Attendance Policy

Rationale: At Bear Valley we value community and learning. With these values, student attendance is incredibly important and we expect students to maintain an overall attendance percentage of 92% or higher. We are here to partner with students and families to ensure students are at school, in turn, maximize their overall success at school. The attendance team at BVIS includes the school counselor, 1 other mental health provider, grade level team leads and the SPED team lead. Families should not hesitate to reach out to the attendance team at 720-423-9600 if they need support at any time.

Attendance Expectations:

Start Time: School starts at 8:50am.
- Doors to the cafe will be open for students to eat breakfast between 8:30 and 8:40.
- These doors will close at 8:40. Students who arrive after 8:40 are expected to enter through their external grade level door.
- Doors will open at respected grade level entries at 8:45am. Students are expected to place their personal belongings in their lockers and proceed directly to their LC classrooms ready to learn when the bell rings at 8:50am.

Attendance Requirements: Students should expect to use no more than 14 days of absence during the school year. This will maintain their attendance percentage at 92% or higher, which is the expectation for all Bear Valley students. However, please remember that tardies to class also impact their attendance percentage as well.
- 8th Grade Families: In order for your student to participate in continuation week activities, they must have an attendance percentage of 92% or higher

Absences: If your child is going to be absent, it is critical that families communicate this with the front office.

Unofficially Raising Attendance: We want to ensure that all students have opportunities to informall re-earn attendance points throughout the course of the school year. If students fall below the 92% expectation, they can re-earn their continuation eligibility by attending Saturday school (dates to be decided) and working lunch (dates determined by grade level teams). This will not “officially” raise their attendance percentage in student portal, but will allow them to re-earn eligibility for school events and celebrations

Attendance Incentives: Each month, the attendance team, in collaboration with student council and grade level teams, comes up with a targeted incentive and goal around attendance. These incentives may include, but are not limited to
- Gift Card raffles for
  - 92% attendance or higher
  - Most improved attendance
  - Most improved tardies

LC competition
Monthly attendance award at awards assemblies
Free dress
Family prize raffles for improved attendance
Ice cream bar
Popcorn parties

Save the Date: No School For Students!

You can help maximize your student’s attendance by scheduling appointments on the following days whenever possible.

September 4th
September 22nd
October 12th-October 14th
November 3rd (Bear Valley Only)
November 20th-24th
December 18th- January 2nd
January 15th
February 9th (Bear Valley Only)
February 16th-19th
March 25th-April 1st
April 19th
May 10th (Bear Valley Only)
May 27th

What Counts as an Excused Absence? What does not?
Excused Absences	Unexcused Absences
Absences are excused only when there is family to school communication and fall into the following categories: Illness or injury – you may be asked for a doctor’s note Religious holiday or observance Death in the family Legal Obligations Please call 720-423-9600 or email bvoffice@dpsk12.org if your student will be absent for one of these reasons. Excused absence still count against a student’s overall attendance percentage	An unexcused absence occurs when a student is absent and the school is unaware. When your student is absent you will receive an automatic phone call Students with three or more unexcused absences or truancies will be subject to disciplinary action which could include lack of eligibility to participate in school performances or suspension. Truancy can be filed with 4 unexcused absences in one calendar month Truancy is defined by the state of Colorado as – A student under the age of 17 who has been absent from school without permission for 4 or more days in a given month or 10 or more cumulative days.

FAQ’s
What interventions are put in place for attendance related concerns?	Tier 1: LC mentor will contact the family and partner with them (3 attempts)Tier 2: Perez, Alley or McCool will take over communication; student will be added to the student conversations or RTI processTier 3: Family will be invited for an attendance conference with the attendance tem and 1 grade level teacher
What counts as a tardy?	A student is tardy if they are not in your classroom by the time the bell rings. Teachers should mark these students as “tardy” in IC when taking attendance. Teachers should also include the timestamp the student entered in the comments.
Do tardies count against a student’s overall attendance percentage?	Yes. Tardies, both to school in the morning and class to class tardies, count against a student’s overall attendance percentage.
What if a student’s parent excuses the absence?	Excused absences still count against a student’s overall attendance percentage per DPS policy. If a student is not in class, their attendance percentage will drop.

Attendance-Policy Download