Attendance and Lateness Regulations for Students
Philosophy
The purpose of the attendance policy is to encourage consistent attendance and punctuality in school by all students. There is a high correlation between good attendance and successful academic achievement. To foster positive work and study habits, the New Utrecht High School administration and faculty believe that students must be in class on a consistent basis in order to fully maximize their educational opportunities.
Students are expected to be on time and attend every class, every day.
Daily learning activities and interactions between students and their teachers cannot be duplicated outside of the classroom and constitute a valid and crucial part of the course work. Furthermore, each student is expected to contribute to the daily academic activities in their classes as active participants. When a student is absent, the educational experience of all students is affected. Students with a higher rate of attendance develop the skills necessary for successful everyday work experiences such as: communication, creativity, time management, decision-making, active listening and public speaking.
Our School Community’s Attendance Goal
We expect every student to attend all of their classes, every day, for at least 95% of the school year.
Chronic absenteeism, a primary cause of poor academic achievement, is defined as missing at least 10 percent of the scheduled days in a school year for any reason, including excused and unexcused absences. For example, a student who misses as few as two days per month for each month of the school year is defined as being chronically absent. In a school year, that adds up to 18-20 total missed school days.
Daily attendance is taken during a student’s period 3 class. If your student does not have a 3rd period class, they will record their attendance in the attendance office (room 134). Period attendance is taken every day in every class. Students are required to use their ID cards in the morning to swipe into the scanning computer at the entrance, but this is for matters of safety and security, not to record official student attendance. If a student swipes their ID card as they enter the building and then does not attend their regularly scheduled classes, they will be marked absent for that class period, and possibly for the entire school day.
Definitions
- Present—Student is physically present in the classroom/student learning environment for instruction during the scheduled school day.
- Absent—Student is not physically present in the classroom/student learning environment for instruction during the scheduled school day. Student is in the school building but not attending any classes or not meeting with a guidance counselor or other staff member.
Communication with Families
New Utrecht High School will be using the student’s DOE email account as well as NYCSA to communicate with parents/guardians.
It is very important for the school to have up-to-date contact information for all of our students. To make sure we can reach you, please alert us of any changes to your address or phone number by contacting your student’s guidance counselor.
Absences
If you know that your child is going to miss school on a certain day or will be missing school for an extended period of time, please notify your students’ teachers and guidance counselor in a timely manner.
Students should bring a signed and dated absence note to room 134 upon returning to the school building.
While every single absence is equal to missed instructional time, we nonetheless mark absences as excused or unexcused. Please provide us with information on the reason for your child’s absence so we can accurately record it. Here is what you need to know about the differences between excused and unexcused absences:
- Excused absence—absence may be excused for reasons including illness or injury, family emergency, religious observation, prearranged appointments.
- Unexcused absence—unexcused absence is when too little, to no information is provided when a student is marked absent for that day.
Lateness
Even if a student is late, they are still marked present. Students are required to check in with the attendance office room 134 if they arrive late to school (after 10:00 AM).
Being late for class can have a negative impact on the student’s ability to succeed. Students need to be in their classes on time each and every day.
Make-Up Work (from the NUHS Grading Policy)
- Students are expected to make up all missing work due to an absence. Students will be provided with reasonable time to make up assignments and work due to excused absences.
- If students are absent, it is their responsibility to ask the teacher and/or other students in the class about the work they missed.
- Students are encouraged to contact teachers through email or in person if they have any questions or concerns.
Contact
The Attendance Office is located in room 134. You can reach the attendance office through the main school phone number (718) 232-2500 (ext 1340). Please note that we will only be able to discuss matters of attendance with the parents/guardians listed on the student’s blue/emergency contact card. To confirm that we are speaking with a parent/guardian, we will ask you identifying questions. You should have your students’ ID number ready as well.
Always remember, Every Moment Counts. Have a great school year.