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w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, A pr il 4, 20 19 | 4 666 Victoria St. N., Kitchener Mon.-Fri. 9-9; Sat. 9-6; Sun. 10-5 We reserve the right to limit quantities. Some items may not be exactly as shown. Some items may be limited in quantity. www.kwsurplus.com a uniq ue sho pping experi encek-w surp lus Purell Advanced Hand Sanitizer $799 giant 1 litre size refreshing aloe gel 32" Weeder $1299 weeds won't stand a chance 36" Claw Tiller $1799 loosen tough soil easily 13" x 9" Nonstick Baking Pan includes plastic lid and 144 pg recipe book 36" Aerator $1299 help your lawn breathe 36-58" Garden Cultivator $999 rustproof rotating tines telescopic handle compare @ $14.99 $499 Local public elementa- ry schools have sent home letters highlighting stu- dent absenteeism, as well as tips encouraging par- ents to make sure their children attend class. According to a letter sent home by Groh Public School, 149 students (21 per cent) have missed more than 20 instruction- al days this year, equating to more than 20 per cent of lost learning time. A total of 166 students have missed 10.5 to 15 days, and 89 students have missed 15.5 to 20 days. "This puts 404 of our 713 students (57 per cent) at risk for lost learning time at this point in the year," reads the letter signed by Principal Helmut Tinnes. "There is a correlation be- tween student absentee- ism and students who do not make school board tar- gets in reading, particu- larly in the early grades (kindergarten to Grade 3)." The concerns are shared by the administra- tion at Sandhills Elemen- tary School where, ac- cording to a similarly worded letter sent out Monday, almost a quarter of the student population has missed between 10.5 and 15 days. A total of 111 students have missed 15.5 to 20 days, and 118 students have missed more than 20 days. In total, the letter con- cludes that 397 of 686 stu- dents (57 per cent) are "at risk for lost learning" at this point in the year. Both letters also in- clude a URL link to a re- cent report pertaining to a study conducted by the American Academy of Pe- diatrics and its findings on negative effects if a stu- dent misses 10 per cent or more of the school year. "We are just past the halfway point of the school year with approxi- mately 115 instructional days completed," the letter from Groh notes. "As you know, regular attendance has a significant impact on student learning, en- gagement and ultimately on student achievement... "If a child misses 20 days each year from K- Grade 8, they will have missed an equivalent of an entire school year. This lost time is very difficult, if not impossible, to make up." Waterloo Region Dis- trict School Board Super- intendent Scott Miller said he couldn't speak to the causal factors or whether student absen- teeism is rising overall. "That's not something that I believe we have a concern over right now," he said. Miller wasn't familiar with the letters sent home by the two schools, only saying that the board has a policy in place to alert in- dividual parents if their child misses 15 or more days of school. Both letters sent out by Groh and Sandhills offer parents tips: • Make sure your child arrives on time and re- mains until the end of the day so they do not miss out on any learning. • As much as possible, schedule appointments for before or after school, or on weekends. • Schedule your vaca- tions during the school calendar year (seasonal break in December and March break). • Reinforce with your child that being punctual and attending school ev- eryday increases their chances for success. • Be a good role model for your child when it comes to attendance and punctuality. There were letters sent warning of excessive absenteeism at two local schools recently. Metro Creative photo STUDENT ABSENTEEISM CONTRIBUTING TO 'LOST LEARNING' AT LOCAL SCHOOLS BILL JACKSON bjackson@kitchenerpost.ca NEWS MORE THAN HALF OF THE STUDENTS AT TWO LOCAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS ARE AT RISK, LETTERS TO PARENTS ADVISE See - page 5