Assistant Principals' Report

Hello and welcome to our newsletter item for this week.

Attendance - Every Day Counts

At Heidelberg Primary School, we prioritise regular school attendance. We will work with families to ensure students are in class with their peers and teachers and enjoying all the benefits that brings. Attending school every day means experiencing what counts – the learning, friendship, fun and opportunities that can shape your child’s future.

Why going to school is important

Going to school every day is an important part of your child’s education. Children and young people learn new things at school every day, connect with friends, have fun and develop good habits that help them to succeed.

Attending and participating in school will help your child:

develop important skills and knowledge to help them learn
develop social and emotional skills such as good communication, resilience and team-work
establish friendships with peers which help develop self-esteem and a sense of belonging.

There is no good number of days for missing school. Being away from school for 1 day a fortnight adds up to missing 4 whole weeks of school a year. Where possible, you should avoid your child missing school.

We understand that there are times when your child will need to miss school but to ensure minimal disruption to their education, please consider scheduling family holidays or medical/dental appointments outside of school time. If your child is well enough to attend but is worried about friendships, schoolwork or exams, please encourage them to come to school and make contact with your child's classroom teacher or make contact with someone from the leadership team. Avoiding school can make these feelings worse and can create a negative pattern of behaviour.

Tips to help improve your child’s attendance

Setting up good attendance patterns and addressing attendance issues promptly can lead to future success and help your child feel more engaged and connected at school.

Here are some ideas which may assist you in supporting your child to attend school:

Talk to your child about school and the importance of attending every day. You can ask them how they feel about school, what interests them or if they are having any difficulties.
Encourage and celebrate good attendance habits with your child, including arriving at school on time every day.
Set a good example. Show them how you keep to your own commitments.
Encourage your child to take on hobbies at school that they enjoy such as sports and clubs. This will help them develop positive relationships outside of the classroom setting and can help your child feel part of a group, important to the school, and more motivated.
Help your child maintain daily routines such as finishing homework and getting a good night’s sleep.
Help them pack their school bag the night before with everything they need.
Have a set time for breakfast.
Plan for your child to meet with a friend so they can travel to school together.

Remember, Every day counts. Act early if you are concerned about your child’s attendance and contact us her at school to discuss how we can work together to support positive attendance.

Helen Thomas & Monique Rankin

Assistant Principals

Heidelberg Primary School