Attendance

Consistent attendance is important. The students who benefit most are those who attend regularly and arrive punctually.

There are several reasons for this:

• A consistent routine provides security for students; a sense of security enables students to learn more readily.
• A child’s experiences in the classroom and with the materials are cumulative; consistent attendance bolsters learning.
• Parents’ and children’s shared commitment to regular and timely attendance at school affirms the importance of school and learning.
• Intermittent attendance, or periods of long absence, can affect children’s adaptation to school and learning.

Scheduling Appointments and Vacations

Please make every effort to ensure your child’s regular attendance. In this regard, we specifically request that you:

• Schedule family vacations and trips to coincide with school breaks and holidays. Children are expected to be in attendance on the day before and after a break or holiday.
• Schedule appointments with doctors, dentists, orthodontists, or other professionals outside of school hours.

Tardies

When younger children arrive late, it violates their sense of order: their sense of what is right and what is expected, of how things are supposed to be. For the older student, there is a sense of embarrassment and disorientation. In either case, arriving late gets the day off on the wrong foot. Late arrivals also disrupt the classroom community, the work of the other students, and the teacher. Out of respect for your own child, the classroom community, the other students, and the teachers, please help your child arrive at school on time.

At the Bissonnet Campus, if a child arrives at school after the arrival doors are locked, the driver must park and walk the student into the building. This is to ensure the safety of your child.

We consider more than ten tardies for the year to be problematic. This includes early pick-up. Teachers are expected to speak with parents directly about late arrivals. If there is no improvement, then teachers are expected to inform the administration when tardies are excessive.

At that point, the division director will contact the parent and together they will discuss how to manage more timely arrivals. In some cases, tardies may affect the decision to offer a child a re-enrollment contract for the following school year. 

Absences

If your child is going to be absent, arrive late, or leave early, please email your child’s teacher by 8:30 a.m. with the reason for the absence, tardy, or early departure and copy the front office at frontoffice@postoakschool.org or call 713-661-6688.

Excessive Absences

Absences in excess of ten days are considered problematic for all students. Parents should expect to hear from their child’s teacher or advisor and the division director if absences are a concern. It is possible that excessive absences will result in a student not being able to complete the requirements of their current school year to pass to the next level. The school may withhold an offer of a contract for the following school year due to excessive absences.

Consistent attendance is important. The students who benefit most are those who attend regularly and arrive punctually. There are several reasons for this:

• A consistent routine provides security for students; a sense of security enables students to learn more readily.
• A student's experiences in the classroom and with the materials are cumulative; consistent attendance bolsters learning.
• Parents'/Guardians’ and students' shared commitment to regular and timely attendance at school affirms the importance of school and learning.
• Intermittent attendance, or periods of long absence, can affect students' adaptation to school and learning.
• For Middle School students, regular attendance continues to be important for the students' feeling of ownership of their education and connection with the social community and culture. Frequent absences or tardies can undermine this fundamental need for ownership and connection and affect both the social and academic experience at school.

Attendance Policy

Absences, tardies, and early departures, here referred to collectively as “absences,” may be marked as excused or unexcused in a student’s attendance record. 

Excused absences will be accommodated as possible by teachers. The student should make arrangements with teachers for all make-up work and complete it within a reasonable amount of time. Grade penalties will not be given for excused absences. 

It is important to note that, whether excused or unexcused, excessive absences can result in poor academic performance and even in the student’s not being able to complete the requirements of the current school year or pass to the next level. 

For the following types of absence to be excused, the student’s parent or guardian must email the MDC Front Office (mdcoffice@postoakschool.org) copying the student’s advisor by 8:30 a.m.:

• personal illness or quarantine, up to one day
• sickness or death in the family
• weather or road conditions making travel dangerous
• emergencies
• religious holidays
• or any other reason approved in advance by the adolescent director.

The following types of absence require additional documentation:

• absence or quarantine beyond one day—requires a doctor’s note
• healthcare appointments during the school day—requires a note from the health professional
• participation in school-sponsored activities such as trips and travel and Service Learning—requires a note from the health professional
• appointments of a legal or mandatory nature—requires an official note.

The following types of absences will not be excused:

• family vacations and trips (These should be scheduled to coincide with school breaks and holidays. Students are expected to be in attendance on the day before and after a break or holiday.)
• shopping trips
• pleasure trips
• other avoidable absences. 

