GJS is focused on 100% attendance for every student in order to raise achievement. Parents are responsible for sending children to school daily and on time unless an illness or emergency prevents it. In order to mark an absence as excused, be sure to send a note explaining the illness oremergency, signed by a doctor. If your child will be absent for two consecutive days, be sure to contact Mr. Mattos, Attendance Liaison, and/or Alex Teitel, Community School Director. Each day that a student is absent or late, parents will receive a text message notifying them of their child’s status. When students are regularly absent (or late), school staff will call or visit the home in order to offer support. If lateness continues, further action steps will be taken to ensure the child begins coming to school on time.

Afterschool programs for students AND families will be offered throughout the year. Find out more information here. 

Primary and elementary students line up on the front veranda off of Osborn Street and wait to be escorted to their classrooms by their teachers. You are welcome to stand with your child on the veranda in order to hear morning announcements or check in with a teacher if there is time before school.

Pre-K students are dismissed directly from their classroom, while K-2nd grade students are dismissed from the auditorium. All Pre-K – 2nd grade students must be signed out by a parent or guardian before leaving. 3rd-5th grade students are dismissed from the front veranda. 3rd-5th grade parents should wait for their students outside.

Note: If a student is picked up before dismissal time, a family member must sign them out in the main office.

• Attendance Goals: The ultimate goal of improving attendance is enhanced academic achievement for all students. The formula is simple: more instructional time = more time to learn, grow and succeed. More specifically, our goals at GJS are:

  • 3%+ school-wide attendance for the year

  • Collaboration between school staff, student and families to make sure students are here every day

  • Overall decrease in chronic absenteeism

• Success Mentors: Any student who is absent more than two days per month on average will be assigned a Success Mentor to provide one-on-one support and encouragement directly to that absent student and their family. These Success Mentors will celebrate students when they’re at school, recognize even small improvements, and work with families and the rest of the school staff to identify resources to connect the families with in order to improve that individual student’s attendance.

• Assignment of a Success Mentor for any student absent more than two days per month on average

• Lateness Policy: After 8:30am, students may only enter through the main entrance, where they must sign in on the form on the front desk.

• Excused Absences: If a student has a legitimate reason to be absent, they must bring a signed note from their family (or a professional) to explain their absence. Legitimate reasons for an excused absence include illness, a family emergency, a prescheduled family meeting, etc.

• Student Success Summit Team: The Student Success Summit team meets weekly to formulate school-wide attendance policies, identify root causes for chronic absenteeism or lateness, and develop and follow up on action plans to address these root cause for individual students. This team also addresses chronic behavioral problems that are taking away instructional time from individual students.

Visit Attendance Works to learn about the federal Every Student Every Day Initiative and specific ways you can support your child(ren) in coming to school everyday!