The Father Dueñas Memorial School instructional day begins at 7:50 AM and ends at 2:50 PM. During the day, students are expected to be prompt to classes, to be prepared to learn and demonstrate a positive, cooperative attitude.
The school campus is open at 7:00 AM and closes at 3:45 PM. No student is allowed on campus outside of these times unless engaged in a supervised activity. Otherwise, parents are asked to ensure that their sons are in their care outside of these times.
It is the educational philosophy of Father Dueñas Memorial School that regular attendance at school by all students is essential and lost instructional time cannot be fully replicated by any other means. Only through regular attendance at scheduled classes and activities can students obtain the maximum opportunity from the educational program offered at Father Dueñas Memorial School.
Father Dueñas Memorial School uses three types of categories to keep track of student attendance. Every school day a student will receive one the following three marks:
These three marks are also assigned by teachers to monitor a student’s attendance in a particular class.
A reasonable cause for which an absence or tardy will be considered excused may include but is not limited to the following:
Additionally, a student may have a valid reason for being tardy for class because he is meeting with a teacher, counselor, or administrator. A teacher may also have released the students late from their last class. These students must always obtain an admit slip by presenting a note from that teacher, counselor, or administrator to the registrar before proceeding to their next class.
Truancy is defined by Guam law as “absent from school without a reasonable and bona fide excuse from a parent.” FDMS considers the following items to be unreasonable excuses for being absent or tardy from school:
As this is not an exhaustive list and unforeseen situations may arise, FDMS reserves the right to determine the reasonableness of an excuse for an absence or tardiness.
All instances of missed instructional time, including truancy, are recorded following the attendance marks described above in section 4.2.
Missed assignments, tests, quizzes and projects due to truancy cannot be made-up (i.e., homework due, homework assigned, class work, tests and quizzes of that time missing from school will be marked as zero “0”) For additional consequences of truancy, please read subsection “Repeated Absences” under section 4.7below.
Except in the case of truancy, students must make up all work missed due to an absence in order to receive credit for the assignments. It is the responsibility of the student to ask his teacher for any missed assignments and to complete the work.
Work or tests that have been previously assigned before the student was absent are due the day he returns unless his teacher states otherwise.
Upon returning to school after any absence, students should bring a written note of explanation from their parent or guardian. A written note from a doctor may be required in some instances verifying the illness and the necessity for an extended absence from school.
Students are held responsible for being punctual to class and homeroom. A student who is tardy must go immediately to the office to obtain an admit slip for class, as teachers may not allow a tardy student to enter class without one. A 15 minute lunch detention for each incidence of tardiness to homeroom or to class may be issued.
For the purpose of deterring habitual tardiness, and to support learning in the classroom, FDMS adheres to the following measures:
The school is very concerned for the safe arrival of each student every day. To ensure that the student who has not arrived to school is in safe care, the school adheres to the following procedures
The school realizes that these phone calls can be a nuisance for parents who commute early in the day, but we believe it is worth the effort to know that all of our students have either arrived at school or are in your care.
When arriving to school after an absence or tardy, the student must report to the office before going to class. He is to present to the registrar a note from his parent stating the reason for his absence or tardiness. A written verification from a health care professional is required for absences due to medical/dental appointment or extended absences (three or more days) due to illness. Without such note from a parent or verification from a health care professional the absence may be counted as truancy. (See section 4.4 above.)
The student will not be allowed into class without an admission slip from the registrar. This admission slip is to be signed by teachers of the classes he missed. At the end of the day the student must return the slip to the registrar’s office. This is the responsibility of the student.
For the purpose of deterring habitual absences, and to support learning in the classroom, FDMS adheres to the following measures:
If you know that your son will be absent for an extended time (three or more days), please let the school know as soon as possible. The “Pre-Arranged Extended Absent Form” is available in the office or can be downloaded from our website. The school discourages extended absences during the school year when at all possible. You may request homework from the teacher prior to or in the midst of an extended absence, but the teacher is not required to provide advanced assignments. Upon returning, the student may have additional work to complete other than what was assigned prior to the absence. All work assigned to the student prior to the extended absence is due the day they return unless otherwise stated by his teacher.