Attendance Quick Guide/AP Testing Letter/AP Pre- Arranged Absences

West Potomac High School 2018-2019

Attendance Procedures for Parents and Students

QUICK GUIDE  

Attendance Office Contact Information   

Email - WestPotomacHigh.Attendance@fcps.edu  Do not email attendance employees’ FCPS email.

Phone – 703-718-2528

Location – Room 301A, Inside Main Office                 

What is Excused?

Illness, medical appointment, religious holiday, death in the family, and suspension

ALL DAY ABSENCE - Excused

Parent/guardian must provide a written note, call, or email the attendance office within 3 days of the absence. After 3 days, Assistant Principal’s approval is required.

Include This Information:

Student Name, Student ID Number, Reason for Absence, Parent/Caller Name, Contact Number for questions

LATE CHECK IN - Excused

Same communication requirements as all day excused absence.

STUDENTS MUST CHECK IN AT THE ATTENDANCE OFFICE UPON ARRIVAL, even if they arrive between classes. If parent has provided communication to excuse the late arrival, attendance will be updated from “unverified” to “excused” in SIS when the student checks in. If a student checks in after 10:00 a.m., parent should expect to receive the morning automated attendance call/text/email.

PLANNED EARLY CHECK OUT - Excused

Same communication requirements as all day excused absence.

STUDENTS MUST GET A CHECK OUT PASS FROM THE ATTENDANCE OFFICE BEFORE LEAVING CAMPUS.  Best practice is for student to bring note to attendance office by 9:45 a.m. to receive their pass. Once student has their pass, they simply show it to the teacher at the beginning of the period in which they are leaving. If communication is received via email or phone, the student must stop by the attendance office to pick up the pass before the period in which they are leaving. If student does not check out properly, their absence will not be excused.

UNPLANNED EARLY CHECK OUT

Parent will need to come to the office to check the student out. Please allow 15 minutes for check out. Photo ID is required. Student will be called from class to meet parent in the office. Please know unplanned check outs interrupt class instruction and should be avoided if possible. In person early check out must be done before 2:30 p.m. to avoid hindering bus traffic. Students may not leave campus without checking out through the attendance office or the absence will not be excused.

SICK STUDENT EARLY CHECK OUT

STUDENTS MUST GO TO THE CLINIC TO CHECK OUT OF SCHOOL SICK.

This helps us identify outbreaks of which our community should be advised. Parent will need to come to the office with photo ID. Please allow 5 minutes for check out from the clinic.

Prearranged Absences

If a student knowingly will miss multiple days of school, a Prearranged Absence Form must be used. The form is available online (https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/forms/se289.pdf) or in the main office. The completed form is turned in to the student’s Assistant Principal for approval.

What is Unexcused?

Car trouble, power outage, traffic, parking, vacations, sibling running late, missed bus, oversleeping, child care situations and any other reason unacceptable to the Principal or her designee.

Unexcused Tardy LATE ARRIVAL TO SCHOOL

Students arriving late without a note report to the SWEEP station closest to their class during the first 15 minutes of school. After 8:25 a.m., students report to the attendance office for an unexcused pass.

Unexcused Tardy BETWEEN CLASSES

Students arriving late to class within 15 minutes after class change report to the SWEEP station nearest their class. If arriving late from lunch, students report to the lunchroom administrator (or to the SWEEP station if late from D lunch.) After SWEEP stations close, students report to the attendance office.

SIS Parent Accounts

Parents need to have an active Student Information System (SIS) Parent Account to be able to login to FCPS 24-7 Learning: Parent View. Parents can track attendance in real time and email the teachers through their SIS Parent account. FCPS 24-7 Learning provides parents access to weCare@school to view and update Emergency Care information. Contact Darlene Snyder at 703-718-2591 or Dmsnyder@fcps.edu if you need to set up a SIS Parent Account.

ROBO CALLS

These automated calls/emails/texts are generated from the SIS records and sent to the contact email/phone on record.  Please check SIS Parent to see the attendance details that generated the call. Often a student is marked “unverified/absent” and later changed to “tardy” or present by the end of the class period. You will receive an additional evening call if there is still an “unverified” absence and the attendance office did not receive communication about why your child was not in school.

For questions regarding single period absences, contact the teacher directly via email.

Excessive Absences/Tardies

Absences are cumulative during a school year and intervention will be initiated at 5 absences.

