International School of Monterey

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School Hours & Attendance

Starting Time
The academic day begins at 8:00 a.m. Classroom doors open by 7:53 a.m., allowing your child to enter, get comfortable, and get organized. Teachers take attendance immediately at 8:00 a.m. Students are considered tardy if they are not in their seats and ready to learn at 8:00 am. Students who enter the class after 8:00 will be sent to the office for a tardy slip. Students who arrive more than 30 minutes late to school without a valid excuse receive a truant unexcused tardy. As a reminder, more than three unexcused absences in the year require the school to notify the Assistant District Attorney in charge of truancy. Please see the chart below for information on tardiness and unexcused absences.

To encourage students to get to school on time, we celebrate students with no unexcused tardies or absences each month through our “8 is Great” program. Students with no unexcused tardies or absences earn an extra Free Dress Day on or near the 8th of the month. Parents are notified via email if their child qualifies for this honor. Students must wear uniforms these days if they do not earn the achievement for that month.

Studies have confirmed that students who regularly show up late to school not only disrupt the morning learning in the classroom but also have their success in school significantly impacted by chronic tardiness. Arriving even 5 minutes late 1-2 days a week adds up to a loss of more than 5 hours of learning in a school year!

Ending Time
School ends at 3:15 pm, and pickup begins at 3:20 pm in front of the school. Students picked up before the end of the school day must have a parent or guardian sign them out through the front office. For any early dismissal, families MUST supply a signed appointment note from a doctor's office after the appointment, or it will be considered unexcused. As a reminder, more than three unexcused absences in the year require the school to notify the Assistant District Attorney in charge of truancy. Please see the chart below for information on early dismissal and unexcused absences.

Studies have confirmed that students who regularly leave school early not only disrupt the afternoon learning in the classroom but also have their success in school significantly impacted by chronic early dismissal. Leaving even 5 minutes early 1-2 days a week adds up to a loss of more than 5 hours of learning in a school year!

Absence Notification
Per our attendance procedures, each morning of a child’s absence or arrival later than 9:00 am, please email absent@ismonterey.org with your child's name and “Absent” in the subject line or enter their absence in the Absence portal (also located at the top right of our website). If you are unable to email, please call 831-583-2171 to report the absence.

Attendance Policy
Our attendance policy details all attendance expectations, and we have created an attendance policy summary as a shorter reference. We expect children to attend every day unless sick or needing to miss school for one of the other reasons allowed in the California Education Code.

Families should schedule appointments with the doctor, dentist, etc. AFTER the end of the school day (12:55 pm on Wednesday and 3:15 pm every other school day). If absolutely necessary to attend appointments during school hours, students should miss school only for the hours of the appointment. They will be required to bring a note from the appointment facility.

If your child needs to miss school due to one of the CDE allowed reasons, you must email Mrs. Allen at jallen@ismonterey.org for pre-approval at least two weeks before the absence. Schoolwork cannot be provided in advance of an absence, please do not request the teacher to give your child work in advance. Children may be able to make up schoolwork when they return. Families should schedule vacations for weekends or school breaks. Family vacations are not considered an excused absence.

We encourage families to keep their children home if they have a fever or are contagious. Please see our school webpage on Student Health, which outlines why students should stay home. However, we do want to encourage families to be mindful of student absences throughout the year and encourage students to attend school as much as possible. The school sends attendance notices to families to keep them informed of their personal tardiness and attendance rates. Please consider these notifications as informational in nature so you can make informed decisions for your child’s attendance needs. We are happy to partner with any family struggling with tardiness or absenteeism and encourage you to email notification@ismonterey.org for support.

Chronic Tardiness and Absenteeism

Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10 percent or more of school days due to absences for any reason (both excused and unexcused absences). It can translate into students having a difficult time learning to read by the third grade, achieving goals in middle school, and graduating from high school. Every day a student is absent is a lost opportunity for learning.

For a comprehensive overview of the state attendance expectations, please watch the video of our Attendance Town Hall below, hosted in 2022.

In addition, please refer to the chart below regarding school attendance provided by the local Assistant District Attorney.

Proactive Steps for Families

Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school and themselves. Families can start building this habit in kindergarten so they learn right away that students go to school on time every day. Good attendance will help children do well in middle school, high school, college, and in their careers.

Here are some suggestions for success:

Build regular routines for bedtime and the morning
Set out clothes and pack backpacks the night before
Pack lunches the night before
If there is a reason that they aren't looking forward to school regularly, please reach out and let us know so we can address it
Schedule trips when school is not in session
Schedule medical appointments after dismissal
Use a tracking sheet in a prominent place at home to count missed days and celebrate when no days are missed each month!
Talk about the importance of regular attendance and how your child feels about school. Regular attendance helps to make and build connections with friends and staff. It also supports learning!