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Attendance

This year, our schoolwide attendance goal is 97% which equals 5 or fewer absent days for the entire school year. We know that sometimes students get sick or need to be out. Don’t worry, we have you covered! Elmhurst will be offering five Saturday Schools this year. Attending a Saturday School clears a full day of absence.

Saturday School Dates:

  • Oct 11, 2025 

  • Dec 6, 2025

  • Jan 31, 2026

  • Mar 14, 2026

  • May 2, 2026

Absences:

On the day your student is absent, please report the absence to the school:

  • Leave a voice message at our 24-hour number (805) 289-1860, ext. 1009

  • Email our attendance clerk at cynthia.holmes@venturausd.org or respond via the Parent Square app, or…

  • Students can bring a note the day they return to school. The note should include the student’s first and last name, the date absent, reason for absence, and parent/guardian signature.

  • If you have a medical note, always turn that into the attendance office! Medical notes are the best way to clear absences. 

All absences must be cleared within five days or they will remain unexcused.

A student can have absences excused if s/he misses for the following reasons.  Parent excusal is still required:

  • School activity

  • Bereavement

  • Court appearances

  • Medical appointments

  • Religious

  • Illness (after 5 consecutive days a doctor’s note may be required)

A student will have unexcused absences for the following reasons.  Parent excusal does not excuse these absences:

  • Vacation/trip

  • Immunizations non-compliance

  • Late more than 30 minutes

Attendance Letters

Absence letters are automatically generated by the district based on absence types. Here’s how the process works:

Unexcused Absences:

  • After 3 unexcused absences → Truancy Letter 1 (L1) is generated.

  • After 6 unexcused absences → Truancy Letter 2 (L2) is generated, and a SART conference with the principal is required.

  • After 3 more unexcused absences → Truancy Letter 3 (L3) is generated, which triggers a referral to the SARB committee.

Excused Absences:

  • After 5 excused absences → Excessive Excused Absence Letter 1 (L1) is generated.

  • After 10 excused absences → Excessive Excused Absence Letter 2 (L2) is generated.

Chronic Absences (any type):

  • After 9 total absences and/or when a student has missed 10% of instructional days, a Chronic Intervention Letter is generated.


We understand that deciding whether to keep your child home can sometimes be tricky. To help, we’re sharing the district’s guidance for when to send your child to school and when to keep them home:



If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out!