Principal Zeman's Notes
January 5, 2024
Keeping Students Organized
Every student at VMS carries a binder with all of their school supplies to every class. Keeping these organized is a key to being successful as the point of a binder is to stop homework and important paperwork from being lost within the black hole that is a student’s locker, backpack, or bedroom. One way to stay up on what your student is currently learning and working on is to have them go through their binder with you to show how organized they are. Also, with us getting close to the halfway point of the school year, it is important to make sure they have all of the supplies they need.
Attendance Reminders
ATTENDANCE POLICY Policy 503
At ISD 728 we believe that regular school attendance is directly related to success in academic work, benefits students socially, provides opportunities for important communications between teachers and students, and establishes regular habits of dependability important to the future of the student. We recognize that class and school attendance is a joint responsibility to be shared by the student, parent or guardian, teacher, and administrator.
General Information
ALL students and parents are responsible for making sure the student attends class and is punctual every day school is in session.
Parents are responsible for contacting the school within 24 hours of the absence by calling the attendance office listed above or by sending a note to the office. When reporting an absence, please include the child’s name with spelling, date of absence, reason for absence, and the name of the person reporting the absence. Absence Reporting website or VMS attendance line 763-241-3450.
If a student needs to be released early for appointments, parents/guardians are asked to notify the school via phone, e-mail or note to the office, in the morning, to obtain an Off Site Building Pass to present to his/her teacher for release. The parent/guardian MUST meet his/her student in the office to sign them out. Leaving school without the proper authorization will be considered an unexcused absence.
Examples of excused absences include: illness, medical or dental appointment, court, death in the family, funerals, school sponsored trips, suspension, late bus, state/region activities participation, severe weather and religious holidays. All other absences are unexcused unless determined otherwise by administration.
Due to the different coding procedures, if a student is attending a medical appointment please provide the medical note from the doctor’s/medical office (an attendance/appointment sheet works).
A doctor’s note is required for absences that extend beyond five consecutive days or ten total absences due to medical reasons. The doctor’s note must be provided to the attendance office within three days. If this does not occur, the absence will be unexcused.
Students must have a doctor’s statement to be excused from physical education for an extended period of time. The school nurse or health clerk can excuse a student for short term absences due to health concerns.
If a student is absent, he/she is allowed additional time to make up work for each day missed.
The students and parents/guardians are encouraged to conference with school officials whenever attendance issues arise.
Family vacations obtaining pre-approval will be excused.
If students are participating in after school activities, they must be present for a minimum of a half day of school.
Administration will be the final authority in determining if an absence will be excused or not.
Unexpected Absences
Consequences for not attending class include, but not limited to, detention, student conference, parent conference, loss of privileges, in-school suspension, involvement by county social services and/or the court system for truancy.
Parents will be notified of unexcused absences daily with a robocall.
As required by state law, the school will send letters to parents/guardians at regular intervals to notify them of excessive unexcused absences. When a middle school student accumulates seven full or partial days of unexcused absences, it is considered habitual truancy, and the school will file truancy with county social services and/or court system.
Tardies
Middle school students are expected to be punctual to each class with four tardies or less per quarter.
If a student has four or more tardies in a quarter they may have consequences which may include, but not limited to, detention, student conference, parent conference, loss of privileges, involvement by county social services and/or the court system for truancy.
CTE Newsletter January 2024
Important Dates
January 9 - Reading FAST Testing
January 10 - Math FAST Testing
January 12 - During RALLY - ALiCE Drill #5
January 15 - No School, Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 23 - All School Assembly with Kate Gladdin (8:45-9:45am)
January 25 - Last Day of 2nd Quarter
January 26 - No School, Teacher Workshop Day
