Drew Veal

As you know, attendance is still a very high priority at Mt. Zion Elementary School; therefore, we are sharing information from the Master Teacher regarding “Helping Your Child Succeed in Elementary School.”

SCHOOL SUCCESS BEGINS WITH ATTENDANCE
One of the easiest and best actions you can take to maximize your child’s success in school is to make sure he or she is in school, on time, every day. Simply put, it is very difficult for any child to keep up with schoolwork when he or she misses or is late to school on a regular basis.

Keep in mind that during the course of each school day, the teacher covers important information, skills, and aptitudes your child must know and understand in order to improve, progress, and achieve. Each day’s lessons build on lessons from prior days and provide the foundation for all the learning that follows. As a result, a child that misses a day of school doesn’t just miss out on a day’s worth of lessons – he or she misses out on learning that can impact his or her progress for the rest of the school year or for even subsequent school years.

~Very few excuses justify an absence from school. While there are good reasons for a child to be absent from school, they are few and far between. If your child is ill or if there is a dire family emergency, then an absence from school is justifiable. However, while critical events over which you may have no control may justify an absence, events that you can control should be scheduled around – not during – school. For example, routine doctor and dentist visits should take place after school. Family vacations or extended visits to relatives should be planned for holidays or during the summer. Make school your child’s first priority. A child’s education is much too important to jeopardize by pulling him or her from school for appointments that could be scheduled after school hours.

~Make sure your child gets to school on time – or better yet, early. Remember, if your child arrives ten minutes late each day, he or she will have missed roughly four and a half days of school by the end of the school year. When a child comes in late, not only has he or she missed valuable instructional time, but the child will also likely disrupt the flow of the lesson or others as he or she gets situated.

Ideally, your child should arrive at least 10 minutes before school starts in order to prepare and be ready to start the day.

~Show your commitment to your child’s education. By getting your child to school every day, prepared and on time, you demonstrate to your child the high priority you place on his or her learning and encourage your child to be as committed to his or her education as you are.

Drew Veal