Attendance does affect a student's academic achievement.  Students who attend school regularly perform better in class.  ST. PAUL LUTHERAN SCHOOL EXPECTS EVERY STUDENT TO BE IN SCHOOL AND ON TIME EVERY DAY.  St. Paul policies on absenteeism, tardiness, late arrival, and early dismissal.

Please call by 8:30am if your child is absent.  The school office will contact parents of absent students.   If absent from school for any cause, the student needs a note from the parent to re-enter class.  This note, signed by one parent, should state the dates and cause for absence. 

When a child is absent, missed homework assignments may be picked up at the school office after 4:00pm.  This allows the teachers time to gather the necessary books and assignments for absent student.

A student more than 30 minutes late will be marked absent 1/4 day.  A student coming to school after 10:30am will be marked absent 1/2 day.  A student coming to school after 1:00pm will be considered absent 3/4 of a day.  In the same way, a student who leaves school early for the day will be considered absent 1/4 day for every 2 hours absent.

An absence warning will be mailed to the parents when a child has accumulated absences equivalent to 15 absences in any one school year.  No distinction is made between excused or unexcused absences.  The state education code allows a child to be retained for excessive absence beyond twenty days for a school year.  The parents must file a written response to the notice.  A review committee consisting of the classroom teacher, principal, and one school board member will consider the parental explanation and make recommendations.

Tardiness should never occur except in unusual circumstances.  A note indicating the reason for tardiness must be given to the teacher.  Teachers are required to maintain a record of tardiness.  Five tardies will be considered equal to one day of absence.

If a student is frequently late to school, the teacher will notify the school office and a school administrator will contact the family to develop a plan to resolve the problem of tardies to school. Parental cooperation in this matter is very important.

Except in cases of emergency, children should not be taken out of classes during school hours.  Parents are asked to make every effort to schedule appointments, and non-school activities, at times which will not interfere with the regular school hours.

Regular attendance at school is very important for a child’s overall education.  Through prompt and regular attendance, a child gains a more complete education through the ongoing interactions with teachers and other students. While some work can be “made up” when absent, elements of the education atmosphere contained in the classroom are missed when a child is late or absent.

All PK-5^th grade students who arrive after 8:00am and all 6^th-8^th graders who arrive after 7:50am must report to the office and sign in to properly report their presence. When a parent is signing in a child, an “admit to class” slip will be required for the student (grades 1-8 only).

A parent must send a note in the morning if picking up a student early and sign out students, at the office. A parent must sign back in students, who have been signed out from school, and later return.  The school office record will indicate the student's name, arrival time, departure, or return to the school.  This information will assist our awareness of each child's presence or absence during the regular hours of the academic day.  Pre-school parents may pick up their children in the classroom.  Kindergarten through 8th grade parents must wait at the office while the child is contacted by the office staff.