TLC Charter Chatter
News, Information, and Updates for Primary, Discovery, and Millennium Charter Schools
A Message from our CEO, Carolyn Woods
Happy 2023 TLC Families!
Staff and students returned to school with renewed enthusiasm and energy, ready to take on the rest of the school year! The new year provides the perfect opportunity for us to focus on a new goal for this school year- ATTENDANCE! I have addressed this before, but I feel the need to revisit our policies once again.
As stated in each school’s student handbook:
If a student misses more than 7 days of personal, unexcused, or suspension time (any combination) they will be asked to enroll at another school and their spot will be given to a student on the waitlist. In addition, sick days cannot be attached to personal days prior to or following personal days. All dates missed will then be considered personal.
When a student misses more than 3 consecutive days it is required to have a doctor’s note upon their return to excuse these absences. Absences that are not properly cleared by the parent or guardian within three days of the absence will be reported as unexcused. After a student reaches 10 sick/illness days during a school year a medical excuse must be provided for all illness related absences.
CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM: A “chronic absentee” has been defined in E C Section 60901(c)(1) as “a pupil who is absent on 10 percent or more of the school days in the school year when the total number of days a pupil is absent is divided by the total number of days the pupil is enrolled.” During the regular school year (August to June),
If a student is absent 18 days during the school year for any reason, they are considered a chronic absentee.
Students with significant absences, tardies or excessive early pick-ups for any reasons may be placed on an attendance contract or asked to withdraw at the CEO’s discretion.
We are required to report attendance to the state for all students in all of the Tracy Learning Center schools. This data is tracked very carefully by state officials and is reported annually on the California School Dashboard under the category of “Chronic Absenteeism.”
It is important to note that the grace allowed by the state during the COVID pandemic is no longer in place- attendance at school is critical and schools are once again being held accountable with regards to student attendance.
Attendance is very important to us. Letters will be sent home to students who are in danger of being considered chronically absent and follow up meetings may be held.
To put this in perspective, take a look at our data, as reported on the dashboard:
Chronic absenteeism percentage by school (high school data is not reported)
PCS: In 2019, 4.5% of students were chronically absent . . . in 2022, that number jumped to 21.2%
DCS: In 2019, 1.6% of students were chronically absent . . . 2022, that number increased to 16.8%
As state superintendent of public instruction, Tony Thurmond states, “Absenteeism has been serious during the pandemic and beyond and has taken a great toll on many students. As we move on from the pandemic, we continue to see an increase in chronic absenteeism in California and across the nation. We will continue to work with districts to find solutions to counter chronic absenteeism.”
TLC can and will do better!!!
Take a look inside classrooms By School- Upcoming Dates, Reminders, Announcements and More!
PCS (Primary K-4) – PCS Charter Chatter
DCS (Discovery 5-8) – DCS Charter Chatter
MHS (Millennium 9-12) – MHS Charter Chatter
Lunch Menu – Lunch Menus 2023
Need Before or After School Care? Use the QR codes below to find out more about Champions!
Special Education
Social media allows adolescents to create online identities, communicate with others, and build social networks. These networks can provide teens with valuable support, especially helping those who experience exclusion or have disabilities or chronic illnesses. However, social media use can also negatively affect teens, by distracting them, disrupting their sleep, and exposing them to bullying, rumor spreading, unrealistic views of other people’s lives, and peer pressure. Furthermore, multiple studies have observed links between high levels of social media use and depression or anxiety symptoms.
Check out the following links to learn more:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/03/health/social-media-brain-adolescents.html
If you have any questions feel free to contact the special education department.
Renu Singh
(209) 290-0511
Director Special Education