Junipero Serra ES Policies

Studies show that there is a direct correlation between attendance rates, health, and student achievement. Some of the negative impacts of spotty attendance include:

• Students must work twice as hard the next day to catch up on missed instruction and missed assignments including homework. 
• Teachers lose class time by having to repeat lessons for students who were absent. 
• Schools lose funding from the State of California when students are absent from school. This includes all absences, even those related to illness, medical, or dental appointments.
• A loss of funding can lead to the loss of programs such as music, technology, summer school, etc.

Chronic absence in kindergarten is also associated with lower academic performance in first grade among all children and may predict lower levels of educational achievement by the end of fifth grade.

Help your child achieve consistent attendance by:

• Creating a contract with your child;

• Discussing problems your child may have at school and informing teachers about anything serious;

• Reinforcing the importance of punctuality;

• Setting regular bedtime schedules;

• Incorporating regular exercise in your child's daily activities.

***Please limit your students’ absences and prioritize on-time arrival. It is very important to us at Junipero Serra that we optimize your child’s instruction time!

Please keep us informed of absences by reporting them as soon as possible. Call 650-877-8853 or email Mrs. Kim and Mrs. dela Cruz before 8:30am on the day of your child’s absence. Please provide the following information:

• Student’s full name
• Grade of student
• Teacher,  Room Number
• Reason for student’s absence 
• Please send a doctor’s note on day of return (if applicable)

If the school has not been notified of an absence, a call will be made to the families of absent children. Occasionally students may arrive after attendance has been sent to the office. In this case you may receive a call even though your child is at school. Please do not be alarmed. We try to avoid this kind of situation, but it does sometimes happen. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

Tardy students must obtain a tardy slip from the school office before entering class. 

The school will initiate a discussion with parents/guardians in the event of a student's excessive tardiness.

Three (3) tardies of 30 minutes or more may result in referral to the district's attendance and welfare office.

Regular attendance and being on time is closely related to achievement and success at school.

The cafeteria opens at 8:00 AM for breakfast, and school starts at 8:22 AM.

Students should come to school on time each day.

School attendance is compulsory under state law, thus parents/ guardians must ensure that their child attends school on time.

First Notification Letter

To be classified as a truant, a student must have had three (3) unexcused absences or three (3) tardies of 30 minutes or more. Education Code Section 48260.5 requires that the parent/guardian be notified by a letter informing them of what can occur if their child fails to attend school.

Second Notification Letter and Truancy Meeting

In the event of continued attendance issues, the school will generate a second letter that includes a time and date for a meeting with the school principal.

Students who have been identified as truant (5 or more unexcused absences and/or 10 tardies) will be presented with an attendance contract or attendance improvement plan.

Regular truancy meetings will be held with students and their parents/guardians to improve the student's attendance rate. Our schoolwide average daily attendance (ADA) goal is 98%. 

Third Notification Letter and School Attendance and Review Board (SARB)

In the event of continued attendance issues, the student will be referred to the School Attendance Review Board (SARB). 

Students who have received three (3) or more office behavior referrals will be referred to the Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS) system.

Identified students will receive effective behavior interventions, and their parents/guardians will also receive support via the RTI2/PBIS framework as measured by student and staff surveys.

Our schoolwide discipline goal is to reduce the percentage of students referred for office discipline or suspended for violation of Ed Codes 48900.

Junipero Serra Elementary School has a strict, color-specific dress code.

*** STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO WEAR A COMPLETE AND CLEAN UNIFORM TO SCHOOL EVERY DAY.  WRITE YOUR CHILD’S NAME ON THE INSIDE OF ALL GARMENTS.

 

ACCEPTABLE SCHOOL UNIFORM

• Junipero Serra Spirit Wear: Junipero Serra Logo sweatshirt or T-shirt, sold by PTA only. 
• Polo Shirts/Blouses/Turtlenecks: Plain, solid white or navy blue with collar. Shirts and blouses may have long or short sleeves.  Only Junipero Serra Logo allowed on shirts.  
• Pants:  Plain, solid khaki or navy blue that fit at the waist. Must be hemmed buttoned & zipped.
• Jumper/Skirts/Shorts/Dresses: Plain, solid navy blue.  Must be hemmed, buttoned and zipped and fall to the knee. Please make sure skirts are an appropriate length if they’re not being worn with leggings.
• Belts: Plain, solid black or brown only.  Must be proper size fitted to waist. 
• Footwear/Boots: Plain, solid black, brown, beige or white. <ust be flat-heeled and closed-toe or have heel straps. Shoes with laces must be tied properly. 
• Socks/Tights: Plain, solid white or navy.

 

• Leggings: Plain, solid white or navy. Must be worn with skirt, pants or shorts. 
          Sweaters: Plain, solid navy blue or white.  

 

• Sweatshirts/Hooded Sweatshirts: Plain, solid navy blue. Only Junipero Serra logo allowed on sweatshirts. **Note: Plain, solid navy blue hooded sweatshirts are part of the school uniform and considered different from outerwear and jackets. 
• Outerwear Jackets: Navy blue preferred.  No logos or writing of any kind. No Sport Team jackets allowed. 

• Grooming: Students must be clean and neatly groomed with shirts tucked in. No exaggerated or distracting hairstyles or hair color.

 

UNACCEPTABLE

• Hats and caps of any kind are not allowed in the classrooms. Students will be allowed to wear hats when outside for warmth or protection from the sun. Students will not be allowed to wear hats in the buildings. 
• No patterns, prints or colors other than blue, white and official Junipero Serra plaid. 
• No jeans/No leggings. 
• No oversized clothing allowed (no sagging).  
• No ragged or torn clothing of any kind is permitted. 
• No spandex fabric for pants or shorts is allowed. 
• No short shorts, short skirts, short dresses, low necklines or backless, bare midriffs, mesh-type garments, or tank tops are permitted. 
• No high heel shoes or sandals. 
• No make-up, lipstick, or nail polish. 
• No jewelry can be seen except for very small stud earrings. No hoops or dangles. No rings. No bracelets. 

 

Please note: Students not in compliance with the uniform policy will receive a Uniform Citation. 

If you have questions regarding non-compliance concerns please contact the office. 

The health and welfare of our students and staff are a top priority. Please observe the following guidelines to help maintain your health and that of your child:

• Teach children to wash their hands properly, especially after using the restroom, and frequently throughout the day.
   
• Provide healthy, nutritious food and a good breakfast everyday. Reduce the consumption of soda and foods with processed sugar, while increasing daily intake of fruits and vegetables.
   
• Designate regular and consistent bedtimes for children, so they can receive 8 hours of sleep each night.
   
• Cough into the elbow to reduce the spread of germs.

Students may be picked up early during school hours for emergency appointments only. Parents/guardians must notify the school office no later than 24 hours after the emergency appointment.

To minimize learning loss, parents should refrain from making appointments for their children during school hours, and students should attend classes up until the time they need to leave for their appointment.

All persons picking up students early from school must provide appropriate photo identification when signing students out at the school office.

School staff will review the student’s emergency card information to confirm that the person is authorized to pick up the student.

The student will not be authorized to leave school, if the person is not listed on the student's emergency card.