Attendance

Faithful attendance is an important requirement for our life together and one of the keys to academic success. But sometimes a student might not be able to attend school, and at those times we ask that he/she tell us what's happened so we won't worry unnecessarily.

Absence:

  • Parents are asked to call the school office between 8:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. (9:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. on Wednesdays) on the day the student is absent to give notice of the absence and the anticipated duration. An email can be sent to attendance@caj.ac.jp
  • If the school is not contacted, a call home will be attempted to make sure the student hasn't had some unexpected difficulty on the way to school.
  • Planned absences should be arranged in advance in writing with the school principal and the academic office receptionist at least one week in advance of the absence.
    • Students are encouraged to complete assignments ahead of time, if possible, and are expected to complete assignments by the due dates set by the teacher.
  • Excessive absences (for high school students) are defined as missing any one class more than 10 times during a semester. Students who are in sports will receive 2 additional days to this per season they participate in.
    • Students with excessive absences will receive an F for courses in which such absences have accumulated. Exceptions may be granted by the head of school upon appeal by parents and satisfactory documentation about the reasons for the absence.
  • Half-day/whole-day absence (for middle and elementary school):
    • Students who miss 5 or more complete periods are considered absent for the entire day, even if they come to school for some portion of the day.
    • Students who miss 3-4 complete periods are considered absent for one-half day.
  • Truancy: Students who are absent without parental permission are considered truant. Truant students are ineligible to make up tests/quizzes but are eligible to submit assignments, which will be penalized for being late. The principal may take additional disciplinary steps to address truancy.
  • Cocurricular participation:
    • Students must attend at least 2 blocks in a day in order to participate in co-curricular activities on that day.
    • Participation in a scheduled physical education class is required in order to participate in sports after school.
    • Students attending multiple day events such as Far East tournaments must follow the homework policy. Exceptions to any of these policies must be approved by the principal.
    • If a late evening return from a contest is on a school night, student-athletes are expected to be on time for their first period class the following day with all homework assignments for the day completed.
    • Additional sports related attendance policies can be found in the Athletic Hanbook

Tardiness is inconsistent with our desire to respect the time we have together.

  • Students are expected to be in their seats and ready to work at the start of each class period.
  • Students who arrive late for school must report to the academic office; students will receive a tardy for each period for which they are late.
  • Teachers or administrators who are responsible for a student’s tardiness to another class must supply the student with an excused pass.
  • HS students with ten tardies accumulated in a semester will serve Saturday School for two hours.
    • Saturday School carries with it a cost of ¥1000 per hour which is automatically charged to the family account.

Withdrawing from school is accomplished with the least disruption if parents notify the school several weeks in advance. Our Withdrawal Checklist, available from the academic office, helps us complete the process in an orderly fashion. As a general rule, students may not receive credit for the grading period if they leave school more than two weeks before the end of the period. With enough advance notice, however, arrangements for exceptions can be made through correspondence course work or special tutoring so that students won't miss out on vital school experiences when they need to move before the end of the year. Students who withdraw in good standing will be welcomed back upon submission of re-enrollment forms and required documentation. Students who withdraw because of academic or behavioral problems will be considered for readmission based on submission of re-enrollment forms, necessary documentation, and an interview with the principal and head of school.


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