Regular school attendance is of great importance in order that each child receives the maximum benefits from daily sequential instruction. When children miss a week or more of school - or when they are repeatedly tardy - they lose valuable instruction that cannot always be repeated because the class has moved on. Even though our students are young, research shows that the patterns that are set as early as kindergarten can predict future school attendance and the dropout rate.

During the school year, you can help by:

• Scheduling trips/vacations during one of our school breaks (October, November, December, and March)
• Remembering to obtain a note from the doctor when the student as had an appointment and is returning to school.
• Arriving at school five to ten minutes prior to our 7:45 a.m. start time. If you are driving, this may mean leaving home a few minutes earlier and making sure that students have what they need before you arrive in the carpool line.
• Remembering to send a note explaining the reason for the absence when your child returns to school. If no note is received, the absence is automatically unexcused.

Birthdays will be announced every morning on the Boggess Bengal Network (BBN).

Parents may also help their child's birthday be recognized. Treats may be sent to school. The following list suggests possible treats which will help teachers maximize an educational climate in their classrooms:

• Cookies
• healthy snacks
• stickers/pencils/bookmarks
• small trinkets

Please refrain from sending cakes, cupcakes, ice cream or drinks. Parents are encouraged to be sensitive to student allergies. Peanut butter and nuts are examples of foods which may cause reactions. Treats will be shared in the afternoons.

If your child is going to be absent or late to school, please call the Childsafe line to report the absence. Dial the school number - 469-752-4000 and then press "3" to report the absence. If the office does not know where a student is, we will call the parents at work or home. Parents, although you may have alerted the teacher to an absence, the office staff would appreciate you calling the absence in to the Childsafe line. This will help so that we know where your child is and can be assured of his or her safety.

If you know that your child will be out for several days, you may leave that information on the Childsafe line. Otherwise, we would appreciate a call every day that your child is absent. Make-up work can be sent out on the third day of the absence. Students will be given an appropriate amount of time to complete any missed assignment. The safety of your child is our main concern and we would appreciate your help.

If you need to drop off your child's forgotten lunch or homework, please bring it to the office. We would appreciate you not delivering it yourself to the child's class as this is disruptive to the students. Items may be placed in the crates in the front office. Each crate is labeled by grade. Please be sure the items are clearly marked with your child's name and their teacher's name.