August 18, 2023
Dear Purple Roses,
We hope this email finds you well and excited for the upcoming academic year at St. Rose High School. As we gear up for another year of growth and learning, we want to ensure that all students are aware of the latest updates to our Parent & Student Handbook and the new attendance policies that will be in effect starting this year.
Student Handbook Updates: Our Student Handbook serves as a valuable resource for understanding the rights, responsibilities, and expectations of all members of our academic community. We encourage you to take some time to review the updated version, which can be accessed [link to the Student Handbook]. This comprehensive guide contains essential information about school resources, academic regulations, the code of conduct, and much more.
Key Dates: For your convenience, we have prepared a Key Dates sheet outlining all the important dates and events for the upcoming school year. You can access this information on our school website or by clicking here: http://srhsnj.com/keydates We recommend that you print and prominently display it for easy reference. Keep in mind that changes sometimes occur and when that happens families will be notified so they can update their calendars accordingly.
New Attendance Policies: We understand the importance of attendance as a key factor in your academic success. To facilitate a more structured and supportive learning environment, we are introducing new attendance policies that will come into effect at the beginning of the 2023-2024 Academic School Year.
St. Rose High School’s Bell Schedule is 7:46 am-2:28 pm: Our school day begins at 7:51 am. Students are required to be in their homeroom at 7:51 am for attendance. The warning bell is at 7:46 am. During that time, students can drop off their athletic equipment in the locker room, visit their school locker, and make their way to homeroom prior to 7:51 am. If students are not in their assigned homeroom and have not checked in with their homeroom teacher by 7:51 am, they are considered tardy, regardless of whether they are in the building or not. They will not be allowed to remain in homeroom/class without a late pass from Mrs. Carr in the lobby.
Additionally, I'm pleased to share a positive change in our daily schedule. The Lunch and Flex period has been extended to 50 minutes, providing students with more time for nourishment and flexibility. In response, the Homeroom period has been reduced to 10 minutes. Our updated bell schedule can be found here.
Regular Attendance: Attending classes regularly is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of the curriculum. Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes and engage actively in their learning experience.
Attendance Tracking: Attendance is tracked daily when students arrive at school and for each class throughout the day, including Flex. Our school will be utilizing Turnstile, a feature of Genesis for monitoring and tracking student attendance around campus and school events.
Attendance Threshold: A student may not miss more than 9 days, excused or unexcused, each semester or 20 classes in one subject per school year (10 classes per semester). This includes early dismissals. Notification of absences and missed classes will be emailed at specific intervals (5, 10, 15 days) and will be provided through the Genesis Parent Portal. Letters will be posted and available for review by the parent/guardian. In addition to official notification, teachers are encouraged to directly inform parents via conferences, progress reports, notes, and/or telephone calls when absences may impact a student’s grades or credit withdrawal status. Excused absences include medical reasons, family emergencies, and other valid circumstances. However, please note that exceeding the allowed number of excused absences may impact your final course grade or even lead to withdrawal from St. Rose High School.
Communication: Parents are required to notify the attendance office of a student’s absence. If your child will be absent, you MUST notify the school by 7:30 am. Parents can notify the school using the Genesis Parent Portal by clicking Attendance on the left sidebar and choosing “Notify Office.” Then, simply complete and submit the form. Students, if you anticipate an absence or have encountered an unforeseen circumstance that prevents you from attending school, we encourage you to communicate with your teachers as soon as possible. This proactive communication will help you stay on track with your classes. It is your responsibility to work with your teachers to ensure you receive necessary materials and complete any missed assignments. Parents can also use the Genesis Parent Portal to notify the school on occasions when they will need to leave school early for any reason.
Four hours constitutes a full day: Students must be present for at least four hours of instruction to be counted as present on that school day. Attendance of less than four hours will result in the student being marked absent for the day. Students must arrive at school no later than 10:30 am to be considered a full day. Leaving prior to 12 pm for early dismissal will result in an unexcused absence. If a student is not present for 4 hours, they are not permitted to participate in athletics or extracurricular activities.
Exceeding Attendance Guidelines: If a student’s absences exceed these guidelines, he/she will have a required parent meeting with the Vice-Principal of Student Affairs and the guidance counselor. The purpose of the meeting is to support the student and implement proactive measures to assist the student in improving attendance. He or she may have their grades reduced for excessive absences, regardless of whether work is completed on Google Classroom. In-person instructional time is required at St. Rose High School.
Lunch Accounts & PaySchools: Due to the transition to Genesis there has been a delay in the integration of our system with Payschools. Therefore, new students will NOT be able to set up their Payschools lunch account at this time. The technology department will notify families once the integration is completed which is expected to be completed by the first day of school. Additionally, lunch periods are still being uploaded to Genesis and they will appear on student schedules before the end of the month. Grade levels will be eating at the same time.
Thank you for your attention to these important updates. We are committed to your success and look forward to a productive and fulfilling academic year together.
Warmest regards,
Mrs. Crystal Ganley ‘05
Vice-Principal of Student Affairs