Attendance
Please report all absences to the main office at (925) 687-1150 or email potratze@mdusd.org within 72 hours. Include your student's name, teacher, and reason for absence. Thank you!
The Governing Board believes that regular attendance plays an important role in student achievement. The Board recognizes its responsibility under the law to ensure that students attend school regularly. Parents/guardians of children aged 6 to 18 are obligated to send their children to school unless otherwise provided by law. The Board shall abide by all state attendance laws and may use appropriate legal means to correct the problems of excessive absence or truancy.
Absence from school shall be excused only for health reasons, family emergencies and justifiable personal reasons, as permitted by law, Board policy and administration regulations. (Education Code 46010, 48216, 48205) Parents may be required to furnish proper medical and/or verification of absence for continued excessive absenteeism as determined by the principal and/or District Student Services Administrator.
Inasmuch as class participation is an integral part of students' learning experiences, parents/guardians and students shall be encouraged to schedule medical appointments during non-school hours.
Student absence for religious instruction or participation in religious exercises away from school property may be considered excused subject to law and administrative regulations. (Education Code 46014)
Tardiness
Always check in at the office when tardy to avoid being marked absent. Students in grades 1-5 who arrive prior to 8:30 a.m. will be instructed by the office to head to class where teachers are completing attendance and will document the late arrival. Students in grades 1-5 who arrive after 8:30 will receive a tardy slip from the office, and the time of arrival and reason for tardiness will be documented in attendance. Parents/Guardians of TK and Kindergarten students may be asked to contact the office regarding late arrivals.
Students are encouraged to establish a habit of promptness and are at a disadvantage when they arrive late as they frequently miss directions given by the teacher. In addition, tardy students cause a classroom disruption for the teacher and other students.
Tardy letters will be periodically sent home to families of students who are perpetually tardy. A tardy over 30 minutes will be reported as a partial-day absence. Partial-day absences require the same verification as full-day absences. (Education Code 48260)
Verification of Student Absence
When your student is absent from school, please send a written note, an email, or call the office (925) 687-1150 and include your student’s name, teacher’s name, the reason for the absence, the date(s) of the absence, and your relationship to the student. Not all reasons will be excused. Unexcused absences or unverified absences are considered truancy.
Early Sign Out
If it becomes necessary for your student to leave school earlier than our scheduled dismissal, parents/guardians are required to come to the office to sign the child out. The office staff will call your student’s classroom and ask that your child be sent to the office. For your child’s protection, it is our policy not to release your child to anyone other than the parent/guardian without your permission.
According to Ed. Code, an under-30-minute early sign-out will follow the same reporting procedures as an under-30-minute tardy. An over-30-minute early sign-out will follow the same reporting procedures as an absence.
Homelink Parent Portal:
- You can log into your Parent Portal here: LOG IN
- If you need to reset your password, you can click "forgot password."
- If you have not created a Parent Account, you'll need your child's ID number, a verification code, and the primary phone number on file. All of this information and instructions to create your account can be obtained from our office: potratze@mdusd.org
- Creating an Account (pdf)
If you are brand new to Silverwood for the coming school year, letters with your HomeLink information and instructions will be mailed home in August.
At the beginning of each school year, parents are asked to log into their parent account and complete the "Data Confirmation" process and authorizations for technology use and media release.
- Data Confirmation (pdf)
Independent Study Contracts
If it becomes necessary to take your child out of school 5 days or more, you are urged to pick up an Independent Study Contract from the office a minimum of two weeks before the absence. The teacher will assign work to be completed. In this way, your child can keep up with the daily work assignments, and the student will be counted as “in attendance,” thus guaranteeing state funds to the school district. Upon return from the trip, the student is to turn in all assigned work to be verified by the teacher. Requests for an Independent Study that are not made with a two-week notice may not be honored.
Please note that requests for Independent Study Contracts cannot be made until student enrollment and attendance are confirmed and class distribution is finalized, typically 4 to 6 weeks from the start of the school year (this site will be updated upon receipt of exact date).
Excessive Tardies
The first letter will be generated when a student has had 5 or more tardies up to the date of reporting. This letter is generally informational to make sure parents/guardians are aware of the issue.
Letter 2 is generated when a student has reached 10 or more tardies up to the date of reporting and has already received letter 1. Though still informational, this letter requests that families contact the school to discuss if there is an ongoing issue creating tardiness.
Letter 3 is generated when a student reaches 15 or more tardies up to the date of reporting and has already received both letters 1 and 2.
Once letter 3 has been sent and tardies continue to be an issue, the student’s attendance will reflect tardy truancy and parents/guardians may be called in for a Student Attendance Review Team (SART) meeting at the school site.
Excessive Truancy
Absences are considered “verified” once we receive written, emailed, or phoned information from a parent/guardian with reason for the absence within 72 hours of the absence itself.
Unverified absences are truancies.
Absences which are verified but are for unexcused reasons (out of town, overslept, transportation difficulties, etc.) are truancies.
Truancies are the highest level of priority attention at both the site level and district level. Once a student has been pulled into letter 1 reporting and has 6 or more truancies up to the date of reporting, letter 2 is sent home requesting that parents attend a Student Attendance Review Team (SART) meeting at the school site.
