Attendance

ATTENDANCE

Regular attendance at school is not only a key to academic success, as it is also required by New York State law.  When a student is absent, however, parents should enter the absence on School Dismissal Manager

Upon their return to school, the students must bring a note to Mrs. Goncalves in the main office with the reason for their absence. School Dismissal Manager's entries and attendance emails will fulfill the absence note requirement.   Please, remember that it is necessary to report the absence each day that your child is absent from school unless you have discussed the situation with the school nurse. 

Students need to be fever-free, at least for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication, before returning to school.

The following reasons for student absences from school are recognized as valid:

1. Personal
2. Illness or death in the family
3. Religious observance
4. Appointment at a doctor's office/medical facility
5. Required court appearance
6. Approved school-sponsored trips

LATE ARRIVAL

School starts at 9:00 AM.  A student arriving late should ring the bell to be allowed in the building and sign in. Students who arrive in class after 9:00 AM will be marked tardy.  

PARENT AM DROP-OFF & PM PICK-UP

We anticipate that most students will take the bus to and from school, but in case work obligations or after-school activities make taking the bus difficult, we would like to review our parents' drop-off and pick-up procedures. We also want to take this opportunity to review some basic bus guidelines.

AM Parent Drop-Off begins at 8:50 a.m..  Please do not arrive at the campus prior to that time.  Our parking lots need to remain open for staff that need to access the parking area.

When you pull into the building lot, please turn right and pull around the upper parking lot.  When directed, proceed slowly to the furtherest cone in front if the building where a staff member will assist you and let you know when to let your child out of the car. Parents should remain in the car and students should exit on the building side of the car as opposed to the traffic side, for safety. Please listen to staff directions, so we can keep the students safe. Thank you for your cooperation. 

Before-school activities – Students attending before-school activities should not be dropped off before 8:00 a.m. except for the YMCA before-school-program.

PM Parent Pick-Up - The SIS campus is closed to traffic from 2:30-3:05 p.m. Left turns into the driveway are not permitted during that time to help expedite the flow of traffic. 

If you are picking up your child, you should indicate this in School Dismissal Manager.  

Parent pick-up will happen on the side of the school building near the loading dock area, and It will begin at approximately 3:13 PM in the car loop.  As you enter the parking lot, turn right and pull around the upper parking lot.  A staff member will ask to see your ID before calling for your child.  You will also be given a Parent Pick-Up placard for your car window that should be displayed to expedite our process in calling for students.

Should you need to pick up your child before 3:13 PM, please come to the office before 3:00 p.m. to do so.

Dismissal from the office will not be permitted between 3:00 and 3:40 PM as we prepare the building for dismissal.  Thank you for your cooperation.

EARLY DISMISSAL

If a student needs to leave SIS before the end of the regular school day, the early dismissal should be entered before 1:00 p.m. in School Dismissal Manager. The student will meet their parents at the Reception Desk in the vestibule. Parents/persons picking up must go to the Reception Desk with their driver’s license/government issued photo ID to sign the student out before the student can leave the building.  

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Students who are not in class by 9:00 a.m. are considered late.  Please make every effort to ensure that your child arrives at school on time each day.

The Somers Intermediate School recognizes the importance of good attendance for academic and social success.  It is also important to get to school on time.

With this in mind, the following policy is designed to promote regular attendance on the part of all of our students: 

1. The principal and school attendance clerk will meet regularly to examine attendance and tardy issues.
2. A child who reaches 10 absences or tardies will set in motion the following:
   • Parental notification regarding excessive absences 
3. A child who reaches 20 absences or tardies will set in motion the following:
   • Parent will meet with an administrator to address the issue of school attendance to develop a plan for improving attendance.
4. If absences continue, a referral to the appropriate social services agency will follow.
5. If a student is late for school 10 times without a note from the parents, a warning letter or email will be sent home.  A note can be sent to Mrs. Goncalves in the front office or to isattendance@somersschools.org

EXTENDED VACATIONS FROM SCHOOL

There are times when students are absent from school because of extended vacations. We discourage this practice because nothing can replace the ongoing instruction that occurs within each class. When such absences are unavoidable, please contact Mrs. Goncalves (mgoncalves@somersschools.org) in the main office as well as the classroom teacher. 

Schoolwork will NOT be provided. Families are encouraged to have their children keep a journal and read daily. Teachers will do their best to help students catch up when they return to school.