Attendance Policies
School Hours
- Preschool and pre-kindergarten are in session from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
- Before school and after school hours are 7:30 am - 6:00 pm Preschoolers arriving before 8:30 am and staying after 12:15 pm will be checked into Child Care. Parents are required to sign their child in and out each day.
- Elementary school hours are 8:30 am to 3 pm
- Middle school hours are from 8:15 am to 3 pm
Elementary students may arrive anytime after 8:00 a.m. and go to their classrooms. This is an excellent time for them to get prepared for the day, and to select a learning activity. Students arriving before 8:00 a.m. must be signed into before school care by a parent or guardian. Students may not be dropped off on campus to wait outside classroom doors until 8:00 a.m. even for a “couple of minutes.” Those staying after 3:15 p.m. will be checked into after school care. These guidelines are put into place to insure children’s safety. All students must be supervised at all times while on campus.
Middle school students may arrive any time after 8:00 to go to their classrooms and prepare for the days events. This is an excellent opportunity for students to seek individual assistance from the teacher. This also allows time for extra project work and things of this nature. Students staying after 3:15 pm will be signed into after school care.
AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL DAY, the teacher will supervise departure. Students will be dismissed from an outdoor area near the front of the school.
School Attendance
Parents or guardians are required to call the school office by 9:00 am when their child is going to be absent from school and state the reason for their absence. Please leave a message if you receive the voice mail recording. The school keeps an attendance log and informs the appropriate people of the absence.
Good Christian stewardship of God’s gift of time requires that the child be regular and punctual in attendance. Regular school attendance is required by law of all students in Kindergarten and older. A child should miss class only during illness or after an incapacitating injury. Students who must be absent for a portion of the day should attend the remainder of the day, whenever possible.
A. Absences:
1. Excused absences include, but are not limited to, the following: personal illness, death in the family, personal injury requiring convalescence.
a. Illness and death in the family: If a student is absent because of illness or death for which there is no opportunity to notify the school, the student must upon returning to the school, bring a note from his/her parent(s) or guardian explaining his/her absence. If there is time to notify the school, please call the school office so that assignments can be prepared for the student. When the child returns to school a note of explanation is required. Work not completed in the required time will be given a zero percent.
b. Family trip: If circumstances arise in which you find it necessary to remove your child from school other than for illness or death in the family, you must OBTAIN A PERMISSION FORM from the office, fill it out, and submit it to the teacher at least TWO WEEKS BEFORE you intend to take your child out of school. The teacher will then inform the principal. The teacher will arrange to have the assignments ready for the student before he/she leaves for the trip. This work must be turned in upon the student’s return to school or a zero percent will be given for the missing assignments. Please note that in Kindergarten through Second grade, assignments may be given when the student returns.
2. Unexcused absences are those for which there is no notification from the parent or those not reported to the principal. No class work can be made up for these absences, resulting in a zero percent for all subjects during the absence. The required work will still need to be completed, so concepts can be learned.
3. In the case of absence, the following PROCEDURES must be followed:
a. Upon return after an absence, whether excused or unexcused, a written excuse signed by the parent MUST be presented to the teacher.
b. In the case of prolonged absence due to illness, a note from your physician is required stating the reason for the absence and an anticipated date of return. Parents should notify the teacher as soon as possible in order that studies may be continued at home. Please call the office in the morning to request assignments. Family members are responsible for picking up and returning assignments.
c. In the case of an absence due to a medical or dental appointment, the teacher must be notified prior to the date.
d. Teachers will not be responsible for assignments, tests, or class work when they are uninformed of student’s absence, which is not due to an unforeseen emergency.
4. If a student is absent more than 20 days during the school year, his/her promotion to the next grade level will be at risk and will depend upon the decision of the teacher and principal.
5. Students having perfect attendance with three or less tardies will receive an award at the end of the school year.
B. Tardiness:
1. Students walking into the classroom late disrupts the education of all the students in the class. It is a hindrance to classroom management and causes delays and repetition of instruction. Therefore, we consider tardiness a serious matter.
2. Classrooms are open at 8:00 am and classes begin promptly at 8:30 am Students are expected to be settled and ready to begin their studies at 8:30 am. Classroom doors will be locked at 8:30 am in order to give students the best start to their day without interruptions. Classroom clocks will be used to determine time. The classroom teacher records tardies on all students entering the room after 8:30 am.
3. The same procedure is in place for early childhood students. The classrooms open at 8:30 am with classes beginning promptly at 9:00 am. Preschool students do not accrue tardies, however the classroom doors will be locked at 9:00 am. and parents will be required to come to the office for a tardy slip for entrance into class.
4. The procedure for entering school after school has begun consists of parents/guardians of early childhood through 4th grade BRINGING their child/ren to the school office for a pass. Middle school students are permitted to come to the office for a pass without parental supervision. No student will be allowed to enter the classroom after school has begun without a pass.
5. Kindergarten – 8th grade students are given three chances before there are consequences to being tardy. If a fourth tardy occurs the student will be required to serve an after school detention. Continued unexcused tardiness will result in suspension and possible dismissal of the student from SLS.
C. Doctor-Dentist Appointments
Parents should avoid making appointments during school hours. If necessary, a note from parents must be given to the teacher the day before the appointment. The student must make up any schoolwork that is missed, and the homework must be turned in for credit. The school will allow students to leave only with those persons who have written authorization to remove the student from school, and have signed the appropriate form in the office.
Church and Sunday Attendance
The Christ we love and teach is the Christ of the Holy Scriptures. The true Savior is found nowhere else, but in the Bible. It is through God’s Word and the sacraments that faith is worked and strengthened in the hearts of people. It is there that we find hope, meaning, and guidance for our daily lives. It is there that we find “the peace that passes all understanding.”
Therefore, it is a parent’s responsibility and a Christian privilege to gather together in worship and Bible study regularly at church. We invite those who have no church home to join us at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. We gather together on Sunday morning, and Saturday evening around His great gifts to offer worship and praise.
During the academic year, Good Shepherd meets for services on Saturdays at 5:30 pm, and Sunday mornings at 8 am to 10:30 am, with Sunday School offered at 9:30 am. During the summer months, Good Shepherd meets for services at 5:30 pm on Saturdays and at 9:15 am on Sunday mornings; there is no Sunday School during the summer months.
Singing in Church
Sarasota Lutheran School is a Christian school and part of the ministry of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. Our students sing at Good Shepherd services periodically throughout the year. Generally, this is three times a year and the dates are printed on your school calendar. Attendance at these special church services at Good Shepherd will be reflected in the student’s grade. If your child is unable to attend, a note of excuse is required to prevent a negative reflection on his/her Religion grade and for middle school students, their music grade.