Starting in kindergarten, too many absences cause children to fall behind in school.
Missing school can make it harder to learn to read.
Students can still fall behind if they miss just a day or two days every few weeks.
Being late to school may lead to poor attendance and can cause children to fall behind.
Absences can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up.
Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school and themselves. Start building this habit in preschool so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Good attendance will help children do well in high school, college, and at work.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Set a regular bed time and morning routine.
Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
Don’t let your child stay home unless he or she is truly sick. Keep in mind complaints of a stomach ache or headache can be a sign of anxiety and not a reason to stay home. If your child is anxious about school, talk to teachers and the school counselor for advice on how to help.
Develop back up plans for getting to school if something comes up.
Avoid medical appointments and extended trips when school is in session.
Call the school to let us know when your child will be absent. This helps us to not have to call you.
OTHER INFO
We do call outs home for children who are absent. The counselor will also be calling home after a few tardies, early check outs or unexcused absences to see what she can do to help you get your child to school. We will be putting several new programs in place to help students who have excessive tardies, check outs, or absences.
5 tardies and/or 5 early check outs equals 1 absence
ATTENDANCE POLICY Instruction begins at 8:20. Therefore, students arriving after 8:20 are considered tardy.
Instruction ends at 3:00. I often see parents check their kids out in the last ten minutes of school. Please consider waiting until 3:00 to pick your child up so that it will not count against your child.
We recognize students have appointments that may result in a late check in or early check out. Please do everything you can to keep these appointments to a minimum and for times afterschool. Most doctors, dentists, counselors, etc. will work with you to keep your child from missing school.
Remember 5 early check outs/check ins equals an absence.
Please notify the school when your child will be out. You can send in 5 parent notes per semester. If you have doctor’s note or something similar, it will be considered an excused absence.
The Code of VA (22.1-258) states that whenever a student fails to report to school a total of five days, one or more of the following will happen Phone calls home, letters home, parent conference, home visit, and/or referral to the Franklin County Truancy Team Depending on the case, we most likely will call first to find out what is going on. We will also send the required letters. If there is no improvement we will ask for a conference and/or come for a home visit. At that point, if there is still no improvement, a referral will be made to the truancy team.
Thanks for your help and support in getting your child to school and supporting his or her education. You are the key to a successful school experience!