January 9, 2015
Dear Parents of Lost Mountain,
Happy New Year! As we start the new year and new semester, please take a moment to review theseimportant reminders regarding attendance, tardies, arrival and dismissal.
Arrival:
The school day officially begins for a student when he/she arrives on campus. The building will be open at 8:15 a.m. for students who need to arrive early. Students should NOT be dropped off prior to 8:15 as there is no staff to supervise. Students must report directly to and remain in the study hall until the 8:50 bell rings. If students arrive early to see a specific teacher (i.e., detention, make-up work, extra help), they must obtain a pass from their teacher the day before.
Tardy to School:
Students are expected to be in homeroom at 9:10 a.m. If a student is not, he/she must sign in tardy at the front office. In order for a tardy to be excused, the student must have a note or a parent signature stating the reason for the tardy. (Excused tardies are the same as excused absences.)Please contact the attendance office if you have questions about your child’s accumulated tardies. Consequences are assigned for excessive unexcused tardies.
-When a student accumulates more than 5 unexcused tardies in a semester he/she will be assigned 1 day of ISS.
-When a student accumulates 10 unexcused tardies in a semester he/she will be assigned 2 days of ISS.
Attendance:
Absences will only be excused for the following reasons:A child is ill or attendance in school would endanger his/her health or the health of others.
-A serious illness or death occurs in the immediate family of the child, defined as mother, father, siblings, grandparents, step-parents, or legal guardians.
-A child is absent due to a medical appointment
-A child is observing a recognized religious holiday of his/her faith.
-A child is mandated by order of a governmental agency.
*Please turn in notes to the attendance office no later than three school days after the absence.
A student must be present in school at least 50% of the instructional day for he/she to be counted present, per Cobb County policy. For our Lost Mountain students, an ALL-DAY absence is defined as missing four or more periods (not including homeroom).
In regard to excessive absences, refer to Cobb County Administrative Rule JE-5 Attendance Protocol. The primary goal of this attendance protocol is to address unexcused absences for students.
-At three unexcused absences, the homeroom teacher will contact the parent by email.
-At five unexcused absences, the principal will send a letter to the parent notifying them of the five unexcused absences.
-At seven unexcused absences, a referral is made to the School Social Worker.
Dismissal:
Parents who need to pick their child up from school via the car rider line have two options:
-Wait in the main line that advances to the front sidewalk
-Park in the lot, get out of your car and walk up to greet your child just beyond the handicapped parking spaces.
To ensure the safety of our students:
-Please do NOT have your child wander through the parking lot to find your car from your call or text.
-Please do not idle in the aisle to wait for your child to walk to your car while you block other parents who need to back out of their space.
If you have friends, neighbors or a student’s older sibling pick up your child, please make them aware of our procedures.
Rainy Day Dismissal:
Car riders will report to the theater. Parents may park and pick up students from the theater. Parents wishing to stay in the car rider line will be directed to the student pick up area after buses have left the school campus.
Thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Candace Wilkes
Principal
Lost Mountain Middle School