Dear Parents and Caregivers
Here we are moving to the middle of term 1 already! Usually, I would write to you about the happenings around the school and the activities in which the children have been engaged. Today, however, I write to you about something different but of great importance, that being attendance and punctuality.
The past 3 years have had attendance in turmoil, between restrictions, home schooling, illness and worry about illness we have seen more students stay home than we have in the past. I'm hoping in 2023, we will be able to return to higher attendance levels which in turn leads to greater happiness and higher achievement for our children.
Classes begin at 8:50 so it's very important the children are here between 8:30 and 8:45. Punctuality is enabling; it gives the children time to unpack, connect and prepare. This is important as unpacking develops independence and organisational skills, connecting develops social skills, communication and friendship, and time to prepare means the children can focus on what is being said without their minds racing as they try to catch up before the day has even started. Whilst there is no school consequence for lateness, it is not without consequences. These may not be seen immediately but they are there, and they are affecting the children's likelihood for success.
Attendance or lack of attendance has an amplified impact. Days away from school have a social and learning impact. Friendships are formed through time spent together, regular absence can leave children feeling disconnected and without a strong friendship or peer group. Learning is layered, new learning builds on old learning. When children are away, there are gaps in their learning, making connections more difficult. So much learning occurs through hearing and observing in the classroom, this cannot simply be made up by 'sending work home'. Attendance is empowering; it gives the children the possible chance of learning success as they have access to all available information.
- Habitual absence is when a student has 5 to 9 absences for any reason in a term (average of 1 day per fortnight)
- Chronic absence is when a student is absent for 10 days or more in a term for any reason (average of 1 day per week).
- International research shows that this sort of non-attendance is an early warning sign that a student could have significantly lower learning and wellbeing outcomes throughout their life.
I know we all want much more for our students. Our community was extremely supportive, cooperative and wise last year, keeping unwell students at home. This is not something we are looking to change - unwell students should be home. I ask, however, that any unnecessary time away from school is carefully considered as we hope to support our students in all ways possible.
Kind regards
Chan