October 2, 2017 To the Parents of BSD Students, You will notice in the coming weeks a great deal of information regarding the importance of school attendance. Students that are not chronically absent do exponentially better than those with chronic absenteeism. A child is chronically absent if he or she misses just two days each month. There is a strong correlation between attendance and academic achievement. Please ensure that your child attends school every day and arrives on time. Here are a few practical tips to help support regular attendance: • Make sure your children keep a regular bedtime and establish a morning routine. • Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before. • Ensure your children go to school every day unless they are truly sick. • Avoid scheduling vacations or doctor’s appointments when school is in session. • Talk to teachers and counselors for advice if your children feel anxious about going to school. • Develop back-up plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, neighbor, or another parent to take your child to school. Financially, October and November are two important months regarding attendance. The amount of state funding your district receives is based on our Average Daily Attendance (ADA) for those two months. As a result of the financial importance of October and November, we have added incentives for every student. Students with perfect attendance for October and November will be exempt from their semester exams for both semesters. Each student will still have to meet the academic guideline for the exemption, however. This incentive applies at all three schools. Also, all students with perfect attendance in October and November will be entered into a drawing at each school to be held Friday, December 1st. The chosen student at each school will receive a $100 gift card to Wal-Mart! Special thanks goes to Wal-Mart for providing this incentive. In order for your son or daughter to be counted present each day, he or she must attend for 63% of their school day. This is a state law not a district policy. For students that have classes all day, they cannot miss over one hour and fifteen minutes to be counted present for the day. The amount of state funding we receive affects various areas of your school district. The ADA determines class sizes, classroom resources and the amount of local taxes that we ask for each year. Your son or daughter’s attendance is the optimal way to guarantee that your student and our district are prepared for the future, both financially and educationally. Thank you for your consideration in this important matter. Together, the future of the Booneville School District is bright. Thanks, Todd English, Superintendent