St. Joseph Catholic School is proud to partner with parents in providing a high quality, rigorous education that best prepares their children for the future. Attendance in school is a major predictor of student academic success. It is the shared responsibility of the school and the home to assist students in developing desirable habits of punctuality and attendance.
It is the parent’s/guardian’s responsibility to call the school if their child will be absent and to state the reason for the absence. There is a special attendance line used for absences. Parents should call the school and dial 1 to leave a message that includes the student name, date that he/she will be absent, and the reason for the absence. The principal is authorized to require satisfactory explanation from the legal/custodial parent or guardian for the absence of a pupil for all or any part of the school day. The explanation must be obtained in writing and retained as documentation. *Please note that an absence is defined as any time a student is not in class. This includes when a student is signed out early from the school office.
When students are absent, they miss important instruction and fall behind in their studies. It is the responsibility of the student, with the support of the parent, to acquire missing assignments upon their return to school and turn them in. Again, the responsibility to ensure that these assignments are completed, and a grade is calculated, rests on the student and parent. Parents are encouraged to use our portal, Renweb, to monitor that all assignments are accounted for.
Students enrolled in the Florida School Choice Scholarship Program who are out of compliance with Diocesan attendance requirements risk the loss of the scholarship.
For long-term or extensive absences due to medical conditions, parents should enroll student in the applicable county public school district for home instruction or make an arrangement with the school administrator for continued academic progress.
Should there be a need to quarantine individual students or groups of students as required by the local departments of health and in accordance with Diocesan protocols, asymptomatic students are expected to participate in the school’s established academic continuity process which could include, but is not limited to digital instruction, recorded instruction, online meetings, and learning packets.
Absences (Including Early Dismissals):
The following steps of action will be taken:
I. 5 absences, the parent will begin to receive an email automatically generated notifying them of the number of absences accumulated thus far and reminding them of the policy.
II. 10 absences, the student will be placed on attendance probation and will be notified by someone from the administrative team from the school (principal, assistant principal, or guidance counselor).
III. 15 absences in a given school year, the parent will be required to attend a meeting with the school principal and Pastor to discuss the reasons for the absences and to determine if St. Joseph Catholic School can continue to best serve the student.
Tardies:
As stated above, one of our goals as the partner in a child’s education is to help them develop discipline, including developing desirable habits of punctuality. When a student is tardy, it does not prepare him/her for a successful day of learning, and it interrupts the teacher and the rest of the class. A student is tardy at St. Joseph Catholic School, if he/she is not out of his/her car by 7:57am daily.
The following steps of action will be taken when a student is tardy:
a. 5 tardies, the parent will begin to receive an email automatically generated notifying them of the number of tardies accumulated thus far and reminding them of the policy.
b. 10 tardies, the student will be placed on attendance probation and will be notified by someone from the administrative team from the school (principal, assistant principal, or guidance counselor).
c. 15 tardies in a given school year, the parent will be required to attend a meeting with the school principal and Pastor to discuss the reasons for the tardies and to determine if St. Joseph Catholic School can continue to best serve the student.
