Piney Grove Elementary School

Mrs. Rempe’s Daily Schedule 

2:30 - 2:50                 SSR or DEAR time (Silent Sustained Reading/Drop Everything and read)

Parents and Families,

With the start of the new semester, we wanted to take this opportunity to remind you of state and local policies regarding tardiness and absenteeism since we continue to have many children arriving to class after the 8:20 tardy bell and/or parents not providing a written excuse on a timely basis after an absence. We want you to know that these are not policies that we have come up with at Piney Grove, but rather they are policies that have been mandated by the state and local school board.

State codes list the following as reasons for excused absences: illness or injury, quarantine, death in the immediate family, medical or dental appointments, court or administrative proceedings, religious observances, and educational opportunities. Family vacations do not usually constitute an educational opportunity. All educational opportunities require prior approval by the Principal to be excused. Please refer to School Board policy AR 5110, II.C. for additional information on what constitutes an educational opportunity.

A student is considered tardy if he/she arrives to the classroom (not simply inside the building) after the 8:20 tardy bell. An early departure is when the student leaves prior to the 2:50 dismissal bell. An absence will be recorded if the child leaves before or arrives after 11:30 AM. Please refer to AR 5110 for information on when a tardy or early departure would be excused. An accumulation of five (5) unexcused tardies/early departures is considered one (1) unexcused absence. 

Students arriving late to class due to congestion in the parking lot are not given an excused tardy. We are aware of the backup of traffic in the morning at our school, so we encourage parents to try to arrive on campus between around 8:00 to 8:10 when traffic is very light coming into the parking lot.

Each student who has been absent from school must bring a signed note to the teacher on the first day back after the absence stating the reason for the absence. All absences require a written note that includes the child’s name, date(s) absent, and the reason for the absence. Students returning to school without a written note will be coded as an unexcused absence. 

State and local policy state that if a student accumulates three (3) unexcused absences in a school year, the student's parent/guardian will be notified of the excessive absences by telephone, a note sent home with the student, or U.S. mail. After six (6) unexcused absences in a school year, another letter will be sent to the parent or guardian informing them of the excessive number of unexcused absences/tardies, and that they may be prosecuted under the Compulsory Attendance law. After ten (10) unexcused absences, the parent or guardian will be prosecuted if the absences/tardies cannot be justified.  Please refer to School Board policy AR 5110 for additional information.

Absence excuses sent in as a result of these reminder letters (i.e., not immediately following the absence) that cite illness as an excuse will only be accepted if a doctor's note is provided. 

Finally, we want to thank the great majority of our parents and families for supporting the work we do at Piney Grove by ensuring that their students arrive to school on time each and every day. Attendance at school is so crucial in reaching the goals we have set for ourselves at Piney Grove, and we couldn't succeed without your help!