Why
Attendance is Important at Apache
Learning
builds day by day. You can’t stay on top of your classwork if you are not there
to listen and take notes. In subjects like math and science, where the lessons
you learn this week will be the basis for next week’s lessons, it is crucial
that you attend class every day. You might be able to think of a dozen things
you’d rather be doing than sitting through class. But right now, your number
one responsibility is learning.
The State of Arizona has rules on the number of days you can be absent
from school and Sierra Vista Public Schools follow these rules. Your parents
signed an agreement when they registered that they understood the school attendance
policy and the possible penalties that you can face (including arrest) if your
break the laws and miss too much school!
We
want you to be successful in life and know that in order to be successful you
need to be in school every day. Research shows that you are likely to get
better grades if you attend daily, are more likely to stay out of trouble
(research shows 78% of those who ended up in prison had a first arrest for
school truancy), and more likely to graduate from high school. You will also
likely get a better job because the habits you set now- attending class every
day and coming to school on time-will carry over to the workplace.
Of
course we realize there are times when you will miss school. Acceptable reasons
include a death in your family, a family emergency or if you are truly sick. We
do require a doctor’s note if you are out sick more than 3 days. Please contact
our attendance clerk and let her know what is going on. We want you to enjoy
your time at Apache and be successful. Apache
students are tomorrow’s leaders.
Math Homework is due tomorrow….
Homework causes
trouble in many households. Relax – remember what homework is! Think of
yourself as more of a guide that a teacher. The best thing you can do is ask
questions, and listen to your child’s answers. Often, simply explaining
something out loud can help your child figure out the problem. Encourage your
child to show all work, complete with written descriptions of all thinking
processes. This record will give your child something to look back on, either
to review or to fix a mistake, and can also help the teacher understand how the
problem was solved. Asking the following questions can help you and your child
tackle the challenges of math homework:
*What is the
problem you are working on?
*Are there
instructions/directions? What do they say?
*Are there words
in the directions/problem that your don’t understand?
*Where do you
think you should begin?
*Is there
anything that you already know that can help you work through the problem?
*What have you
done so far?
*Can you find
helping your textbooks/notes?
*Do you have
other problems like this one? Can we look at one of those together?
*What is your
teacher asking you to do? Can you explain it to me?
*Is there someone
you can call to get help?
*Would using a
calculator help you solve the problem?
*Would it help to
go on to another problem and come back to this one?
*Can you tell me
where you are stuck?
*Is there a
website that we can access for help?
*Can you arrange
to get help from the teacher either before or after school?
Remember –
support homework- don’t do it!
Besides
supporting your child on homework, show the importance of learning math by
helping to connect math with daily life. Point out your own activities that
involve math, such as deciding if you have enough money to buy items on a
shopping list, estimating how long it will take to make a trip, determining how
much carpet to buy for a room, or developing a schedule to complete a series of
tasks. Talking about these everyday situations will give you a chance to
increase your child’s appreciation for the usefulness of math!
Privacy Information
Apache will NOT
give out phone numbers, addresses or other personal information. Also, if parents don’t want their child
in the yearbook, website or acknowledged by name in this newsletter or
newspaper, there is a simple form in the office that needs to be filled out in
the front office at your earliest convenience.
School Safety
In an effort to be proactive and continue our efforts
towards providing safe and drug free schools, we have partnered with the Sierra
Vista Police Department Drug Canine Unit. Beginning this October a Police
Officer and a drug dog will be granted access to Buena High School and both Middle
School campuses. The dog will search randomly selected parts of campus looking
for illegal substances. For further information and details please visit the
district website at www.sierravistapublicschools.com.
Contacting
Teachers