be asked to get involved in helping manage attendance with the school and family.

Doctor Warning Letter - received when a student reaches a combined total of 10 absences (excused and/or unlawful). This is a warning letter to inform families that student attendance is approaching the point where any further absences will require a doctor’s note to be excused. This letter is not a penalty but a reminder to families that the need for medical notes is coming.

Doctor Note Required Letter - Student attendance has reached a total combined 15 absences (excused and/or unlawful) and any further absences will require a doctor’s note to be excused.

Fine Letter #1 - Issued when student attendance reaches 10 total unlawful absences and your student attendance record will be shared with Children and Youth Services. The 10 absences are all unlawful therefore the families may be fined as a result.

February 2nd - PTO Meeting (6 p.m., NOE Library)

February 6th - PTO Sweat Heart Dance 💕 (K & 1st/5:30 - 6:30pm)(2nd & 3rd/7:00 - 8:00pm)

February 12th - Act 34 Public Hearing, NOE Renovation Project (6 p.m., NOE Cafeteria)

February 16th - No School for Students/Schools Closed (President's Day)

February 23rd - Early Dismissal for Students