I have decided that I would like to highlight some policies we have here at CAJ.  I think it would be a good reminder or it may be something new for some of you as we go through these policies.

For this blog post, I would like to highlight how we manage Attendance and what are some of our procedures. 

Faithful attendance is an important requirement for our life together and one of the keys to academic success. Sometimes a student might not be able to attend school, and at those times we ask that he/she tell us what’s happened, so we won’t worry unnecessarily.

1. Absence
   1. Unplanned absences (for example, sickness): Parents are asked to call the school office between 8:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. on the day the student is absent to give notice of the absence and the anticipated duration. An email can be sent to attendance@caj.ac.jp If the school is not contacted, a call home will be made to make sure the student hasn’t had some unexpected difficulty on the way to school.
   2. Planned absences should be arranged in advance with the middle school principal and the academic office receptionist in an email sent to wlangelaar@caj.ac.jp, attendance@caj.ac.jp at least one week in advance of the absence. The principal will create a planned absence google document where the teachers will list the work the student will need to complete due to his/her absence. Students can complete assignments ahead of time, if possible, and are expected to complete assignments by the due dates set by the teacher. If due dates are not provided by the teacher, the provisions for making up work for unplanned absences will be used.
   3. Excessive absences (for middle school students) are defined as missing any one class (for any reason other than a school activity) more than 20 times during a semester.
   4. Half-day/whole-day absence: Students who miss 2 or more complete blocks are considered absent for the entire day, even if they come to school for some portion of the day. Students who miss 2 complete blocks are considered absent for one-half day.
   5. Truancy: Students who are absent without parental permission are considered truant. Truant students are ineligible to make up tests/quizzes but are eligible to submit assignments, which will be penalized for being late. The principal may take additional disciplinary steps to address truancy.
2. Tardiness is inconsistent with our desire to respect the time we have together. Students are expected to be in their seats and ready to work at the start of each class block.
   a. Students who arrive late for school must report to the academic office, where a pass will be issued and the tardy recorded; students will also receive a tardy for any period during the day for which they are late.
   b. When a student is unprepared for class, a tardy will be issued by the classroom teacher and recorded in the office.
   c. Teachers or administrators who are responsible for a student’s tardiness to another class must supply the student with a pass.
   d. Students who receive 15 (for 6th graders, which will change at the end of the semester to 10) and 10 (for 7th and 8th graders) unexcused tardies in a semester will serve an Attendance Class for two hours. Attendance Class carries with it a cost of ¥1000 per hour. This will automatically be charged to the family account.
3. Making up work: Students should have all work completed on the date specified by the teacher. Students will be given sufficient number of days to complete work if they were ill or if other circumstances occur to prevent them from doing their work. Generally, for every day missed, students are given the same number of days to make up their work.

If you have any questions about this information, please feel free to contact me.