STUDENT ATTENDANCE, PUNCTUALITY, AND TRUANCY
The Board requires that students enrolled in GMCS attend school regularly in accordance with the laws of the state.
What is considered an excused absence?
- Illness, death in the family, required court appearance, inclement weather which would be dangerous to the life or health of the student, legal quarantine, emergency conditions as determined by the Principal, and prior permission from the Principal and consent from the parent/guardian.
- In order for an absence to be considered excused, a parent or guardian is required to send in a note within 3 days of a student returning to school. You may also send an email to info@gettysburgmontessoricharter.org
- After three (3) consecutive days of absence due to illness, a doctor’s note is required regarding the absence. Otherwise, they are considered unexcused.
- If a student misses ten (10) consecutive school days they shall be dropped from the active membership roll.
- A maximum of ten (10) days of cumulative lawful absences verified by parental notification may be permitted during a school year. Any and all absences beyond ten cumulative days will require an excuse from a physician.
Tardiness
- Any student who arrives at school after 8:30 is considered tardy and must sign in. The proper entry must be made at the sign in sheet at the front door. The person dropping off is required to fill out the information in its entirety: including student name, date, and time of arrival. There is also a section for the reason for the tardy.
- Tardiness will be calculated in 5-minute increments. When a full school day is accrued, it will count as an unexcused absence unless an approved excuse is provided. In this case, procedures for notifying parents/guardians of an unexcused absence.
- Students arriving after 11:00 a.m. will be considered to have missed a half day of school. When a full school day is accrued, it will count as an unexcused absence unless an approved excuse is provided.
- Students who are tardy due to a doctor’s appointment are required to provide a doctor’s note for the tardiness to be excused. It is best to turn these in at the front office when the student returns to school. The doctor’s note must be received within three calendar days of the tardiness, otherwise it is considered unexcused and will be counted toward unexcused absences.
- If a pattern of tardiness develops, the Principal/designee will send a letter to remind the parent/guardian of their legal obligation to make certain that the student attends school regularly, and arrives on time, as well as the steps that will be taken should the unexcused tardiness continue, including the development of a School Attendance Improvement Plan (SAIP).
Unscheduled Early Dismissal
- If it is necessary for a student to be dismissed from school before the end of the school day, parents/guardians should notify the school office in advance. Parents/guardians should inform the school of the specific time that the student will be picked-up and the person who will come for the student. Only adults who are listed on the school’s records as being authorized will be permitted to take students from the school in these cases. The person who is picking up the student should report directly to the school office upon entering the building.
- A doctor’s note is required for the early dismissal to be excused. The doctor’s note must be received within three calendar days of the early dismissal. Otherwise, it is considered unexcused and will be counted toward unexcused absences.
School Hours:
8:00am – Doors Open
8:00am – 8:30am – Breakfast is served
8:30am – Class Begins
Any student entering the building after 8:30 will be marked as tardy.
2:45pm – Dismissal Begins
Compacts and Engagement Policies
Wellness Policy
Wellness Policy Changes and Triennial Assessment
The GMCS Board recently approved the following revisions to the Wellness Policy. These were based on the Wellness Committee’s recommendations.
- We removed all the websites in our old policy because most took you to pages that did not work, and did not need to be included.
- Under the Nutrition heading we changed the information slightly to accommodate what we are putting into place at our school. We included our farm-to-school activities, grade bands’ field trips to local farms, agriculture, and nutrition being taught in the curricula, and special activities such as Letters to Farmers, Agriculture Week, and Ag Lab days.
- Under the Celebrations and Rewards heading we stated that unhealthy foods and beverages will not be allowed for celebrations or special events and that non-food activities should be a priority. Also, as a reminder, candy should not be sent to school for snacks, lunch, and special events.
- We removed a lot of excess information that did not need to be included.
Wellness Committee 2021-2024 goals and progress assessment.
1. Gettysburg Montessori Charter School’s Wellness teacher will receive standards-based training each year. The teacher will engage families in nutrition education efforts. Attained
2. GMCS will partner with community organizations to promote physical activity. Attained
3. GMCS will incorporate health instruction into physical education classes via Wellness classes. Attained
4. GMCS will provide the nutrition content of school meals to the school community. Not Attained (We provided names of products.)5. GMCS will re-establish a school garden. Not attained6. GMCS will include health and nutrition information in school announcements. Attained
As for the extent to which we comply with our policy, we have room to improve. We would like to see more opportunities for physical activity in our daily schedule and see more non-food birthday and party c