* Starting in kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school.
* Missing 10 percent (or about 18 days) 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.
* Absences can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up.
I think everyone would agree that teacher to student contact time would be a number one factor in a student's success at a school. This is a very simple concept. If you are in school, you will learn more.
Parents with sick kids do a great job of getting missed homework in the front office, but completing work at home is simply not the same. Teachers here at Liberty are specialists in explaining content or skills in multiple ways to help students better understand the material. They are also experts in the Thinking Framework model that help students see the interconnectedness with content and skills taught. There are models and drawings to demonstrate and patterns that can be found with all lessons. The dialog that is exchanged during classroom discussions cannot be reenacted.
This is the second year we have conducted our "Hug n Go" policy. The Liberty Common staff is thankful to parents for their cooperation in allowing students to enter school on their own and begin their day by their own doing.
Below are a few teacher quotes about the success of this initiative.
"To me the best result of this "policy" has been having students in their seats in the morning, working quietly and confidently, resulting in WAY fewer tardies! They come in knowing school is a fun and safe place and they are totally confident in their own morning routines...it has been a really great thing to watch!"
"It is so much easier for our little ones to navigate the hallways because they are so much less crowded."
"Our students are coming in in the morning and unloading their backpacks, putting up lunchboxes and turning in homework all on their own. It is great to see how excited and proud they are to be responsible for themselves."
"Students are in their seats and ready to go when the announcements start."
"We are able to start our morning routine on time each morning."
"Our hall is not as congested as it has been in past years. All of our kids are doing just great getting themselves ready for the day without their parents. Great call."
"Parents are doing an awesome job of this by the band room doors. We have 100% of parents hugging and going, and students are managing to get to their classrooms without any issue."
As parents, we need to make sure our students are in school as much as possible. We need to keep our students healthy so that they can be in school as much as possible. We need to plan vacations around weekends, holidays, or summer. School is too important to miss.
Keeping students in school is a top priority. As a parent, you have chosen to come to our wonderful school and have committed to getting your child here on time, you have committed to helping with homework, and you have committed to volunteering your time here. This school would not be where it is today without the help of our parent population. We thank you.
Stay informed by taking the time to evaluate your own child(s) attendance records on your PowerSchool account and do your best to make sure they are here every day. Please do not think that an absence only affects your child. Not having your child in school impacts the learning of the 28 other students in the classroom. Students that are absence reduce continuity with lessons taught since the teachers have to reteach the lessons and get students that missed a day or two caught up. Lessons are slowed and planning becomes cumbersome and disjointed.
We want to send our children the message that school is of highest importance and there is too much going on to miss (expect if you are sick). It isn't too late to give this message to students that their work, or school to them, will always be a top priority. When they grow up their job will be exactly the same.
Thanks to each of you for taking the time to do your part to improve the Liberty Community through school attendance. We can each make a difference to lower our school attendance numbers this year. Liberty should
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