Attendance Policies & Procedures

In order to ensure a productive and successful year for all our students, we would like to take this opportunity to provide you with basic information about attendance procedures at our school.

Good attendance is critical to academic success. If a student is not present regularly in all their scheduled classes they risk failure, and lack of promotion to the next grade. It is also a New York State Education Department requirement that all school-age children attend school regularly. The State holds parents responsible for their children’s attendance, and legal prosecution can result if parents are non-compliant with this law.

Our goal is that each student will arrive on time, and attend every class, every day.

If an absence is truly unavoidable, we request that written documentation always be provided. Please know that even with documentation, your child is still marked absent if they were not in school that day.

Arrival Procedures

All students in K-5 will line up in the large school yard. Students will line up by class in their designated areas. Students must be on their line by 8:10 am.

Lateness

Chronic lateness results in classroom disruption and loss of valuable instruction time. If a student arrives after 8:40 a.m. that student is late. (If there is an ongoing family problem resulting in late arrivals, please inform the classroom teacher and the guidance counselor.)

All students that are late must sign in. Students in grades 3-5 must also obtain a late pass at the desk near the elevator. If they do not obtain a late pass, they will be marked absent.

Absences from School

In the best interests of the student, absences should be kept to a minimum. Parents are encouraged to plan vacations in accordance with school vacations and to schedule doctor appointments either before or after school hours.

If a student is out sick and is seen by a doctor, they should bring a note from the doctor confirming the date the child can return to school otherwise a parent note can be submitted. The note should include a current daytime telephone number for the parent and the child’s full, legible, first and last names. Please understand that ALL absences go on the student’s permanent record.

If a student is going to be removed from the school for 5 days or more, the parent must come to the Main Office to sign a long-term absence form. Vacations during school instruction are considered an illegal
absence. Two absences per month equal twenty absences by the end of the school year in June, which is an entire month of instruction lost!

Excessive Absence/Truancy

An attendance rate of 90% or higher is the goal for all students. Students who are marked excessively absent are in danger of repeating that grade. Students who are excessively absent from school run the risk of having a truancy case opened in their name.

If a student incurs more than one truancy case, parents run the risk of being reported to the Administration for Children’s Services. ACS has the authority to prosecute parents, and to remove children from the home when they deem these extreme measures necessary.

We are very concerned about the progress of our students, and therefore we will make telephone and written outreach as necessary.

Leaving School Early

Unless it is an unforeseen emergency, students should not be picked up early. Not only are they missing instruction time, it causes disruption to the entire class and teacher. If a student must be picked up early, a written note must be submitted to the teacher stating the reason and time of pickup.

Change of Address/Telephone

Please bring proof of your new address or telephone number change to the main office. Acceptable proof includes utility bills from the gas or electric company, or a bank statement. YOUR ADDRESS WILL NOT BE CHANGED BY JUST COMPLETING A NEW BLUE EMERGENCY CARD.

Dismissal

Please ensure that students are picked up in a timely manner at the end of the school day.

Schedule family vacations around the school calendar. ⁭
Try to schedule all appointments either before or after school. ⁭
Keep careful track of all your child’s known absences from school.
⁭Please respond promptly to telephone calls from the school.
⁭Always provide the school with your current work and home telephone numbers, and with the number of an emergency contact person.
⁭Immediately inform the school of any changes in your telephone number or address. Proof is required.
⁭Always attend Parent/Teacher Conferences or send a reliable adult.
Check your child’s bookbag regularly for important notices and homework.
⁭Always have a copy of your child’s NYC Student ID number, and current class number/teacher at hand.

*Contact the Main Office right away if you suspect an error has occurred.

Attendace

P.S. 223
Address: 125-20 Sutphin Blvd
Jamaica, NY 11434
Tel: (718) 558-2900
Fax: (718) 925- 9020

School Hours: 8:30 am- 2:00 pm
Monday –Friday

Principal
Tekesha Babb
Assistant Principals
Howard Hudson
Nikole Kelly