Congratulations on all of your work and for the support you gave to one-another first semester.
There is a very important issue that affects the learning environment at St. Brother André – student absences and late arrivals to class. While the vast majority of our student body has excellent attendance and arrives to class on time, approximately 10 to 15 percent of our population is frequently absent or late to class.
If we work together, we can easily address this issue and improve the learning environment in our school.
Here are some concrete reasons why this issue is important to our school:
- When a student misses a class, the overall functioning of that class is diminished. Both the absent student and teacher need to invest time to catch up. Other students are also affected because they are often part of a team activity or assignment that becomes disadvantaged overall. We are only as strong as we can be when we all show up. Please try to make personal appointments outside of the school day.
- When a student arrives to class late, the other members of the classroom are disrupted. This affects us all in a number of ways: it deteriorates the overall efficacy of the learning environment; it implicitly inculcates an environment of disregard and disrespect for others; and it impacts on the overall success we are capable of achieving.
With your support, we will undertake the following measures to address this issue:
- At 8:20 a.m. each morning, the William Tell Overture is played over the school PA system to remind students that they need to get to class within the next four minutes. By 8:24 a.m. all students should be seated in the classroom and ready to stand for the playing of the national anthem. Any student who arrives to class after 8:24 a.m. is late. Out of the four periods in the day, period one has the highest number of late arrivals to class. While we appreciate the many factors that impede timely arrival in the morning, we ask that parents and students work together to address those barriers that may be preventing them from early arrival. Ideally, students should arrive no later than 8:15 a.m. so that they have some added preparation time.
- On a daily basis, parents will continue to receive automated phone calls and email notices if their son or daughter is absent from a class. As a new practise, we will be sending automated email notices home to parents indicating if their son or daughter has been late to one or more of their classes that day. Parents are asked to speak with their children when they receive an email notice in order to address the factors at play.
- Teachers and vice principals will contact both the student and the parent in order to resolve the pattern of late arrivals and/or absences. As part of our Board’s progressive discipline policy, consequences will be assigned based on the number of late arrivals and/or absences that occur.
- Our administrative team will conduct regular data reviews of all late arrivals and absences in an effort to ensure consistency in how we work together in addressing this issue with the hope that there will be a measurable improvement.
While all workplaces and schools struggle with the issue of late arrivals and absenteeism, it is a fundamental life skill to be present and on time. We are committed to working with our staff, parents and students so that we are can improve upon this skill.
Thank you for your support as we move forward together with a spirit of cooperation and consideration. We can rely on you, our students, to always put forward your best effort. May Christ’s grace be with us.