Attendance
24 Hour Absent All Day* Attendance Line: (951) 294-6451
To Speak With Someone In The Attendance Office
Please call (951) 294-6450Fax #: (951) 294-6469
| Estella Perez PT Attendance Clerk - 7:15 am - 11:15 am ext. 23023 eperez3@tvusd.us |
Robbi Mass PT Attendance Clerk - 10:45am - 2:45pm ext. 23033 rmass@tvusd.us |
Juan Carbajal Attendance Intervention ext. 23060 jcarbajal@tvusd.us |
Attendance Office
Absences can be validated by calling 951-294-6451, utilizing the web page, or emailing gohs-attendance@tvusd.us, or with a medical documentation. Once a reason for an absence has been received and recorded by the Attendance Office it cannot be changed unless there is documentation provided (ie: Doctor's visit receipt/note, Court documents, etc.). If the Attendance Office has not received notification from a parent/guardian within 2 days after an absence, then the absence will then be marked as a Truant absence.
Parents/Guardians have 15 days from the date of the initial absence to change the Truant mark to the correct reason for the absence (ie: illness, doctor, dental, personal business, college visits, etc.).
If, after 15 days, the Truant mark remains, the student's name is given to the Truancy Intervention Specialist. The student may then be called into the Office to determine the nature of the Truancy.
Please Keep Your Information Current
Great Oak High School uses Caller ID to verify that we are speaking to a parent. Please be sure to update your contact information and preferences in your Infinite Campus parent portal. You manage your own settings. Click here for the Infinite Campus Parent Portal.
Ill Students
If your student becomes ill while on campus, they need to ask their teacher for a pass to the Health Office. If the student needs to leave campus, the Health Clerk/Nurse will contact their parent/guardian and give the student a pass to be immediately released. Failure to follow this procedure will result in truancies.
Students leaving campus without being checked out OR without having a pass will be considered truant and discipline will be assigned. Parents cannot clear these absences after the fact.
Arriving Late to School
Students who are LATE to school, arriving after 8:30a.m., but before 9:00a.m., need to report directly to class. These tardies are handled by the classroom teachers. The only exception is if your student has an actual Dr/DDS note to bring in for that day.
If arriving AFTER 9:00 a.m. students are considered tardy-truant and they must check in at the Attendance Office. They will receive a Tardy Pass. If they come in with a note from a parent/guardian it's an excused tardy*, if they do not have a note they may bring one in the following day or a parent may call us to clear or excuse the tardy-truant.
*Please note: If arriving before 9:00, then it is the individual teachers' discretion to accept a note or tardy slip as "Excused". If excused tardy is denied by teacher it's usually due to too many notes and/or tardies.
Leaving School Early
When it is necessary for a student to leave during the school day, please follow the procedure below:
- Parent/Guardian calls the school phone number @ 951-294-6450, ext 23003. .
- Leave the student's name, spell the last name
- Your relationship to the student
- The time you need the student released
- The reason they need to leave
- Phone number where we can reach you if needed
Or…
- A note can be sent with the student to bring to the Attendance Office. Have the student bring the note to the Attendance Office before school, at Break/Lunch or between classes. Students are not to bring notes to the Attendance Office during class time.
Upon receipt of either of the above, the student will be given an Attendance Early Release 5 Star Student pass. Students cannot leave without an Early Release 5 Star Student pass. Doing so will result in a Truancy and a referral to Administration. A parent phone call received after the fact cannot clear the Truant mark or clear from discipline that the student may receive. If the student returns the same day, please have them sign in with attendance before going to class, whether it's lunch, break, or passing period.
The Attendance Office values teacher instruction time and will not call into rooms to release students from class. Please understand that when you come into our office it will take up to an hour for us to get your student. Our policy states that parents/guardians call at least an hour ahead of the time they need the student released.
If the early release request is an emergency, calling ahead can expedite the process for you.
Attendance Makes A Difference!
One of TVUSD’s goals is for all students to maintain an acceptable attendance rate of 96% or higher. In order to do this, a student must have no more than seven total absences throughout the entire school year. That means each student can have no more than one absence for every 25 instructional days of school. We know that maintaining good attendance is directly tied to student achievement, which is why we believe that when our students attend school they will achieve.
Elementary Parents and Students - Did you know?
- Starting in kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school.
- Missing 10 percent (or about 18 days) can make it harder to learn to read.
- Students can still fall behind if they miss just a day or two days every few weeks.
- Being late to school may lead to poor attendance.
- Absences can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up.
- Missing two or more days a month will make your child chronically absent.
- Only 17% of kids who are chronically absent in kindergarten and 1st grade can read at grade level after 3rd grade.
Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. Start building this habit in preschool so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Good attendance will help children do well in high school, college, and at work.
What you can do...
- Set a regular bedtime and morning routine.
- Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
- Find out what day school starts and make sure your child has the required shots.
- Introduce your child to his/her teachers and classmates before school starts to help him/her transition.
- Don’t let your child stay home unless he/she is truly sick. Keep in mind complaints of a stomach ache or a headache can be a sign of anxiety and not a reason to stay home.
- If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors, or other parents for advice on how to make him/her feel comfortable and excited about learning.
- Develop backup plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbor, or another parent.
- Avoid medical appointments during the school day if possible.
Middle/High School Parents and Students - Did you know?
- Students should miss no more than 7 days of school each year to stay engaged, successful and on track to graduation.
- Absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with school work, dealing with a bully or facing some other potentially serious difficulty.
- By 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that a student may drop out of high school.
- By 9th grade, regular and high attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 88th-grade test scores.
- Missing 10 percent, or about 18 days, of the school year can drastically affect a student’s academic success.
- Attendance is an important life skill that will help your child graduate from college and keep a job
What you can do...
Make school attendance a priority
- Talk about the importance of showing up to school everyday, make that the expectation.
- Help your child maintain daily routines, such as finishing homework and getting a good night’s sleep.
- Try not to schedule dental and medical appointments during the school day.
- Don’t let your child stay home unless truly sick.
- Complaints of headaches or stomach aches may be signs of anxiety
Help your teen stay engaged
- Find out if your child feels engaged by his classes and feels safe from bullies and other threats. Make sure he/she is not missing class because of behavioral issues and school discipline policies. If any of these are problems, work with your school.
- Stay on top of academic progress and seek help from teachers or counselor if necessary. Make sure teachers know how to contact you.
- Stay on top of your child’s social contacts. Peer pressure can lead to skipping school, while students without many friends can feel isolated.
- Encourage meaningful after school activities, including sports and clubs
Communicate with the school
- Know the school’s attendance policy – incentives and penalties
- Talk to teachers if you notice sudden changes in behavior. These could be tied to something going on at school.
- Check on your child’s attendance to be sure absences are not piling up.
- Ask for help from school officials, after school programs, other parents or community agencies if you’re having trouble getting your child to school.