Attendance Policy
Attendance
 Regular school attendance is essential for continuity of learning. Consequently, the only excused absences are those involving the student's illness or family emergencies; all other absences are considered unexcused or anticipated absences. A doctor's note will waive an absence for secondary students. A written excuse or phone call from the parent must be provided the day following the absence when the student returns to class, or a detention will be assigned. The excuse note must include the specific reason for the absence, and the dates missed. Secondary students take their notes to the office prior to the first bell and obtain an admit slip. Elementary students take their excuse notes to their classroom teacher. Parents should call the school office to report absences or tardies the morning of the absence. If homework is needed, requests must be made by 9:00 a.m. to the school office. It is the student's responsibility to determine what school work was missed during an excused absence and to complete that work within a number of days equal to the number of days of excused absences. Work missed during unexcused absences may not be made up for grading purposes; the student is required to complete missing assignments, but will receive reduced credit for all missed work. Students who are absent are not to attend after-school or evening activities. This also includes practice time for any sport or other extra-curricular activity. This same rule applies to students who miss the first 3 periods of class or who leave school because of illness. Secondary Attendance Policy
Consistent school attendance is stressed at Cornerstone since attendance habits in school translate to positive patterns later in life. Specifically, good attendance in college or the work place can mean the difference between success or failure. Our goal at Cornerstone is to teach these habits to students by placing an emphasis on good attendance. Since 10 absences represent 11% of the number of days a student attends class in a semester, a student missing 10 days of class will have missed 11% of the course and the instruction. Therefore, our attendance policy holds that on the 10th absence from any class during one semester, for whatever reason other than school business or serious illness, the student's grade is automatically lowered 10 percent, or one grade mark. Should a student miss 15 days in one semester, grades are lowered two marks, and 20 absences means an automatic grade of "F" and no credit. All absences, whether excused or unexcused, count toward the loss of credit policy. Unusual medical circumstances may result in a modified program. There is no substitute for classroom instruction. Class time is often composed of lecture and note taking, the give and take of classroom discussion and debate, the exchange of ideas, the listening and evaluation of what is said by both teacher and classmates. Class time may also include group work, activities, projects, team work, video presentations, plus student presentations. The intellectual stimulation, thought processes and total learning experience can never be duplicated by a makeup assignment, nor can it be covered in its entirety in a test. The educational process is a complex and diversified experience, one that demands consistent student participation. Anticipated Absences
Anticipated absences are those which are known before the actual absence; in other words, plans are made to be absent. The regular make-up policy for excused absences does not apply to anticipated absences. For anticipated absences, it is the student's responsibility to contact teachers in advance, informing them of the anticipated absence, and asking for assignments which may be missed during absences. Each teacher should have at least two weeks' notice in order to prepare the homework package. If the teacher is able to prepare a package of class work and homework that will be missed, this work must be completedand turned in upon return to class. If the teacher's planning does not cover all of the anticipated days of absence, the remainder of the missed work will be assigned upon return to school and will be due within one week of return to school. Tests which are missed during anticipated absences will be administered to the student within the first week of the return to class. Tardiness
Students are expected to be present and ready to study when each class begins. If a student is tardy at the beginning of the school day, the parent must provide a note explaining the tardiness. All tardiness is considered unexcused. All tardy students should take these notes to the office and obtain an admit slip. Excessive tardiness may require disciplinary action, loss of credit for that semester, and may ultimately result in termination of the student's enrollment. Middle School and High School Students arriving after 8:00 A.M. are allowed three "grace" tardies within a semester to compensate for unforeseen circumstances. A student arriving late to a class, other than first period, will be assigned points off. Any course information missed, due to the student’s tardiness, is the student’s responsibility.. |
