Attendance Matters

September is...

Attendance Awareness Month

Daphne Elementary School is kicking off our Wildly. Important. Goals. (W.I.G.) by creating our school-wide goals for Attendance and Academics by wearing WIGs!

It goes without saying, attendance matters, and we need your help making sure students are at school all day, every day, all year long. Please strive to miss less than 10% of the entire school year. Be mindful that early checkouts matter and that all absences default to unexcused. Send excuses in within three days of the student returning and stay informed with the PowerSchool Parent Portal.

Excused or not, when a student is out, they miss valuable instruction. When your student must miss school, know that you will get a courtesy text and follow-up email.

Thank you in advance for your help and support. We cannot do this work without you!

Tardy/Late for School?

Tardies are issued in the back carline area of the school from 7:50AM - 8:30AM.

***If you arrive on campus between 7:50AM and 8:30AM, you MUST check-in your student so that they can obtain a tardy pass for class. ***

***You must physically sign-in your student for them to be marked as present for the day.***

Each year always proves as a growing experience for students marked with successes and accomplishments. However, students and parents all face challenges along the way and sometimes that includes attendance.

I am an attendance officer for the Baldwin County Board of Education. Previously, I was a classroom teacher for 30 years having taught all grade levels. In fact, I attended Baldwin County elementary, middle and high schools as a student myself many years ago. I am committed and dedicated to the success of our students.

It is easy for me to simply say avoid absences, but realistically children get sick and family emergencies happen resulting in non-attendance.

For informative purposes:

• Chronic Absenteeism is missing 10 percent or more of the school year. That calculates to missing 18 days of the school year regardless of whether the days are excused or not. This has proven to negatively affect a student's success in school. Missing days usually results in lower grades and poor attendance habits now and the following years.
• Unexcused absence/truancies typically result from not turning in excuses. They have additional negative consequences. It can include the student not being allowed to make up assignments and excessive truancies can potentially lead to legal complications.
• Throughout the school year, each student is allowed 9 parent notes and any number of doctor notes to be turned in no later than 3 days from the date of the student's return.

As I visit schools, I often meet with students to discuss the importance of attendance. My brief interactions are to communicate how attendance is a key to their education. My goal is to provide intervention, support, and encouragement. I will always provide the student with documentation of our meeting to take home to you.

Please contact your school attendance clerk if you have any attendance concerns. I will be of further help to you if you need more assistance.

Thank you,

Tracy Wilhelm

Attendance Officer

Baldwin County Board of Education

tlwilhelm@bcbe.org