Attendance is SO Important for School Success!

Isaiah H. was so excited to be the winner of this beautiful peacock. The stuffed animal is a component of a new program geared to promoting good school attendance. Thanks to our supportive PTO, each Friday for the first nine weeks, students have an opportunity to win a collectable card featuring animals from India. The peacock was the first featured card. The Sharp Schools Program not only offers the cards, but sends beautiful, lifelike stuffed animals to use as an extra incentive for coming to school. 


Students were also given a plastic sleeve to be placed in their TIGER notebook or UGA (Upper Grade Academy) Binder. When the nine week span is completed, they should have   nine collectable cards! Several weeks have been a 2 for 1 deal, in which children who have perfect attendance can earn back the previously missed card. We have found this program to be motivating and fun for our students. In fact, this past week's card featured the rare white bengal tiger. 

R. L. Young already has in place the TOP DOG Club which recognizes by six weeks children who maintain perfect attendance. Many schools wait until the school year ends to recognize children who have missed 0 days. By splitting this recognition per grading period, our students are more motivated to come each day. 


We appreciate parents who also value "seat time" for their children. A school cannot teach a child at home. And of course, it is the law that students attend school unless they are sick, have a death in the family, or a court appearance. There is no way to recapture great teaching. Poor attendance creates gaps in learning and will eventually affect student performance. 


As a parent myself, I know it is tempting to "reward" a child with a lunch date off campus for their birthday, a day to sleep in, or just a goof-off afternoon. There are many built-in holidays and time off from hitting the books during the school year. Marking this off time on a posted family calendar will provide your child a visual of the upcoming break from the normal routine. Although you might think this is being a fun parent, the message being sent is that learning and school is not that important. The truth is that education will help them earn more money, get a better job, and be a more productive adult. It is often tough to be a parent!

The bottom line is that we want your child in school unless they have a fever, are throwing up, or there is a death in the family. We need them here from 8 a.m. until 2:40 p.m. each day. 180 days of learning, growing, and enjoying their school, friends, and teacher. Their futures will be BRIGHTER because of it!