Attendance

Regular school attendance is essential for the successful completion of work in each subject. Students should not miss classes except for valid reasons such as illness, a death in the family, funerals, and emergency medical/dental appointments. Parents are strongly discouraged from keeping students out of school for other reasons.

If a student is absent from all of her classes or more than half of the school day, she may not attend or participate in the extracurricular activities that are being held that day, i.e. rallies, athletic events, collaboration events, dances, Open Houses, club activities, recruitment events, the Tri-School Musical or the Fall Play.

If a student is absent from school, but has an academic event (that involves assessment and is considered part of a grade) that day or evening, she may attend that event. Examples of these academic events are: Fine Arts Night, Spring Concert, Christmas Concert, Dance Festival and class field trips.

It is the student's responsibility when she has been absent to find out what work she has missed and to ask her teachers how the work can be completed. This should be done as soon as she returns to school. In cases of an extended absence, the parents should contact the student's counselor and ask that assignments be sent home to the student.

Mercy High School's instructional program is based on interaction among students and teachers through discussion and other classroom learning activities. It becomes extremely difficult, if not impossible, to grade a student who is not present for class participation and other classroom learning activities. For these reasons, it is important that parents and students realize that a student's class participation grade may be lowered.

If a trip or activity necessitates a student missing two or more school days, a note must be sent to the Assistant Principal for Academics by the parent or guardian one week prior to the trip to notify the school of the absence. In addition, the student must have her teachers' signatures indicating their approval or non-approval of the absence one week prior to the trip. Parent Request Forms for this type of absence are in the Main Office, and the form should be filled out at least one week before the absence and returned to the Main Office.

ABSENCES, TARDIES, AND EARLY DISMISSALS

It is essential that Mercy High School have accurate information. A Medical Emergency Form was sent in the summer mailing. Please fill the form out and return it to the Main Office. If changes occur contact the Main Office.

1. A parent or guardian must call the Main Office number, (650) 343-3631, by 9:30 a.m. the day the student is absent to report the absence and the reason for the absence, or the reason the student is to be late. If we do not receive a phone call the student will receive a detention.

2. If it is apparent that the phone call reporting the absence was not made by a parent or legal guardian, it will be considered to be an unauthorized phone call. The student will receive cuts for the classes and/or school time missed. The parent or guardian will be notified and the student will be placed on disciplinary probation.

3. On the day a student returns to school, she brings to the Main Office a note signed by her parent or legal guardian giving the reason for her absence. This is required if we have not received a phone call. If a student fails to bring a note for her absence, she will be assigned a detention.
A note from a doctor may be requested for an absence of five or more days.

4. Any student tardy to school without a note or phone call from a parent will receive an immediate detention. Her parent or legal guardian must write a note explaining the reason for the tardy, and the note is brought to the Main Office the day the student is tardy. If the note was not written or signed by the parent(s) and/or legal guardian(s), it is considered to be forged, and the student will receive cuts for the classes and/or school time missed. The parent or legal guardian will be notified and the student will be placed on Disciplinary Probation.

5. A student is allowed five (5) tardy excused notes per grading period. After the fifth (5th) tardy excused note, all other tardy excused notes will be recorded as unexcused tardies.

6. A student may not leave campus early without an early dismissal permit obtained from the Main Office. If the student knows about the early dismissal ahead of time, she brings a note from her parent(s) and/or guardian(s) stating the reason for it. The note must also state who is picking the student up. This note must be turned into the Main Office by 9:30 a.m. or it may not be honored. If the note is turned in late, the student will be assigned a detention. If the student is leaving early with another parent, the note must reflect that information.

7. While it is important that a student return to school as soon as possible, she must be well enough to attend all of her classes. If a student has a fever she should remain at home until the fever has been gone 24 hours. If a student does not feel well enough to attend all of her classes, she will be asked to call home, and to be picked up by her parents or guardians to go home. Parents or guardians are expected to pick up their daughters within forty-five (45) minutes.

8. If a student is sick, or she must leave school for some unexpected reason, she must first report to the Main Office for an early dismissal permit. Any student with an early dismissal MUST report to the Main Office immediately upon her return, and turn in her early dismissal permit signed by the doctor, dentist, etc. A student is allowed three (3) early dismissals per grading period.

9. A student may not excuse herself from a class for any reason without first getting permission from her teacher or from the Assistant Principal for Student Affairs. Without such permission, the class absence is treated as a cut.

10. Students are not permitted to phone their parents for permission to leave campus because they have a break. Since collaboration times are an essential part of the school day, parents are asked NOT to request early dismissals on that day. A pattern (three (3) or more) of other excuses for absence, tardiness, or early dismissal, such as oversleeping, carpool problems, or work, will be cause for a student/parent conference with the Assistant Principal for Student Affairs, and for Disciplinary Probation if the pattern continues.

11. If a student accumulates a combination of tardies and infractions that total nine (9) she will be placed on Disciplinary Probation.

12. A student cannot work off tardies, uniform infractions
or any other infraction (by serving detention) if she has
already warranted and been placed on Disciplinary Probation.

13. However, if a student has had no infractions for a six (6) week period, she will be called to the Assistant Principal for Student Affairs' Office to be commended for her efforts and to be given the opportunity to erase three infractions. A six (6) week period with no infractions means that a student has NOT EARNED any tardies, uniform infractions, cell phone infractions, etc. or cuts.

14. If a student receives an infraction, she will be assigned an immediate detention. The student is expected to attend detention that same day. If there is a conflict a parent's note must be turned in by 8:00 am the next day and the detention will be the next day.