Letter 3 is generated when a student has reached 9 or more truancies up to the date of reporting and has received letters 1 and 2. At the letter 3 stage, parents/guardians are asked to attend a follow-up SART meeting at the school site.
If truancy continues beyond letter 3 and all attempts made to remedy the issues, a student’s attendance record will be referred to the district Student Attendance Review Board (SARB) for review.
Student Attendance Review Team (SART)
To improve student attendance, the Superintendent or designee shall implement positive steps to identify the reasons for a student's unexcused absences and to help resolve the problems caused by truancy. Such strategies shall focus on early intervention and may include, but not be limited to, communication with parents/guardians and the use of student study teams.
SART meetings are held at the school site, and typically include parents/guardians, administrator, attendance secretary, and often the district’s Child Welfare Liaison; students may be asked to attend in some cases. SART meetings are often in group format with several families attending. Parents/guardians can expect to be given a copy of their student’s current attendance report and will receive a copy of the SART form which will be referred to during the meeting and signed by all attendees. SART
attendees will attempt to identify the reason(s) for student truancy in an effort to help alleviate it, and also inform parents/guardians of the implications of excessive truancy upon a student’s future academic success.
Student Attendance Review Board
Habitually truant students may be referred to a school attendance review board, a truancy mediation program operated by the county's district attorney or probation officer, and/or juvenile court in accordance with law.
For purposes of California's welfare system (CalWORKS), a student shall be determined to be regularly attending school unless he/she has been referred to the county district attorney or probation office pursuant to Education Code 48263.
The SARB panel is made up of members from a variety of community agencies, representatives from the Police Department, Probation, a parent, and Student Services staff. The school Administrator is present and may be accompanied by the Attendance Secretary.
If attendance improves as a result of the SARB intervention, the SARB panel dismisses the student, and the site continues to monitor attendance. If students/families do not comply with the SARB’s directives, SARB may refer them to Truancy Court. Likewise, non-compliance can result in referral to the Deputy District Attorney. If there is an adequate record of the school district’s compliance with steps for improving attendance, the case may be prosecuted.
Bell Schedule TK/K
|
Early Friends TK/Kindergarten |
8:10 – 11:40 |
|
Late Friends TK/Kindergarten |
10:15 – 1:45 |
|
Late Friends TK Kindergarten |
9:50 – 1:20 |
|
SDC TK/K |
8:10 – 1:15 |
|
TK/Kindergarten Lunch |
11:00 – 11:25 |
Bell Schedules/Grades 1 & 2:
|
M/T/Th/F |
Wednesday |
||
|
Warning Bell |
8:10 |
Warning Bell |
8:10 |
|
Instruction |
8:13-9:20 |
Instruction |
8:13-9:20 |
|
Recess |
9:20-9:40 |
Recess |
9:20-9:40 |
|
Passing |
9:40-9:42 |
Passing |
9:40-9:42 |
|
Instruction |
9:42-11:15 |
Instruction |
9:42-11:15 |
|
Lunch |
11:15-11:55 |
Lunch |
11:15-11:55 |
|
Passing |
11:55-11:58 |
Passing |
11:55-11:58 |
|
Instruction |
11:58-1:30 |
Instruction |
11:58-1:30 |
|
Recess |
1:30-1:50 |
|
|
|
Passing |
1:50-1:53 |
|
|
|
Instruction |
1:53-2:48 |
|
|
Bell Schedules/Grade 3:
|
M/T/Th/F |
Wednesday |
||
|
Warning bell |
8:10 |
Warning bell |
8:10 |
|
Instruction |
8:13-9:45 |
Instruction |
8:13-9:45 |
|
Recess |
9:45-10:05 |
Recess |
9:45-10:05 |
|
Passing |
10:05-10:07 |
Passing |
10:05-10:07 |
|
Instruction |
10:07-11:40 |
Instruction |
10:07-11:40 |
|
Lunch |
11:40-12:20 |
Lunch |
11:40-12:20 |
|
Passing |
12:20-12:23 |
Passing |
12:20-12:23 |
|
Instruction |
12:23-1:30 |
Instruction |
12:23-1:30 |
|
Recess |
1:30-1:50 |
|
|
|
Passing |
1:50-1:53 |
|
|
|
Instruction |
1:53-2:48 |
|
|
Bell Schedules/Grade 4 & 5:
|
M/T/Th/F |
Wednesday |
||
|
Warning bell |
8:10 |
Warning bell |
8:10 |
|
Instruction |
8:13-10:10 |
Instruction |
8:13-10:10 |
|
Recess |
10:10-10:30 |
Recess |
10:10-10:30 |
|
Passing |
10:30-10:33 |
Passing |
10:30-10:33 |
|
Instruction |
10:33-12:10 |
Instruction |
10:32-12:10 |
|
Lunch |
12:10-12:50 |
Lunch |
12:10-12:50 |
|
Passing |
12:50-12:52 |
Passing |
12:50-12:52 |
|
Instruction |
12:52-2:48 |
Instruction |
12:52-1:30 |
Breakfast Schedules (Monday - Friday):
|
Grades 1 & 2 |
9:20-9:30 |
|
|
Grade 3 |
9:45-9:55 |
|
|
Grades 4 & 5 |
10:10-10:20 |