Attendance Matters

The Board of Education has established rules and regulations regarding attendance, absences, and excuses for students. These rules and regulations are intended to comply with Missouri Compulsory Attendance Law (167.031 RSMO) which establishes compulsory attendance for all children between the ages of seven and sixteen unless their education is provided by other acceptable means or otherwise excusable under the law.

EXCUSED ABSENCES:

• Illness of the student (doctor's statement may be required to support such absences)
  
• Days of religious observance
  
• Death in the family
  
• Professional appointment (such as lawyer, doctor, or counselor appointment)
  
• Birth of sibling
  
• Military deployment of parent, grandparent or sibling
  

UNEXCUSED ABSENCES:

• Family Vacation
  
• Family Celebration
  
• Sports Competition
  
• Visiting Relatives
  
• Inclement weather

Exceptions will be made by a building administrator and will be reviewed on a case by case basis.

You will receive weekly emails regarding your child's attendance percentage. You may also call the office at any time to request your child's attendance percentage. You are able to view the number of days missed on the Parent Portal. Open lines of communication between home and school are important.

The attendance rate is NOT pro-rated until the end of the year. For example, if your child attends the first day of school, but is absent the second, your child would have an attendance rate of 50%. If your child misses part of the day, this part will count as an absence in the calculation of the attendance rate.

When calling to leave a message about a child's absence, please leave a detailed reason why the child is missing. If no message is left on why the child is absent, we will be calling to verify the reason for the absence. As always, please provide a doctor's note when possible.

Report an absence by calling 636-625-5600. Then please Press 1 and leave your message.

Please include the following in your message:

• Child's name
  
• Teacher name
  
• Reason for absence
  
• Date of absence
  

• Set a regular bedtime and morning routine
  
• Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before
  
• Arrive at the bus stop 5 minutes early
  
• Don't let your child stay home unless he/she is truly sick. Keep in mind complaints of stomach ache and headache can be signs of anxiety and not a reason to stay home.
  
• If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to the teacher, school counselors, or other parents for for advice on how to make him/her comfortable and excited about learning.
  
• Develop a back up plan for arriving at school if something comes up. Call on a family member, neighbor, or friend to help.
  
• Avoid medical appointments and extended trips when school is in session.
  

• Starting in Kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school.
  
• Missing 10% 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 catch students up.
  

ATTEND TODAY, ACHIEVE TOMORROW

Website: http://wentzville.k12.mo.us/course/view.php?id=15
Location: 1000 Ronald Reagan Drive, Lake Saint Louis, MO, United States
Phone: 636-625-5600
Twitter: @GreenTreeElem