PERMIT TO LEAVE SCHOOL GROUNDS PROCEDURES

Parents/guardians, if you are scheduling doctor or personal appointments for your child during school hours, please adhere to the following:
1.    Send child with a note which includes:
•    Name
•    Date
•    I.D. number
•    Reason for leaving
•    Time to leave
•    Signature of parent
2.    Note has to be taken to the attendance office before school so “permit to leave school grounds” can be       processed for student and the interruption of  classroom instruction will be avoided!
3.    Teacher will release student at the time requested on the permit.
4.    Upon returning to school, student must return the permit to the Attendance office with a signature of parent, guardian or doctor.
5.    It is preferred that parents/guardians pick up their child in the attendance office for safety reasons.
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▪Leaving a message on the attendance line IS NOT permission to leave school grounds.
▪Students who leave school grounds without a “permit to leave” are considered truant and subject to disciplinary action that could include Saturday school or suspension. Students not feeling well must go to the Health Office and see Miss Hastings.  
▪Calling classrooms from the attendance office regarding student’s appointment is disruptive to the instruction process and is discouraged.
▪Please refrain from texting/calling students on their cell phones
during class time as they are not allowed to answer calls or texts during class.
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CLEARING ABSENCES  

•    When a student is absent, it is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to call the Attendance office at 818-952-4237, Ms. Gurrola, the day of the absence.
•    Any absences not cleared within 72 hours after the student was marked absent or returned to school may be considered TRUANT, resulting in the student being referred to his/her counselor or discipline office for further action.

>>Note:  School’s automated phone dialing system places calls at 3pm, M-F, to those homes of student’s whose absences have not been cleared for the day<<

Dear La Cañadans:

By now, most of you have heard the news. Our school district is facing an unprecedented financial crisis.

The School Board created a Task Force to help us all do our part to weather this storm. Our campaign is going to kick off officially in late January. For a number of reasons, however, we felt we needed to speak to you all immediately.

The Problem Has Grown Worse

The State of California, which is the primary source of funding for our school district, is in terrible financial shape. For years, Sacramento has failed to provide the funding it promised us.

Our district was able to manage. But the shortfall is greater than ever, and we fully expect that the State will actually cut this year’s funding in the middle of this school year and that the State will cut again, even more deeply, in July.

The bottom line? We are facing a gap of six million dollars for 2011-2012. This represents the difference between our funding in 2007-2008 and our current level, plus the widely-held likelihood of on-going cuts. The district is out of options to bridge a deficit of this magnitude without severe impact to our educational program. Six million dollars accounts for a huge chunk of our $32 million budget. If we fail to raise these funds ourselves-and not just for this year, but for the five years we believe this crisis will last-we will all feel the impact, starting next September.

And it will get worse and worse with each passing year.

What’s At Stake

In many ways, La Cañada is like a factory town. Our factory is our school system. It’s the prime reason our community is such a wonderful place to live and work. It’s what sets our property values apart from the communities around us. If our class sizes explode, if we lose our ability to maintain AP courses, arts and athletics, if we cannot afford aides or counselors, then we damage the very bedrock of our community.

Our businesses, our homes, our children and our community are all at risk.

What You Can Do Right Now

Because of this, we are asking everyone with a stake in our schools to contribute at least $2500 on an annual basis until this crisis is over. It is quite likely we will be asking even more from those of you who are particularly fortunate.

While this is more than we have asked in the past, it’s well in line with other successful school districts like San Marino, Manhattan Beach, and Palo Alto. We believe this amount will protect us from the devastating budget shortfall from the State. It’s not a number we want.

It’s a number we need.

In the coming weeks, we are going to make a clear case for why this crisis is like no other we’ve faced. We’re going to spell out exactly what will happen if we fail to raise these funds as well as what will happen if we succeed. However, we know some of you will wish to take advantage of the charitable tax deduction in 2010, so we’re letting you know early what we’re expecting of our community.

All donations should be sent to the La Cañada Flintridge Educational Foundation, which has been designated by the Task Force as the contribution administrator. To make a donation, please write a check to LCFEF and mail it to:

The Foundation will send you a receipt for your tax-deductible donation.

If you prefer to make a donation online, please visit: lcfef.org/donate.

If you have any questions, please contact the Foundation’s Executive Director at ed@lcfef.org or at 818-952-4268.

Thank you so much. We know these are tough times, but the heart of our community is in danger. We have no choice.

Our Schools, Our Future – It’s Up To Us.

Gratefully,
The LCUSD Task Force

• SafeHomes is a pledge-based, drug and alcohol prevention program for parents and guardians of La Canada Flintridge youth in grades pre-kindergarten through 12. There is no cost for membership.
• SafeHomes provides parents and guardians an opportunity to UNITE and communicate about issues regarding their youth.
• SafeHomes provides resources to parents and guardians to help send a clear message to all youth that there will be NO USE of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs by youth in our community.

The pledge is easy.  It simply says:

“I will not allow minors to consume beer, wine, alcohol, or use illegal drugs in my home or on my property. I will not allow parties or gatherings in my home without proper adult supervision.”

Two Important Facts…

1. Signing the SafeHomes Pledge is NOT a substitute for calling in advance to verify that an activity your child will attend will be free from alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. Never be hesitant to call the adult in charge.
2. The SafeHomes Pledge is NOT a legally binding contract, but rather a pledge agreement by all parents involved.

SafeHomes is working!  With hundreds of local families already involved, our children are safer than ever before.

How to join?
Simply go to www.wmadigital.com/SafeHomes or visit SafeHomes on Facebook (www.facebook.com/home.php#!/group.php?gid=186717728146).

In an effort to bring the reality of unsafe driving to our teen drivers, the La Canada-La Crescenta Sheriff’s office has implemented S.T.T.O.P. This program relies on our citizens to report unsafe teen drivers to a specialized hotline. After recieving the report of unsafe driving, a deputy sheriff will contact the driver and explain the dangers of unsafe driving.

When a member of the community observes a teenage driver operating a motor vehicle in a dangerous or reckless manner, their driving may be reported using the S.T.T.O.P. Hotline, (818) 957-6132.

The S.T.T.O.P. program does not dispatch a deputy sheriff to take immediate law enforcement action. Rather, with the information left by the anonymous caller, a deputy conducts an “intervention” with the teen-aged driver and his/her parent(s). The counseling session is designed to create positive change in the driving habits of our teenagers.

If you see a TEEN traffic offender in the Crescenta Valley Station’s Patrol Area, please call (818) 957-6132.

NOTE:

• This year’s Value Card will be valid from Oct. 1, 2011 through Sept. 30, 2012.  The current (light blue) card is valid through Sept. 30, 2011.

Featured vendors include:

To order, submit your One Check Order Form either online or at the school office.

Questions? Call Toni LeBel at 818-952-2563.