Regular attendance yields bonding, automaticity and momentum. Bonding means solid friendships and healthy mutual and self-esteem. When your child is absent, their friends miss them and their bonding is interrupted.
Automaticity is when you do something over and over, so many times, it becomes automatic. Everything from walking to lunch in a particularly efficient way to saying kind phrases to a classmate to writing your first and last name in upper and lowercase letters to writing an essay about something you are passionate about becomes automatic. Missing school interrupts that automaticity.
Momentum is what happens when you become so used to achievement, you become better and better and faster and faster like a runaway scholarship train.
Attendance Fact #2
Excused absences are no different from unexcused absences in that they both mean a loss in revenue. Each Walgrove absence, whether excused or not, costs the district approximately $70 per day. The reason that parents are required to excuse absences is because education in the United States is cumpulsory, and truancies are a legal violation. If a child has too many truancies, the police will inquire as to why.
Attendance Fact #3
Last year, Walgrove absences cost the district approximately $244,000 in lost revenue. That is about $30,000 more than what the Friends of Walgrove raise yearly in order to pay for Mr. Donzell of P.S.Arts, Francesca and Johnny B. from the STEAM Studio, Farmer Matt in the Edible Garden, Coach Rachel with her P.E. program, library aide Barbara Pace and two instructional assistants.
Last year, LAUSD absences across the district cost the district approximately $45,000,000.
Attendance Fact #4
If you know your child will be absent for five consecutive days (or more), please let your child's teacher know as soon as you know so that you can complete an independent study. Then make sure to complete the independent study. This will ensure that your child will be marked PRESENT for the duration of their absence.
Attendance Fact #5
I am not the person who sends thoese attendance letters home. The letters you receive about attendance are from the district on my (and the other principals') behalf. So, please know that, and please don't call me to complain about the tone ;)
The ways that I communicate about attendance are:
- Electronic marquee
- Assemblies
- Phone calls
- Blackboard connect messages, including and especially the Sunday Message
- In-person conversations
- The ATTEN-DANCE
Attendance Fact #6
The ATTEN-DANCE is a fun way to pass the time when you are home sick in bed -- really sick, like CONTAGIOUS sick. Otherwise, you should come to school!
