Having
trouble making it to school on time every day?
Then it’s time to come up with a new plan. Tardiness is sometimes a
chronic problem for some students at Defer, and this creates problems for all
students and teachers as well.
Did you know
that some of the most important learning of the school day occurs between 8:20
and 10:00 am? Students are the most
alert and attentive at this time of day, so important subject matter and
concepts are taught at this time. When
students arrive late to school, they miss out on some or all of these important
subjects. They also create a distraction
when they walk into the classroom after other students have already begun
working. Teachers must stop what they
are doing, and refocus the group.
Studies show
that students who have perfect, or near-perfect attendance and are not tardy
have much better grades and overall success in school than students who miss
many days and are tardy.
An
occasional tardy is not really a big problem, and sometimes cannot be
avoided. However, consistent tardiness
creates not only the problems discussed above, but also does not help to
prepare students for future success in middle and high school, or for the job
market.
What can be
done about this? Defer has a tardy
policy in place. Here’s how it works:
·
When
a student has three times of being tardy in quick succession (with a two week
period), a letter will be sent home notifying the parents that their student
has been tardy three times. This will
let the parents know that they need to work together with their student to get
to school on time each day.
The students
will miss their class recess on the day the 3rd tardy occurs.
·
If
the student continues to struggle with tardiness, the principal will make a
phone call home to talk to the parents about how tardiness is impacting the
student, and to discuss ways to be on time.
The student will again miss recess to help make up for missed
instruction.
·
If
tardiness continues to be an issue, the principal and teacher will have a
conference with the parents to discuss the problem.
Remember
that being on time means being in line and ready to walk into the classroom
when the bell rings. Students who are at
school, but not in their classrooms after the tardy bell, are marked tardy.
Defer is a
great school with bright students and involved parents. By refocusing our efforts on being on time
each day, we can be even better!
