FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What are the Main office hours?
Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Where are students dropped off and picked up?
Please drop off and pick up your child in the main parking lot, located in front of the cafeteria.
a. Our cafeteria opens at 6:30 a.m. Students may sit in the cafeteria until school starts at 8:20 a.m.
Free Breakfast is available for all students from 7:30 - 8:10 a.m.
b. Student must be picked up by 4:00 pm if they are not enrolled in a school sponsored club, sport or program.
Where should students park?
Students may park in the Student Lot (the parking lot in front of the neighboring Advent School) with a permit.
Information on parking permits, including the application, is available on our Parking web page.
Where do visitors park?
Visitors to MCA should park in the Main Parking Lot. Please do not park in reserved spaces or the fire lane!
What is the bell schedule?
Please see the Bell Schedule tab on this website.
How can I register my student for Mount Carmel Academy?
You will need to come to the Main Office and bring documentation outlined on our Admissions and Enrollment web page. For more information, please contact our Registrar, Mrs. Hagerty at 713-643-2008 or chagerty@mountcarmelacademy.us
What about bus transportation?
As a contract charter high school, our students are not eligible for bus transportation from HISD.
Some families have made their own arrangements with private bus services. Call the MCA office
for a list of such services.
How will I know if school has been cancelled due to inclement weather?
HISD maintains an inclement weather hotline at 713-267-1704 and typically will post school closings on their website at www.houstonisd.org. You can also check local television/radio stations as HISD releases this information immediately to the press. Finally, we will post the information on our website as soon as we know.
Do you have a “Lost and Found?”
Yes. It is now located in Main Office. Please see Mrs. Takacs.
What do I need to send for my child’s absence to be excused?
Excused absences must be cleared with documentation such as a doctor’s note, a program from a funeral, or a subpoena to appear in court. Six times a year, a student may use a note from a parent. Notes MUST be received in the MCA office within three (3) days after the absence or the student will be coded as "unexcused absence."
If I check my child out early or bring them late due to a doctor’s visit, do I need to send a note?
In order to excuse an absence, the student must have a note from a parent or a doctor. This includes partial day absences. Only six parent notes per year will be accepted.
How many excused or unexcused absences are allowed?
Four excused absences are allowed in an individual class before credit is lost. There are no acceptable unexcused absences.
What is truancy?
Any unexcused absence is considered a truancy. Truancies can result in both school and legal consequences. School consequences are outlined by the code of conduct. Legal consequences range from a fine of up to $1,500.00 on the parents to removal from school and/or jail time.
What is the difference between excused and unexcused absences?
Excused and unexcused absences are local labels used simply to determine whether an absence is a truancy or not. These labels do not apply to attendance for credit, as the state does not recognize excused or unexcused labels. Instead, state law states, "students must attend ninety percent of instruction in order to receive credit in a course." After the fourth absence in a class for any reason, students can lose credit for that class.
My child did not receive credit in a class due to excessive absences. How is this determined?
Credit is lost in a class on the fifth absence. Excused or unexcused status is not relevant.
How can a student be absent from 1 or more classes?
Beginning with the Intermediate grades, student attendance is taken each class period unlike in the elementary grades where it was recorded once. State law for attendance applies to each class the student is taking. If you receive a call from the automated call-out system stating your student was absent on a day he/she should have been in school, please call the school and ask for the attendance office. They can verify your child’s attendance and refer you to the principal if further review is needed.
How many college visit days can my child who is a senior have?
A senior can have up to 3 days used for college visits. He/she must bring a proof of visit letter on university stationary. Juniors may take 1 day in the spring of their junior year.
How can my child regain credit in classes he passed but had too many absences?
If a student loses credit in a course and has mitigating circumstances, the student may file an appeal to restore credit. Appeals forms will be available through the attendance office. Once the appeal has been filed, it will automatically go through a Level I review by the principal. If a student is denied credit by a level I appeal , and that student wishes to go to a level II appeal before a committee of teachers, an appeals addendum will be made available through the attendance office. Both the principal and the level II attendance committee have the authorization to offer the following remedies:
·All absences are waived and credit is granted
·Credit will be granted after the student completes a program designated by the appeals authority which
may include making up time, making up work, community service, or any other activity designated by
the program.
·No remedy. Credit is denied.
Note: NO REMEDY WILL BE OFFERED FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE UNEXCUSED ABSENCES.
If a student is denied credit in a course, that semester average will not be allowed to average in for
a yearly grade.
I get automated phone calls saying my child has been absent from 1 or more classes. My child says he/she was tardy or went on a field trip. Why do I still get these calls?
The attendance office does not usually get all absences marked as being a tardy or a school related absence before the call-out system begins making calls. We feel it is important for parents to know that their student is missing classes or possibly is chronically tardy. If you child tells you that they were tardy and you want to verify this, please call the school and ask for the attendance office. The attendance clerks can look up the information and verify if your child was tardy.
How can I start receiving e-mail reminders from MCA?
Turn in your e-mail address to Mrs. Takacs in the Main Office or e-mail to Mr. Sobieski (webmaster) at psobieski@mountcarmelacademy.us
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