ATTENDANCE

It is extremely important to notify the school ahead of time of all absences and late arrivals. Parents and students should advise the school at least the day before and in writing of attendance problems by calling the Secondary Office. However, should the problem arise after school hours, or should there exist problems in reaching the school via telephone, the school can be notified via pager at 444-300, code 64434. A pager message the evening before an absence or lateness will be considered day-before notice. Messages received after 7:30 a.m. of the day of the attendance problem will not be considered day-before notice.

Lateness

Students who arrive to school late, between 8:00 and 8:30, must report directly to the Secondary Principal’s Office accompanied by their parents or a note signed by the parent. They will then be allowed to enter class and be required to make–up all missed work from that morning that same afternoon between 3:30-4:00 p.m. with their teacher. Students are allowed to be late to school twice per quarter with an excuse from a parent or guardian. Upon the third tardy in a quarter, the student will not be allowed to enter school until a parent-student conference is held with the Secondary Principal. Lateness to school does not count as a tardy to first period class.

Students who arrive late to class (except first period classes) will be marked down as late. This is considered a disciplinary infraction. Two disciplinary actions result in a parent teacher conference, 3 disciplinary actions result in a referral to the Principal, which normally results a minimum consequence of Saturday School.

In the event that a student has to schedule an appointment during school hours, the school must be advised the day before with a note signed by the parent or guardian. No student will be allowed to enter late (after 8:30 am) if this requirement is not met. Students who arrive after 8:30 with a signed doctor's note demonstrating that they visited the doctor that morning will be allowed to enter school.

Absences

The following rules apply to absences:

1. After 8:30 am, no student will be allowed to enter school. Therefore, all students must arrive by 8:30 a.m. in order to attend classes.

2. The total number of absences allowed in a semester is 6 (one day for every 3 weeks of class). For every day over that number of absences, the student will be required to attend school during the vacations. An additional study package of work may be prepared by the teacher, and the student will be required to produce an investigative work which reinforces the learning achieved in that course during the time s/he is in attendance during these vacation days.

3. Students who are absent are required to make-up their work on the day that they return to school. If they missed an exam or quiz, they should come prepared to take it during break or after school on that day. They should also come prepared for all other classes. Absent students should either consult the Guidance Office or fellow students to know in advance what they need to bring and have prepared for class after an absence. Failure to do so can result in receiving a reduced or failing grade.

4. Students who are absent may not participate in the extracurricular sports activities offered that day.

5. Should an absence be prolonged (3 or more school days), then the student will need to meet with the counselor before returning to classes to create a schedule for making up missed classwork.

6. Early dismissal also counts towards attendance. Two early dismissals will be equivalent to one absence. Students who have not attended every class during the school day will not be permitted to participate in an after-school activity on that day.

Only the Principal can officially “excuse” an absence or tardy from not counting towards the total of six days, and this is usually done when a student is severely ill or has some other extreme emergency warranting absence. Whenever a student misses a class, it is his/her sole responsibility to find out from each of his/her teachers what missing work has to be made up. The school will notify parents and students when absences affect academic performance.

Parents must send a note to the office after each student absence, stating the nature of the illness or the reason for the absence. The absence policy touches on an area of both parental and institutional privilege. The ASA policy is clear: Parents may remove their children from school whenever they feel it is necessary. The school administration reserves the right to excuse the absence or to define it as “unexcused”.

Summer Camp and Early Leave before Vacations

ASA recognizes the educational value of certain types of summer activities, such as camps and field studies. Those parents who would like for their children to participate in these types of activities should request permission in writing at least a month before exams begin.

The Administration may give or reject permission depending upon the student’s academic level and overall behavior. Permission to do so is generally not recommended for those students who have demonstrated academic and discipline problems while at school.

If a student’s participation is such that an activity requires that he/she be away from school during final exams, then alternatives do exist for making up these exams. In the middle school, a teacher may exempt the student from taking the final exam. In the high school, the exemption requirements apply. Please refer to the “Exam Exemption” section of this handbook.

For those not exempt, the student must meet with each of their teachers to determine how and when exams will be taken. Options include:

• Taking the exam early or

• Taking the final exams upon their return.

Decision is at the professional discretion of the individual teacher.

The Guidance Office will administer exams. If the student will not be able to take the exam before the semester ends, a grade of incomplete will appear on the report card.

It is the student’s sole responsibility to get ready for any final exam that needs to be made up and to learn the instructional material that was taught during his/her absence.


Make up exams should be taken before a student begins the next school year or semester. The exam taking will be coordinated by the Guidance Office and should take into account the specific circumstances of departure, return, and ability to prepare for the exams. Should this exam not be made up in a reasonable time period, then the grade for the exam becomes a "0".