Attendance Counts! #SchoolEveryDay
Absences add up quickly!
Both excused and unexcused absences negatively impact school success and place students at risk for chronic absenteeism.
When students miss too many days of school, they fall behind and struggle to keep up with their classmates. Whether the days missed are due to illness, truancy or for any other reason, the end result for the student is the same — learning time is lost. Children and adolescents will get sick at times and may need to stay at home, but we want to work with you to help minimize the number of days your student misses school.
- Just a few missed days a month adds up to several school weeks missed in a year.
- Both excused and unexcused absences can make it more difficult for your child to keep up with other students, especially in math and reading.
- Kindergarten and first grade are critical for your child. Missing school during these early years makes it more difficult for children to learn in later years and they often have trouble reading by the end of third grade.
Helpful Ideas:
- Plan ahead and commit to attending as much of a school day as possible for your child(ren) if appointments are scheduled for that day.
- Contact Fairhill before 10:30 am on the day of the absence or as soon as you know your child will be absent and tell school staff why your child will be out and for how long. Families need to report each day of absence.
If your child needs to miss school because of an illness or another reason, you must report the absence to Fairhill by calling (703) 208-8181, or by emailing [email protected] with a detailed reason for the absence.
Good attendance is an important life skill that will help students succeed in school and beyond.
When scheduling trips, family events, or appointments, try to:
- use weekends and school holidays
- schedule appointments outside of school hours
- refer to the FCPS Calendar when planning
Every day of learning is a day toward success. Keep in mind that absences add up quickly. Students who are absent 10% of the school year (or just two days per month) are considered chronically absent.