Attendance/School Day
Click on the questions below to reveal the answers:
What time does school start and when can my child enter the building?
School starts officially at 8:35 am, which is when the doors open. Students dropped off at school prior to 8:35 am must wait outside. There is no outside supervision of students prior to 8:35 am. Students are considered late to school if they arrive after the front doors are locked at 8:40 am. Students who arrive late on a bus will not be considered late. If you need to drop your child early on a daily basis and are concerned about supervision, you can take advantage of the before-care program offered through YMCA Camp Bernie.
Can my child stay after school?
Students who stay after school must do so for a purpose and with supervision. If your child is staying with a teacher, he or she may do so but must confirm that with the teacher. If your child is staying to watch an interscholastic sporting event, we require written permission from a parent. A written note can be turned in at the beginning of the day or an email can be sent to both Lori Adrian and Nancy Spatz. If your child is in a club or plays a sport, no note is needed. If your child stays after school for any reason, please be sure that you pick them up on time. If pick up becomes a problem, students may be excluded from activities.
What is the late policy at Woodglen?
Students are expected to arrive to school on time each day. A student is considered late if they arrive after 8:40 am, which is when the front doors are locked. Students who arrive to school on a late bus are never considered late regardless of when they arrive. Once a student has been late 10 times, he or she will be assigned a detention. He or she will be assigned detention for every other late thereafter (late number 12, 14, 16, etc.). Consideration is given to students who are late due to doctors’ appointments or other extenuating circumstances. It is important for students to arrive on time as arriving even just a few minutes late can lead to missed instructions and class disruption.
What is the attendance policy?
Board of Education policy requires students to be present in school 160 days in order to be considered for promotion to the next grade. This means that students who are absent more than 20 times will not move on to the next grade. If a student exceeds 20 absences, he or she is entitled to an appeal where medical and other special circumstances will be considered. Please note that the 20 absences include sick days – coming to school with a doctor’s note does not make the day excused in a way that excludes it from the 20 allowable days out. In an appeal, long-term and chronic health issues are considered heavily during appeals. Absences due to family vacations are not considered during an appeal.
What absences / lates are considered excused?
The only “excused” absences are those that are approved by the State of New Jersey. These are basically religious holidays and deaths in immediate family. Even if your child is out with a doctor’s note, the absence is considered “unexcused.” Students can be absent 20 in a school year without consequence. If absences for illness were excused, students would have 20 personal days and unlimited sick days. It is important to bring a doctor’s note to school when a student is absent. These are kept on file. If a student exceeds 20 absences, doctor’s notes are taken into account during an attendance appeal.
Students who are late to school because of a visit to a doctor or other health professional ARE excused. After a student is late to school 10 times, he or she receives detention. Excused lates do not count toward that number.