Dear Parents and Guardians,
We are moving through the month of February very quickly. We have a short month due to an upcoming No school on February 14th and a holiday, President Day, on February 17th there will be no school. While we are here this month at school, we stop to examine students’ progress in their core academics, attendance and interventions.
It is very important to meet with your child’s teacher, especially if your child is earning a D or F in a subject and/or if you received a possibility of retention letter. Elementary school is the foundation for later learning. We want to make sure your child is receiving an Excellent education at Ritzman. In regards to attendance, it makes a Difference. Every Minute Counts! Chronic Absence = Missing two or more days per month. Research shows students who miss 10 percent of school, or two days per month, show negative academic progress. Third Grade Reading Level with Poor attendance can keep children from reading proficiently by the end of third grade, which is shown to negatively affect their chances of graduating on time. Excused Absences Hurt Too Excused absences are just as negative as unexcused ones. Tardies are also a part of attendance. Every Minute Matters! If a student is 10 minutes late to school each day, this adds up to missing more than 33 hours of class time. Have your children at school, on time and ready to learn.
In saying how important attendance is, please Keep Sick Children at Home. They need to stay home, if your child has any of the following symptoms, please do not send him/her to school: Fever of 100 degrees or more. Children should stay home until the fever has been gone for 24 hours without fever reducing medication. Vomiting or severe diarrhea. Children should stay home until symptoms have been gone for 24 hours. A little sniffle is not a reason to stay home, but a severe cold or influenza is a good reason which include; Severe sore throat, ear ache, head ache, or persistent cough. Please call the school and let them Mrs. Price or Mrs. McIntosh know when your child will be absent from school by calling 330-761-7903.
Finally, we will begin critical MAP testing the last week of February and parent teacher conferences are on Thursday, February 27th. We look forward to seeing everyone on that evening.
Thank you for your partnership!
Mrs. McIntosh