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Attendance Policies

- Parents

All policies are available in our handbook. Click HERE to access.

Inform us when your child is absent:

When a student is absent from school, a parent or guardian is required to call or email the office by 9:00 AM on the first day of the absence stating the reason. If the absence extends over a weekend, then another call/email must be sent the next school day. Absentee messages may be left on our answering machine, or emailed to the office, [email protected] If the office does not receive an email or a call, a parent will be contacted. This policy is for the protection of our students.

Homework

Formal homework is assigned to help students become self-reliant and self-directed. Assignments are designed to reinforce daily lessons, supplement and enrich class work, and prepare for certain lessons through various experiences. Homework also provides important feedback to teachers regarding a student’s grasp of learning concepts.

Since each student has different capabilities and interests, it would be difficult to denote the specific amount of time to be spent on an assignment. If a problem arises, the teacher should be contacted.

Homework may be assigned to students Monday through Thursday. Homework will not be assigned to students on Friday. Tests or quizzes may be given on Monday. Projects may be due on Monday.

Homework Due to Illness

It is the general recommendation of the school administration that when a student is absent, a parent may request the homework when calling the office to report the child’s absence. The call to the school should be made before 9:00 a.m. and no later than noon to request homework. Homework assignments may be picked up at the school office between 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. For short absences, students may wait to receive missed assignments from their teacher when they return to school.

Absence

A student’s absence from school interferes with his/her academic progress. Excessive absences will result in a meeting with the principal, at which time, a discussion of possible retention will be considered.

When a student is absent from school, a parent should call the office by 9:00 A.M. each day of the absence. If the office does not receive a call, a parent will be contacted. The call will be made from the St. James office or the nurse’s office. This policy is for the protection of the students.

A written statement or email giving reasons for the absence or tardiness must be brought to the main office upon the student’s return. Should absence for any reason other than illness occur, parents are requested to consult with the principal and present a written reason for the absence.

The school calendar provides for holiday breaks throughout the school year. Parents are encouraged to schedule trips or family outings during these times so as to eliminate the need to interrupt a child’s learning process. Missed assignments are the student’s responsibility to complete and return to the appropriate teacher.
Tardiness

At 7:42 a.m. the general entrance gym doors will be closed. Students arriving after 7:45
a.m. are required to enter via the office door and with a parent or responsible adult and report to the school office and be signed in. They may not, for the safety of the student, be admitted to the classrooms without a tardy slip.

Picking up Students Early from School

Students needing medical appointments during school hours require a written note from the parent. Parents are required to sign out their child in the school office. Students, who are away from school for an appointment for more than 4 hours, will be marked absent for a full day.

Communicating with Families

St. James School uses the following methods to communicate with families:
- St. James Weekly: a weekly newsletter on Fridays that includes a note from the principal; information about upcoming important events and school news; and a calendar of important events
- Monday Letter: Classroom teachers email parents a weekly email on Mondays that provide an overview of life in their child’s classroom from the past week. This includes pictures with a brief summary of the students’ learning experience.
- Email: Email communication will be sent by teachers and administration to communicate important information on an as needed basis.
- Social Media: St. James has the following social media sites to communicate happenings in the life of the school:
  
  https://www.facebook.com/StJamesStratford
  
  https://twitter.com/rob06615
- Informative/Urgent/Emergency Text: St. James has a system that texts important texts to parents or caregivers. Parents need to have a cell phone registered in the school database to receive text messages from the school. To add a cell phone number please email Vicky Oligino, the Administrative Assistant at [email protected]
Contacting the School (click HERE for contact list)
Our success as a school, and the children’s success as students, requires that the school and its families work together. Free and open communication is critical if we expect to support students to the best of our abilities.

Unless the matter is urgent, teachers and staff will return a parent’s phone call or email after school hours and within 24 hours. However, if a parent emails or calls a teacher or staff past 4pm on a Friday, the parent should not expect a response till Monday. Please do not text teachers.

A parent or caregiver can email or call either the teacher or principal However, in order to provide the most accurate and helpful responses, it is suggested that parents or caregivers contact the following for specific information.
- Questions and concerns pertaining to: school hours, school calendar, school events, school communications, or overall nuts and bolts concerning life at St. James should be addressed to the Administrative Assistant. [email protected]
- Questions or concerns pertaining to: a student, their academics, a discipline event in the classroom, classroom behavior, classroom routines, or grade level curriculum should be addressed to the classroom teacher. (teacher first name . teacher last name @sjssct.org)
- Questions and concerns pertaining to: school policy, school curriculum, school mission, strategic planning, overall health and safety, concerns with staff or teachers, or school culture should be addressed to the principal. [email protected]

Saint James School

50 Harvey Place

Stratford, CT 06615

(203)375-5994

Attendance Policies