Regular
attendance is an important part of the educational experience. The
school hours are 7:30am – 6:00pm. During school drop-off and pick-up
hours, parents are encouraged to exchange only brief greetings with the
teaching staff. Please honor that the teachers have the responsibility
of supervising our students at all time and that conversations with
teachers need to remain minimal.
It is requested that parents make attendance a priority for their
child. Students are expected to be in attendance daily and are excused
only for illness and absences required by personal situations and
previously reported to the office. Parents are responsible for
notifying the office two (2) days in advance of known absentees and by
10:00 A.M., in the event of an illness. If the child’s absence is
caused by illness, we ask that you follow the procedures outlined in
our Wellness Policy.
Tardiness should also be minimized as it disrupts the learning
experience of every child. Students are expected to be in place by 8:45
A.M. or by the beginning of Circle Time. Scheduled appointments
resulting in late arrivals must be reported to the office by the close
of the previous day.
Arrival
Our daily hours, excluding holidays, are 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Parents must sign in their child immediately upon arrival. We ask that
you sign in your student (noting the time also) via the Sign In/Out
Sheets located on the school’s front counter and in the infants’
classroom. This helps maintain consistency throughout the school day,
and provides a quick reference of children to be accounted for, in the
case of an emergency. Any unusual markings, behavior, or health
conditions should also be reported to the office staff and the child’s
teacher at that time.
During drop-off, we encourage parents, arriving prior to 8:45, to
walk their children into the building and to the cafeteria or the
respective class. After 8:45 your child will be delivered by TCS staff
unobtrusively to their class. Children arriving after the breakfast
hour (7:45-8:15) who need breakfast may be accompanied to breakfast by
the parent. All breakfast must be concluded and children taken to class
before 8:45 A.M.
Departure
Children may be picked up anytime during the day by an authorized
person (as designated on the enrollment form under “Emergency
Contact/Pick-Up” section). Parents anticipating a shortened day or
early pick-up should notify the office of the shortened day, at the
time of arrival to school. It is requested that the same procedure be
followed when a student will be leaving the school facility temporarily
and returning during the same school day. If a child will need to leave
The Cathedral School earlier than normal, the change in pick-up time
should be communicated to the office and teacher so the child can be
made ready for pick-up at the appropriate time. In order to reduce
disruption to your student’s day, if at all possible, we ask that early
pick-ups be either before or after their scheduled nap times.
All parents are required to come into the school to sign out their
child before any student may be released. A parent may call the school
as they near the facility so the child can be ready for pick-up when
the parent arrives. As a courtesy only, the school staff will make
every effort to ready the child for the parent’s arrival. We also
encourage the parents to come in and observe their child before
departing.
Intermittently, a parent may need to remain briefly inside the
facility. If there is a particular issue (e.g., medicine to be taken
home, accident/incident report to be signed, financial statement
presented, or personal letter, etc.) that needs to be addressed with
you the parent at the time of drop-off or pick-up, your child’s name
will be highlighted.
If someone other than individuals originally identified as
authorized for pick-up will be picking up your child, written
notification must be provided to the school prior to the change in
procedure. No requests can be accepted over the phone. School staff
also reserves the right to request a photo identification of the person
picking up the student to maintain in the student’s file for future
reference.
Conferences
School initiated parent/teacher conferences may be scheduled
periodically and at any time throughout the year. Twice a year (fall
and spring), each child will be evaluated by their teacher and specific
short-term goals will be established. The school will notify you of the
completion of these assessments. Parents may, at that time, schedule a
conference with their child’s teacher and/or the Headmistress. These
meetings will provide important information regarding your child’s
overall experience and development at school and can also be used to
discuss any concerns or questions regarding your child. Copies of all
goals and reports will be contained in the child’s individual school
record.
Parents may also initiate a conference with the Head of School or classroom teacher(s) at any time.