Attendance Policy

In the elementary school Student-Parent Handbook which was distributed at the beginning of the school year there is a detailed explanation about the importance of regular school attendance.

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Regular attendance is crucial for your child's success at school. Missed days mean missed instruction. Educational research links school attendance in the early grades to success in intermediate and secondary school.

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Attendance is a learned behavior that needs to begin in the primary grades. Absenteeism for casual reasons connotes a disregard, or at worst, a disrespect for school and learning. Young children learn from their parents what is important in life. The lesson that school attendance is crucial for school success needs to be learned early from the home.

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Our concern about attendance is not only about missing full days of school. Late morning arrivals and early dismissals are problematical. Tardy students are often anxious as they miss the opportunity to begin the day with the rest of the class. Students who leave early miss valuable instructional time as well as the teacher's closure for the lesson. Late arrivals and early dismissals also disrupt the learning environment because the teacher stops instruction to help the student who is either arriving or leaving.

 

No one denies the need, because of illness or family emergency, to be absent or tardy, or leave school early. Life has all kinds of surprises for us. I respectfully request, however, that responsible decisions be made regarding school attendance. Let's teach our children that school is good and important enough to attend regularly and on time.

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Please note that the Student-Parent Handbook states that parents need to contact the principal if their children will be absent for an extended length of time. If you plan to withdraw your children from school for several days, please contact me by phone, e-mail, or note. Include the dates when your children are unable to attend school and the reason for their absences.

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If there are issues related to attendance about which school personnel can help you and your family, please feel free to contact me.