Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1910-12-21
A LETTER TO TEACHERS

The following communication sent to teach
ers and school clerks Sept. 5, 1910. 1t is made a
part of this annual it covers in general way,
the work devolving upon them during the year
and such information as will be mutually helpful.
Dear Teacher:-Ths letter will come to the
hands of some who perhaps can make no practlcai
use of it. but coming at the beginning OF the school
term it ought to be welcome visitor to all who eX-
pect to teach and especially so to the lneXperl-
enced teacher hope that Few Of the Sugges-
tons will be applicable and helpful to ALL
It is impossible to visit all of the schools the
first term and it is with the desire to be helpful
to you and your school and to direct you IN a lew
things expected OF you from TINS once that thls
communication IS SENT
AS YOU take up the years work you may have
many difficult problems and local questions come
I'D for your solution, and in your present position
as teacher and educational leader OF the commun-
ity you Will have to work out the solution TO
many Of them without help or hlndrance. he
member you are the leader; you must direct the
energy and work of your school, not follow 1T.
When your certificate was mailed to you, two
kinds of report cards accompanied It, One is to
be made out and mailed to this office on engaging
school, If you have engaged a school and nave
not sent in this report you are requested TO 40 SO
at once Report cards encosed.) Give post Of
flee address where mail will reach you while
teaching. The other report card, notice OF va
cation IS to be used announcing the fall sp4 ng,
and summer vacations. No notice need be sent
for Christmas vacation
Near the close Of the school year, two year y
report blanks will be sent to you. Both blanks
the other to be handed to the school clerk Tor
which he will be very grateful to you Wnen ne
makes out his report to the town clerk; II you 90
not receive these blanks one month before your
school closes for the year. communicate the fact to
this Office.
Attendance report blanks were sent to the
school clerk in June with instructions to place
them in the hands of the teacher: Ii you do not
receive them within a few days after commencing
school, ask him for them. One ATTENDANCE re-
port is be sent to this office at the enc OF each
school month, 20 school days, giving the names,
ages, days attendance and days absence OF all
children enrolled in school.
The compulsory attendance law in short de
mands that every child between the ages anu +
the school year. There are three classes OF chill
dren between and ID years of age exempt from
the compulsory attendance law: .
1. Children living more than two miles from
school by the nearest Travelled highway.
2. Children physically or mentally unable to
3 Children who hold a common school di-
ploma or who have completed the grades below
the high school. -,
for the enforcement of the law. l. The teacher.
2. School clerk. 3. County superintendent.
4. District Attorney. 5. Sheriff
l. The school clerk reports the name, age and
distance each child lives from school, together
with the name of the parent and his address.
2. The teacher reports at the end OF each
month to the county superintendent the attend
ance ana absence of each child attending school.
3. The clerks report and teacher reports are
compared from month to month. The children
who are not attending school or who are irregular
in attendance are reported by the county super
intendent to the sheriff who notifies the parents.
A. When it is determined that a child because
of irregular attendance and without legal eXcuse)
cannot attend school the required time, l2O days,
the parent is liable to prosecution and 1T becomes
the duty of the district attorney to issue warrant
for the arrest of the parent. The officials en-
powered with the administration OF this law have
no discretion in the matter, and should any OF
them refuse to do his part he lays himself liable to
fine.
One suggestion concerning the monthly attend
ance reports-You have no power to excuse 3
chd's absence from school. II child is absent
from school five days or more during month, do
not write O. X. in the column for remarks, but in
stead the cause for his absence. If your school
clerk has not supplied you with copy of the last
Census reports, attendance reports, and perfect
attendance certificates received by you are to be
left with the school register. 1t is quite necessary
that the supplies remain in the school to be used
by your successor
If YOU are using Harvey's Register do not fail
to make out the report of classification so far
possbe'early in the term. (See parts IL, III and
~ of the register.) If register is needed IN
your school, direct the school board to commune
cate with merelative to the matter before making
a purchase.
The system of attendance certificates used last
wear for regular and perfect attendance will be
continued this year. If you find that your school
is not supplied with book of perfect attendance
one The small certificates earned last year will
90 toward earning large certificate, so that a
pupil after receiving five small certificates, may
continue to earn other small certificates which he
may use to apply toward another large certificate
of award After receiving five certificates of
award large certificate OF honor will be given the
pupil / shall be pleased to have you take hold of
this matter with considerable interest and enthus