It has been an amazing week at HCS! We started the week with HCS Institute Day and have ended with all of our wonderful students coming back to school. The teachers at each school have worked many hours preparing for these first few days and this is evident when you see the beautiful learning environments they have created for our students. The love our teachers have for our students is amazing! It is encouraging that our parents and community share in the excitement of the beginning of school, but even more important for everyone to continue this excitement and passion for our student's academic success for the next 178 days of school! These are just a few of the amazing teachers and students that we get to work with daily! 

    

  

  

As the school year progresses, one of the issues that we face in Haleyville City Schools is truancy. Truancy is not just when students are absent from school, it is when they are late as well. Once the newness of the new year wears off, it becomes harder and harder to get to school on time for some. We want your student to reach his/her maximum potential and this is hard when they are coming in late and missing the first few minutes of instruction for the day.  Bill Reynolds wrote an article entitled The Advantages of Being on Time vs. Being Late To School in the Seattle Pi which outlines true benefits for students who are on time. I hope everyone will truly consider what is best for our students and help us to maximize learning by having your students to school on time daily.

Enjoy More Time to Prepare

Students arriving to school with time to spare have the luxury of settling in, preparing their class materials and focusing their minds on the lessons to come. They have all the time they need to literally and figuratively wake up. Showing up on time can ameliorate the often-jarring transitioning between sleepy rides on a bus to concentrating on the day’s first lessons. Students showing up to class in the middle of a lesson miss out on this natural transition period and may lose even more of the lesson as they scurry to settle into an academic focus. This ultimately contributes to the lower grades and graduation rates associated with chronic tardiness.

Never Miss Important Information

Arriving to school after classes have begun can cause students to miss more than just the introduction to a new lesson. While waiting for the "tardy bell" to ring, teachers often share important information: reminders of upcoming quizzes, class trips, new classroom rules, essay due dates and other school-related specifics. Students who show up late may miss out on these details and as a result, be unprepared for some future class event. While a teacher will likely reiterate crucial information throughout the day, latecomers may miss out on courtesy reminders about homework assignments and other projects. High school students who show up on time everyday can rest assured they have all the necessary information.

Develop Positive Lifelong Habits

Arriving late to school on a consistent basis can have longer-term academic effects. If showing up late to school becomes a habit, students may develop the notion that tardiness is acceptable behavior. This belief can negatively impact their future work ethic and employment opportunities. Alternatively, showing up on time to school everyday can help students develop of the habit of being punctual with important commitments. This habit can serve high school students well through college and into their future careers.

Disciplinary Consequences

Most schools have specific policies concerning student tardiness. Generally, these policies allow for the occasional late arrival; rare instances of excused tardiness throughout the school year are often forgiven. Students sometimes have legitimate reasons for showing up late, such as transportation problems and doctor’s appointments. School administrators often consider such events to be "excused absences." However, after reaching a predetermined number of unexcused tardy arrivals, students may be put on a structured disciplinary plan to address any further late arrivals. Depending on their continued infractions, students may be issued after-school detention, campus cleanup duty or even suspension.

We are looking forward to a great school year! Let us know if we can help in any way!

~ Dr. Sutherland
#HCSServeLeadInspire

Link to article: http://education.seattlepi.com/advantages-being-time-vs-being-late-school-3477.html