Accountability Procedure

Unexcused absences, here defined to include full day, tardy, and early departure, may result in a grade penalty in individual classes missed. More than ten unexcused absences are considered excessive and will result in administrative intervention and possible denial of an enrollment contract. 

• Any unexplained absence will result in an email of inquiry from the Front Desk to the student and parent(s)/guardian(s) that includes a reminder of this Attendance Policy and Accountability Procedure. This is an opportunity for the family to supply documentation to excuse the absence. 
• Once a student reaches five unexcused absences of any kind, the advisor will call a meeting with the student and their parent(s)/guardian(s), to discuss the cause of the unexcused absences and possible solutions to ensure that the student is present and on-time for school. The advisor will warn the student about the consequences of excessive absences.
• If unexcused absences of any kind become excessive (defined as ten or more), the adolescent director will call a meeting with the student, their parent(s)/guardian(s), and their advisor. This meeting includes a direct consideration of the student’s intention to comply with our attendance policy, and the student may be issued a one-day separation from the community to reflect on their commitment to membership in the community and how their actions impact the community.
• Further unexcused absences will lead to another meeting with the same attendees where the student’s commitment to Post Oak will be discussed and a formal disciplinary response is likely to be issued. In severe cases, dismissal may be considered.

At the High School, our attendance policy is incorporated in our community norms. 

Community Norm #1: Be prompt, present, and prepared for commitments

For students to be successful in the High School program and get the most out of their learning experience, they must be present, on time, and prepared to engage fully with what school has to offer each day. Consistent attendance is important to building connections with the community and culture. Frequent absences or tardies can undermine this fundamental connection and affect both the social and academic experiences at school. Regular attendance is critical to students’ feeling of ownership of the school and their own education. 

Attendance Policy and Accountability Procedure

Attendance Policy: Absences, tardies, and early departures, here referred to collectively as “absences”, may be marked as excused or unexcused in a student’s attendance record.  All unexcused absences will appear on the student’s progress report and transcript.

Excused absences will be accommodated as possible by teachers. The student should make arrangements with teachers for all make-up work and complete it within a reasonable amount of time. Grade penalties will not be given for excused absences. 

It is important to note that, whether excused or unexcused, excessive absences can result in poor academic performance and even in the student’s not being able to complete requirements of the current school year or pass to the next level. 

For the following types of absence to be excused, the student’s parent or guardian must email the MDC Front Office (mdcoffice@postoakschool.org), copying the student’s advisor:

• Personal illness or quarantine, up to one day
• Sickness or death in the family
• Weather or road conditions that make travel dangerous
• Emergencies
• College visits (up to six days per year for juniors and seniors)
• Religious holidays
• Any other reason approved in advance by the community life coordinator or adolescent director.

The following types of absence require additional documentation:

• Absence or quarantine beyond one day—requires a doctor’s note
• Healthcare appointments during the school day—require a note from the health professional
• Participation in school-sponsored activities such as internships—complete the Internship Permission Form
• Appointments of a legal or mandatory nature—require an official note.
• College visits—requires a signed verification of college visit form. 

 
The following types of absences will not be excused:

• Family vacations and trips (These should be scheduled to coincide with school breaks and holidays. Students are expected to be in attendance on the day before and after a break or holiday.)
• Shopping trips
• Pleasure trips
• Suspension from school
• Other avoidable absences

Accountability Procedure

Unexcused absences, here defined to include full day, tardy, and early departure, may result in a grade penalty for the individual class meetings missed. More than ten unexcused absences are considered excessive and will result in administrative intervention and possible denial of a re-enrollment contract. 

• Any unexplained absence will result in an email of inquiry from the Front Desk to the student and parent(s)/guardian(s) that includes a reminder of this Attendance Policy and Accountability Procedure. This is an opportunity for the family to supply documentation to excuse the absence. 
• Once a student reaches five unexcused absences of any kind, the Community Life Coordinator (CLC) will meet with the student and their advisor to discuss the cause of the unexcused absences and possible solutions to ensure that the student is present and on time for school. The CLC will memorialize this meeting in an email copying the parent(s)/guardian(s).
• Once a student reaches eight unexcused absences, the CLC will call a meeting with the student, their parent(s)/guardian(s), and their advisor to discuss the reasons for the absences, the consequences of excessive absences, and possible solutions to help the student arrive at school on time.