Attendance
If your child is ill and unable to attend school, please report their absence to the school office before 8:30 am. There are 2 ways to report a student absence, by phone or by email.
Phone / Email
Please call the school office at (650) 312-7534 and press "3".
On the day of an expected absence or tardy, please email: highlandsattendance@smfcsd.net
Include your student’s full name, date of absence, and reason.
Attendance Awareness
Build the Habit of Good Attendance
Attendance Awareness, our district’s pledge is to create a culture of attendance every day, every month. We know that achievement and student success is inextricably linked to attendance. Your school district leadership and staff are dedicated to ongoing communication, support and encouragement around the importance of consistent daily attendance. The most important thing we can do for our children to be successful in life is to get them to school every day and every day on time.
Updated Attendance Guidance, April 2021
Dear SMFCSD Families,
We know that you want your child to do well in school. Research shows that attendance is KEY to student success! Missing even a few days of school can cause your child to fall behind. So remember that daily attendance is essential for student learning and progress, and is mandated by our California Education Code.
Please see our attendance procedures and the changes to attendance that have been made below:
When Your Child Must Be Absent: Please call your school office as soon as you can and give the reason for your child’s absence. If the school does not hear from you, your child will be marked as unexcused.
Attendance + Participation Is Required: When students are learning from home, they must attend class and participate to receive attendance credit for the day. This includes both Hybrid Model students learning from home when their group is not at school and Full-time Distance Learning students. Attendance letters that are sent home will reflect both absences and non-participation.
Being On Time for School Matters: Beginning March 8, we reinstated utilizing the ‘Tardy’ attendance description for students who are late to school. If students come to school after the teacher has taken attendance, your child will be marked as tardy. All students should be present in school or online at the start of their first meeting of the day (elementary) or at the beginning of each class period (middle school).
Staying Home for Good Health for All: For Hybrid and Learning Hub students only- Please keep your student home if they are experiencing illness symptoms, been in close contact with someone with symptoms or a confirmed case of COVID-19, or have been directed to quarantine by San Mateo County Health or the District. If your child stays home for the reasons listed above, and can attend class virtually, your child will not be marked absent. If your child is too ill to attend class, please call your school office as usual and let them know that your child is ill. Following guidelines and protocols will help ensure your child can continue their learning, maintain their attendance record and keep everyone safe.
Thank you for your attention to these procedures. Please contact your school should you have questions.
San Mateo-Foster City School District
Contact Us
You can also browse our Staff Directory for a list of contacts.