• Student Drop-off/Pick-up and Visitors

     
    School begins at 9:15 and ends at 3:40. Students should not be dropped off prior to 9:05 a.m.  Students being picked up will be dismissed at 3:40 and should meet their parent iby door 16. Parents should notify the office and teacher if a student will be parent pick-up.  If a student is parent pick-up every day, you will need a poster in your car, provided by the school.  If you are in need of a poster, please contact the office, hkarstens@flaschools.org.

    Due to ongoing covid concerns, at this time visitors are not allowed in the building.  

    Please note that any changes to a students going home plans must be made before 3:00. Parents should pick up their child/children in the office only if being picked up before 3:30. If you need to pick up your child, please send a note with your child addressed to your child’s teacher indicating when you will be picking up your child/children from the office and who will be picking them up. The teacher will forward the information to the office.  

    It is our intent to continue providing a safe environment for all staff and students.  Thank you for helping to make Linwood Elementary School a safe and happy place.

     

    School Closings and Late Starts 

     

    Closing school due to heavy snowfall or frigid temperatures

    In our school district, the decision about whether to close school due to snowfall or low temperatures is ultimately the decision of our school superintendent. The superintendent makes this decision in close consultation with the district’s transportation supervisor, and he or she must weight a number of factors before making the decision to close, or not to close, school.
      
    The superintendent will always decide on a potential school closing as early as possible in order to help families make appropriate plans. But, there are many factors that need to be taken into account, including accurate hourly temperatures, snowfall amounts and overall road conditions on highways, city streets, county roads, gravel roads and driveways in our cities, towns and rural areas. Because of these many factors and the fact that conditions that can change even from minute to minute, the final decision, in most cases, cannot be made until 4:30 or 5:00 a.m. that morning.
     
    Once the decision is made, the communications and IT departments work as fast as possible to get messages out to families immediately. This can sometimes take between 15 – 30 minutes before an automated phone call is actually delivered.

    What happens when school is closed?

     
     Here are a few things to remember for situations where a weather emergency might result in school being canceled:
    • Whenever school is cancelled, starts late or there is an early school release due to weather issues, our School Age Care (SAC), Sonic and Steps Ahead childcare programs will be open from 6 a.m. - 6 p.m. at the Central Learning Center, Lino Lakes Elementary and Wyoming Elementary for students already enrolled in these programs. Always speak with a childcare staff member when dropping children off.
    • In case of very extreme winter weather, parents/guardians have the final decision on whether or not to send their children to school.
    • Also, please note that if school is open, students are expected to attend, however, if parents/guardians feel their children would be in danger they can choose to keep them home. The absence will be excused if the parent/guardian calls to report it. If the school is not contacted, the student will not receive an excused absence. Students who are already in school will not be excused if they choose to go home.


    How will I know if school is closed?

     
    All of our district families will be notified of any type of school cancellation through Blackboard Connect, which is our automated phone calling system. Blackboard Connect will also send an email message to parents whose email addresses have been added to our system. Other means by which a school closing will be communicated to families and to the public are:
    • Local TV stations - WCCO, KARE11, KSTP, KMSP
    • Radio - WCCO
    • Newspaper – Star Tribune online
    • The Forest Lake Area Schools website
    • Any of our school websites

      

    Attendance Guidelines

     For Covid information please go to the Covid website 

    What do I do if my child cannot attend school?

    A.  Call: 651-982-1956 and leave message on our attendance line 24 hours a day.                 

             You may also call our health office assistant during school hours at: 651-982-1902.

     B.  Give the following information:

    ·        Student’s name

    ·        Teacher’s name

    ·        Date of absence

    ·        Reason for absence (please note, if you do not give a reason for the absence it will be considered unexcused.)

    ·        Your name

    How do I know if my child is too sick to attend school?

     ·       A fever of 100 Degrees or more (Keep your child home for at least 24 hours after his or her fever is gone without fever reducing medicine.)

    ·        Child has vomited and/or had diarrhea (Keep your child home for at least 24 hours after the last episode.)

    ·        An unknown rash

    ·        Has not taken prescribed antibiotic for at least 24 hours
     
     ·       Influenza like symptoms
     
    If your child’s illness will cause him/her to miss more than a day or two, arrangements should be made to get assignments from your child’s teacher.

    EXCUSED ABSENCE – Reasons that are recognized by the school authorities as legitimate:

    ·        Parent/doctor verified illness

    ·        Family Emergency

    ·        Scheduled medical or dental visit with prior school notification

    ·        Religious Holiday

    ·        Pre-arranged Family Vacation

    UNEXCUSED ABSENCE - Reasons that are not recognized by the school authorities as legitimate include but are not limited to:

    • Overslept (alarm didn’t work)
    • shopping
    • hunting
    • car trouble
    • missed bus
    • needed at home (i.e. babysitting, chores)
    • sports tournaments
    • family vacation NOT pre-arranged
    • no excuse given
    • no call or note from parent regarding absence.

    TARDY – A student who arrives at school after 9:15 a.m. is considered tardy. Students must report to the office with a parent or guardian to check in after

    9:15 a.m. to verify their attendance. 

    Family Vacation Procedures

    Families need to fill out a “Pre-Arranged Absence Report” available from your child’s classroom teacher or the school office to report dates a child will be absent due to a family vacation.  This needs to be done as far in advance as possible in order to give the teacher time to gather classroom assignments. The teacher will forward the report to the office for attendance recording.

    Any absence due to a vacation or a trip that is NOT pre-arranged will be viewed as an unexcused absence.  Parents should be aware that according to Minnesota State law, a student who is absent for 15 consecutive school days must be unenrolled and must formally re-enroll to be admitted back to school.

    Excessive Absence

    Excessive absence is defined as 4 or more consecutive days of absence, 4 or more days of absence in a month, 10 or more days of absence in a school year.

    The average student in the state of Minnesota misses a total of seven days in a school year. Those seven absences involve illness, vacations, or family emergencies. We are required by the county to notify them when a student has excessive absneces.

    School attendance is significantly related to school achievement.  The community, schools, parents, and students share in the responsibility to promote regular attendance.  The school determines whether the absences are excused or unexcused.  When absences become excessive for any reason, parents will be contacted to develop a plan to support regular school attendance.  Minnesota State law requires that every child 16 years of age of younger shall attend a public or private school.