August 2008

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope this letter finds you well. Although there is still plenty of time remaining in the summer vacation to relax and enjoy some time together as a family, it might be beneficial for you and your son to take a moment to plan for his upcoming academic year at Xavier High School. As you begin to make preparations with him, please allow me to highlight some important expectations and ask for your support with issues of dress code, attendance, cell phones and the like.

All students are expected to be in “summer dress code” when they arrive for orientation in September. This consists of dress pants, dress shoes, dress belt, socks that cover the ankle and either a white dress shirt with a properly knotted tie or a Xavier polo shirt. In addition, your son’s hair should be neat, clean and cut short. It should not hang over his eyebrows in the front, his collar in the back, or cover his ears. Xavier students are expected to be in dress code while traveling to school.

In terms of attendance, Xavier’s ability to educate your son is diminished when he is not present on a regular basis. For this reason, and because the school calendar has sufficient vacation days for students to rest, travel and visit with family, you are asked to discourage your son from missing school for any reason other than illness. Days missed so as to extend an existing holiday are of particular concern to the faculty and administration, because they make it more challenging for teachers to transition their classes and administer assessments. In short, our expectation is that every effort be made to schedule appointments, college visits and family trips during non-school days.

Of course, there are times when circumstances beyond your control necessitate his absence from school. When these situations arise, we ask that you submit a written request to the Dean of Students at least one week prior to the expected absence. This will give me sufficient time to review your son’s records and ask his teachers for an evaluation about how the planned absence will impact his progress in the course. On the day of an absence a parent/guardian must call the Dean of Students’ Office and report the absence by 9:00 AM. When your son returns to school after an absence, he must bring a note from you on the official absentee form provided by the Dean of Students’ Office, or a note from his doctor. If the absence occurs on the day before or after any school vacation, it must be explained through a doctor’s note.