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| Arrive by 8:30am. |
It is essential parents realize the value of every moment in the school day. Curriculum demands have dramatically increased since we attended elementary school. To cover the depth of material, teachers must carefully plan ways to make maximum use of time. For this reason, it is so important children arrive on time for school and stay until dismissal.
Those first few moments of the school day help ease the transition from home to school as children settle in and greet one another. They love to share the latest news with teachers and their classmates (loose teeth and stuffed animals seem to be the hot topics). Having time to connect with each other, creates a sense of belonging to a classroom community. Teachers also use the beginning ot the day to set a positive tone as they review the daily schedule and expectations.
Students should be in their classroom and ready for instruction to begin by 8:35am. If not, the entire class is impacted when someone arrives late, even if it is just by 2-3 minutes. Teachers must stop teaching to greet the child, help them unpack, order lunch, and turn in homework. Time is also lost repeating information for the late student. This can be very uncomfortable for the tardy child, and is unfair to students whose learning time has been disrupted. Likewise, early dismissals can cause a similar interruption, as the teacher must gather homework, help pack up materials, and devote time to catching the child up on missed information.
It is understandable that dismissals and late arrivals are sometimes unavoidable due to life circumstances. However, the most common explanation for tardiness tends to be oversleeping or loosing track of time. If your family is having difficulty arriving on time, then it is time to review your morning routine. Is the TV causing time loss? Are bedtime routines early enough? Are clothes laid out and backpacks ready in advance? Our Guidance Counselor, Sarah Angell Pond, is a wonderful resource for any
families looking for ideas and strategies to make morning routines smoother. Please feel free to contact her at (978) 346-8319.
Note: Tardiness, dismissals, and absences are recorded on students' report cards. ( I was inspired to write this blog post after a parent wisely stated she considers the attendance section her report card).