Attend today, achieve tomorrow. Don't let absences add up.

As we enter the second half of our school year, our Waitsburg 6th-12th grade staff want to ensure that all students fully benefit from their education by attending school regularly and on time. Your students’ future is our priority, and we want to partner with you to help them be successful.

At both Preston Hall Middle School and Waitsburg High School, we are concerned with the number of students who are tardy each day for class. In some cases we have the same student(s) tardy for multiple classes in one day. When students come to class late, it disrupts the flow of a lesson or discussion and distracts other students from learning. 

Please be aware that beginning Monday, January 30, students will be expected to serve 15 minutes of detention after school when they have accumulated 3 unexcused tardies. We ask parents/guardians to monitor your student's attendance and tardies using the Qmlativ app and encourage your student(s) to report to classes on time. Access Qmlativ from our district website quick links. Please contact the school if you are not able to access Qmlativ and we will assist you. 

DID YOU KNOW

  • Absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with schoolwork, dealing with a bully or facing some other potentially serious difficulty.
  • Starting in kindergarten, too many absences (excused and unexcused) can cause children to fall behind in school.
  • Missing 10 percent (just 2 days a month or about 18 days in a year) increases the chance that your student will not read or master math at the same level as their peers.
  • Students can still fall behind if they miss just a day or two days every few weeks.
  • By 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that a student may drop out of high school.
  • By 9th grade, regular and high attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 8th grade test scores.

We know that there are a wide variety of reasons that students are absent from school, from
health concerns to transportation challenges. There are many people in our building prepared to help you if you or your student face challenges in getting to school regularly or on time. Please contact your child's school office if you have questions or concerns.