Do you know about the impact of tardiness on school success?

At Our Lady of Victory School, we stress the need for students to get to school by 8:00 am with good reason. Studies conducted by the U.S. Department of Education on tardiness or lateness, show that school attendance is a major factor when it comes to school success and student behavior.

• Attentiveness and Distractions:The most crucial learning hours of a school day are the morning hours, because they are when students are most attentive. Students who are tardy miss the beginning of their morning classes, and they also cause a distraction when they arrive late to class.
• Academics and Achievement: Students who are frequently tardy have lower GPAs, lower scores on standardized assessments, and lower graduation rates. Chronic tardiness in elementary and middle school is also linked to failure in high school.
• Behavior Problems: In the National Center for Education Statistics 2007 Indicators of School Crime and Safety, teachers surveyed reported that students who are frequently tardy have higher rates of suspension and other disciplinary measures. Tardiness causes students to feel disconnected with school, leading to behavior problems and dropouts.
• Effect on Others: When students are tardy, they negatively impact their teachers and other students. Teachers are often required to allow tardy students to make up work, which often requires them to restructure their lessons or re-teach missed material. Tardiness also takes other students' attention away from a teacher's lesson, leading to more behavior problems and missed instruction.

Are these some reasons why your child does not get to school on time? 

• Your child won’t go to bed at night or get out of bed in the morning
• Your child can’t find their clothes, books, homework, school bag
• The school lunches are not ready 
• Homework is not done
• Your child is slow to eat breakfast 
• Your child is watching TV late at night or when they should be getting ready for school 
• Your child is upset and not letting go of you.

 If so, here are some suggestions based on setting regular routines:

• Have a set time to go to bed 
• Have a set time to be out of bed 
• Have uniform and school bag ready the night before
• Make lunches the night before 
• Have set time for starting and ending breakfast. 
• Set a time each day for homework -try straight after school with the TV off so your child can relax for the rest of the night and have a reward when finished. 
• Turn the TV on during set times and only if appropriate.
• Give your child lots of positive encouragement
• On arrival look for some of your child’s friends and encourage your child to go and play with their friends and then once settled, leave quickly. 

It is very important for children to develop positive lifelong habits of arriving on time at an early age, beginning from the time they start school. The practice of arriving to school, work or other appointments on time is a life skill.  As parents and adults in the workforce, we know the importance of punctuality. We need all parents to set a good example by having their children arrive at school on time, not taking their children out early, and not allowing their children to miss school unless they are ill or there is an emergency.  We cannot teach your children unless they are here. Every minute is important. Let’s teach our children to always be on time starting now!