Resources

Welcome

Welcome to the Middle School Resources page! This hub is designed to support families with key information for a smooth and enriching start to your child’s learning journey. Here, you’ll find our family handbook, attendance guidelines, daily schedule, internet safety tips, newsletters, visiting procedures, and more—all in one convenient place to keep you informed and connected.

Attendance

Helpful links:

Attendance Phone Number

1-608-437-7200 Option 2
For reporting student absences, appointments, or parent requests.

More Information

Why School Attendance Matters

We know that students who miss even a few days of school each month are at far greater risk of academic failure and dropout than students who attend school regularly. Getting into the habit of daily attendance is more important than ever. Regular attendance helps to:

Reduce stress
Make it easier to connect with friends and teachers
Support learning

Mount Horeb High School is working to make our school environment a place where everyone can be safe, healthy and learning. We will do our best to listen and partner with you so that our children have a successful year.

We will monitor each student's attendance across the year so that we can work with families when the number of absences puts a student at risk. We will be happy to work with you to help your child attend school regularly and have greater opportunities for success!

Review your child's attendance, grades and other records through the Infinite Campus Parent Portal.

Absences

Excused absences may include, but are not restricted to: illness, family emergency, medical appointments, and family vacation. School Board Policy 431 and School Board Policy #431.1 further spells out the conditions of the school attendance policy.

Parents and guardians may excuse their child for up to 10 days per year without a medical excuse. These days may be taken in ½ day increments according to the Full Day Attendance Policy #431.1 and will be calculated as follows:

Students who receive at least 90% of district-supervised educational services will have been considered in attendance a full day;
Students who receive 33-89% of instruction will accrue 0.5 of attendance; and
Students who receive less than 33% of instruction receive no attendance accrual for the day

Said another way:

Students reporting to school after 8:05 a.m. will be marked tardy.
Students arriving after 8:45 a.m. will be marked absent for a ½ day increment.
Students leaving school before 2:40 p.m. will be marked as absent for a ½ day increment.
Students leaving after 2:40 p.m. will be marked tardy.
Students gone for more than five hours of the day will be marked absent for the entire day.

Absences beyond a total of 10 days are considered unexcused. These absences may only be excused if a medical provider’s note is provided. Absences that are medically excused do not accrue toward the 10 allowable absent days. Families are encouraged to seek and provide a professional note in order for an absence to be marked as medically excused.

Unexcused absences occur when a parent does not contact school to report the absence or a student exceeds their 10 allowable absent days without a medical excuse.

Family Vacations

Please keep in mind that much of the work completed during the school day will not be able to be duplicated. It is recommended that families take trips that match the vacation schedule within the school calendar. Students are expected to bring a note from their parents/guardians a minimum of one week before a family vacation. It is the student and parents’ responsibility to see his/her teacher to inquire in advance about missed schoolwork.

Excessive Absences

It is widely recognized that any pattern of excessive absences (excused, unexcused or a combination) has an adverse effect on the learning process. The Mount Horeb Area School District believes early intervention is most successful in making a positive difference in a child’s school experience. Because of this philosophy, all schools in our district make formal responses to situations involving excessive or unexcused absences. If problems are suspected, a parent meeting will be held to discuss reasons for the absences and to determine an action plan designed to improve school attendance and the child’s educational program.

Truancy

Truant and habitual truant are two classifications used by the Intermediate Center when Wisconsin State Law (S.118.16) maximum days of excusable absences are passed. Absences that are not called in and/or not excused for any of the above reasons are considered unexcused. The Intermediate Center is obligated to refer truant and habitual truant students to local, county and state agencies.

Input Absences in Infinite Campus

Absences will be unexcused unless a parent/caregiver/guardian contacts the Attendance Office within 24 hours of the absence. Contacting the office the day of the absence by phone at 608.437.7200, option 2, or inputting on the parent portal app is required. A student who is excused verbally or in writing by their parent(s)/guardian(s) will be excused from school. A student may be excused by the parent(s)/guardian(s) under this provision for no more than 10 days in a school year.

Internet Safety Guides for Parents

i-SAFE Inc.
i-SAFE Inc. is the worldwide leader in Internet safety education. Founded in 1998 and endorsed by the U.S. Congress, i-SAFE is a non-profit foundation dedicated to protecting the online experiences of youth everywhere. i-SAFE incorporates classroom curriculum with dynamic community outreach to empower students, teachers, parents, law enforcement, and concerned adults to make the Internet a safer place. Please join us today in the fight to safeguard our children’s online experience.
Web Aware
This site provides the tools you need to help keep your kids safe online.
Wired Safety
WiredSafety provides help, information and education to Internet and mobile device users of all ages. We help victims of cyberabuse ranging from online fraud, cyberstalking and child safety, to hacking and malicious code attacks. We also help parents with issues, such as MySpace and cyberbullying.
NetSmartz
Communication is an effective tool for parents and guardians when helping their children avoid the dangers that exist on the Internet. NetSmartz provides on- and offline learning activities for parents to facilitate discussions with their children and teens about Internet safety. Visit "Parent FAQ" to learn more about how and why parents should use NetSmartz.
Child Net International
Few parents understand their children’s cyber culture, that is, the way in which their children use the Internet and mobile phone to work, play and socialise. The issues of safety, privacy, on-line predators and cyber bullying are sometimes complex, both technically and psychologically and parents can struggle to keep up. At Childnet we aim to empower parents to get involved with their children’s online activities, whatever their level of experience, in order to help their children reap the benefits of the Internet and avoid the dangers.

Temporary Bus Change (Blue Note)

Is your child going to take a different bus home with a friend? Is your child not going to his child care provider today? Don't forget to fill out the "Blue Note Form" so the bus driver is aware of the change.

The district will allow for a temporary (one time) change in ridership provided space is available on the bus and the request is to an existing stop on an existing route. To request a temporary change, a BLUE NOTE must be filled out per student, per day.

Time Schedule

Visit Our School

Please see our District "Visiting Our School" for details about our school visit prerequisites you need to complete. The safety of our students and staff is among our primary responsibilities. We consistently seek ways of improving our processes. Starting with the 2025-2026 school year, the Mount Horeb Area School District has added a new visitor management system, Visitor Aware, to the robust criminal background check we already employ.

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