Tardies are cumulative for each calendar month and consequences begin at 7 tardies.

Important: Any student absent from school for 15 consecutive days, regardless of reason, will be withdrawn from the school. Parents will then need to reenroll the student.

FCPS Attendance Regulations – https://www.fcps.edu/policies-and-regulations

The current version of Reg #2234, Student Absences and Attendance Regulations

2018-2019 Student Rights and Responsibilities Booklet, Reg #2601

________________________________________________________________________________________

March 28, 2019

Dear Parents/Guardians:

Advanced Placement (AP) exams will be administered at West Potomac HS from May 6 through May 17, 2019. During that time, teachers will continue to present new material in their courses; hence administration and faculty will expect students to attend all of their classes during exam weeks. However, we recognize that students who will be taking multiple exams, or have exams scheduled on back-to-back days, may need time to prepare for, or recover from, their testing situations. During AP exam weeks, we are providing a pre-arranged absence opportunity, for those students to be dismissed for part of the day. The following exam conditions will be considered for a maximum of four, half-day, pre-arranged excused absences:

Please discuss with your child the times when he/she would need to be absent during the AP exam weeks, and determine if you believe a pre-arranged absence is warranted. To comply with FCPS attendance guidelines, please complete the form on the reverse side. It can also be found on the West Potomac HS homepage

In order to request an excused absence for the selected dates, the form must be returned to the student’s Administrator’s office no later than April 26, 2019.

If your child has a doctor’s appointment during exam weeks, you will need to provide a doctor’s office note to verify the absence, and have your child excused for it.  

This pre-arranged absence procedure will provide valuable information to teachers for planning purposes. Given the increased stress on students taking AP exams, our faculty will make a conscious effort to cut back on assigned-homework during the AP testing weeks.

Please keep in mind, with a pre-arranged absence, that you (parents/guardians) are responsible for your child’s activities once you dismiss him/her from school. All students with approved pre-arranged absences will be expected to leave the school grounds. In addition, please be advised that even when students are absent during exam weeks, they will remain accountable for all work assigned in other classes.

For student athletes: The FCPS “participation pledge” attendance policy for student athletes remains in effect during AP exam weeks. Student athletes are permitted to be absent and participate in athletics only if they submit this pre-arranged absence form by April 26, 2019. If your child has not submitted this form, or has an absence that was not pre-arranged on the form, the student will be ineligible to play on the afternoon/evening of the date of absence, unless the student has direct clearance from a physician.

Thank you in advance for assisting us with this process. If you have any questions, please contact your student’s Administrator: A-Chap: Ms. Jessica Statz (jnstatz@fcps.edu);  Chaq-Ham: Dr. Sylinda Banks (sgbaks@fcps.edu);  Han-Mar: Ms. Susan Britton (smbritton@fcps.edu);  Mas-Ras: Mr. Ivan Johnson (idjohnson@fcps.edu), Rat-Was: Ms. Janice Monroe (jmonroe@fcps.edu), Wat-Z: Ms. Kathy Bowdring (KBowdring@fcps.edu).

Sincerely,

Tanganyika H. Millard

Principal, West Potomac High School

________________________________________________________________________________________

AP TESTING PRE-ARRANGED ABSENCE FORM

STUDENTS NAME_____________________________________ ID # ________________

Each student will be allowed to take a half-day absence for each day they are scheduled to take an AP exam.  This signed permission slip is required for each student.

Directions:  If you give permission for your student to come late or leave early on their testing day, please CIRCLE the test below and return the form to the correct alpha Administrator, no later than April 26^th.

                               Last Name                             Administrator                        Room

A - CHAP                                Ms. Statz                                                Room 539

CHAQ – HAM                        Dr. Banks                                               Room 307

HAN – MAR                           Ms. Britton                                            Room 539

MAS – RAS                            Mr. Johnson                                          Room 307

RAT – WAS                            Ms. Monroe                                          Room 179

WAT - Z                                  Ms. Bowdring                                        Room 157

The WPHS 2019 AP testing schedule is as follows:

______________________________________________________________

Parent/Guardian Signature                                             Date

_______________________________________________________________

 Student Signature                                                            Date           

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Printable link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FCldx_xbpVuXCHQ8tBO3wDY3cMCih4i3/view?usp=sharing