Active student participation is the key to student achievement, both in the classroom and during distance learning. Teachers will design engaging lessons and activities, both for virtual live classes and online assignments. Regular participation is essential for student growth, and students are expected to engage in learning activities every week.
Student attendance for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday instruction will occur as follows:
* At the elementary level, both the Homeroom teacher and Mathematics teacher will take attendance, noting whether students were present online for synchronous instruction.
* Daily attendance will be based on teacher-recorded attendance for the entire school day.
* If there is a technical difficulty, a student may submit asynchronous work for a particular day to receive credit for attendance.
Student attendance for Wednesday instruction will occur as follows:
* A student will be counted as present if they do one or more of the following since the previous Wednesday:
* Submit an assignment to one of their teachers
* Engage in synchronous instruction with an HCPSS teacher
* Complete work in the Canvas learning management system, DreamBox or Lexia Core5
What do I do if my child is absent?
HCPSS has issued an attendance-specific email address to each school. Parents should use this email to report absences for students during the school year. The email address for Bushy Park is BPESAbsence@hcpss.org.
Why Did I Receive an Attendance Letter?
Student Services Teams at all HCPSS schools have been tasked with reviewing student attendance data and communicating with parents on a regular basis. Beginning September 23, any student who has been marked absent 5% of the time or more will be sent an attendance letter. This includes absences that are coded both excused and unexcused, as MSDE does not differentiate between the two when they review attendance data. Due to the short number of days we have been in school so far, students who have even missed one day of school thus far will be receiving a letter. If you receive one and believe your child’s attendance data is incorrect, please contact Mrs. Price or Mrs. Johnson in the front office so that we may look into it for you. Parents can always view updated attendance data for their child in HCPSS Connect.