Attendance Information
ATTENDANCE HOTLINE ~ (858) 673-3967
Regular Office Hours ~ Monday – Friday 7:15am to 2:15pm, Friday Main School Phone ~ 858-673-5514
Please remember to call the attendance hotline each day your student is absent from school.
If your child is absent from school, it is necessary for a parent/guardian to call the office via the Attendance Hot Line (858) 673-3967. Please leave the following information:
Student’s name and grade
Teacher’s name
Day(s) and date(s) of absences
Reason for the absence
Expected date of return
This is one way we can insure that your child is safe and that attendance does not become a problem. If the absence is for five (5) days or more, a doctor’s statement, in addition to the parent’s note will be required. Parents are encouraged to schedule vacations and trips during non-school days. We also encourage parents to utilize the afternoon of the minimum day, Friday, to make doctor and dental appointments when possible. To help us keep classroom interruptions to a minimum, parents are asked to communicate after school plans with their children before they come to school.
When your child has a medical appointment, please send a note to the office. This will be documented as an excused absence. If a child has a fever, they must not return to school until they have been fever free without the use of medication for a 24-hour period.
ATTENDANCE GUIDELINES
Because we value every minute available to students for learning, Turtleback Elementary School believes it is very important that students arrive to school on time, and attend school every day unless they are sick, have a doctor’s appointment, or are attending to a family emergency. If children are absent for any reason, their parents need to call our attendance hotline (858/673-3967) each day the child is absent. If the child went to a doctor’s appointment, it is best to bring a note from the doctor’s office for the school files.
Although this happens rarely, students who are absent without a valid excuse three times in one school year are considered truant. When this happens, a truancy letter is sent to the parents and a copy is forwarded to the Poway Unified School District Student Discipline and Attendance Office. If a formal notification is made three times, the student and his or her parents are referred to the District School Attendance Review Board (SARB) which then has the authority to refer the student to the juvenile justice system.
The purpose of this notification is to provide full disclosure about the legal responsibility all parents have to make sure their children attend school on time, every day. Thank you for your cooperation as we work together to provide your children with the finest education.
ARRIVAL TO SCHOOL
- Students should not arrive at school in the morning before 7:15am (no adult supervision)
- Students may not go through the halls.
- Students should take all books and other items with them to the playground, not to their classroom.
- Students should put their belongings on their classroom line up area. School begins promptly at 7:45am
- Students are expected to be in their seats ready to learn at this time.
- Students arriving after the 7:45am tardy bell, must come to the office for a late slip before going to class.
If it is raining when students arrive at school, they go directly to the MPR.
DURING SCHOOL
Once students arrive at school, they may not leave the campus or playground during school hours without permission from the office. Students must be checked out in the office by a parent or guardian.
During school, students are asked to:
- walk quietly through the halls
- not disturb classes at work.
- not “cut-through” the library to come out another door.
- not bounce balls in the halls or against the walls of the school.
DISMISSAL FROM SCHOOL
At dismissal time, parents should meet their children by the flagpole in front of school or the designated area on Turtleback Rd. Kindergarten and TK parents should pick up their children from the Kindergarten playground/gate area. Parents should NOT meet their children inside the school or by their classroom, as it is a distraction to the learning environment and blocks the hall ways significantly. Please be respectful of students learning time.