The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1911-02-25
Will APPEAL TO
TRUANT OFFICER

10 fatrOns OF W1nnemucca Schools:
We, the teachers Of the Winnemuc-
ca school, use this paper to carry ia
you what we are unable to convenient
ly communicate to you in any other
way.
50 per cent to SO per cent. The attend
ance of the upper grade pupils to be
far less regular and punctual than il
should be and to be so irregular as to
shamefully weaken the character of
the class work that we are able to do
and that unless conditions improve ii
will be impossible to have strong
classes in the upper grades.
The attendance of the 7th and 9Th
grades for last month fell to about sc
per cent, while that of the same grades
in some other schools in the state was
80 per cent to SO. percent. The attend
ance in the lower grades is much bet
ter than that of the upper grades, yet
during the winter months it is natural
ly to be supposed that the attendance
of the little people would be much
more irregular.
Why are the older pupils of the Win.
nemucca schools absent and tardy SO
muchf And why, parents, do these
conditions exists Why are pupils
whose school life might be trained fol-
the most good and most efficient re-
suits allowed to be absent and tardy
so muchf And some of these people
remain out half day resting because
they were socially busy the evening
before. And they are not High school
people of eighteen or more years of
age; they are little girls and boys of
fourteen to sixteen years of age in the
9th, 7th and 8th grades.
We make an allowance for sickness
and for the need of the child at home,
yet that does not explain away all of
the absence and tardiness. And yet
these people come with written ex-
cuses, the validity of which might be
questioned. Do you grant an excuse
without considering the child's right
to receive that excusef If so you are
an enemy to the child IS proper train
ing. You are opposing the school and
encouraging the child in degrading
habit.
There is a compulsory school law
which we propose to enforce from this
date. A truant officer, duly appointed
by the board of school trustees, will
assist us to enforce the act.
We do this that you may know that
your child is in school every day and
in school on time every day. We Dc
this that the scholarship of the grades
may be raised; we do this that we may
approach a higher standard in the
Winnemucca schools.
The strongest teacher in the state OF
corps of teachers made up of the
1 OF c< tao hn foSC you
can not make a good school if the
children come and go at their pleasure
and are absent from Onefourth to one
third of the time.
] Do not misunderstood us nor mis-
read the meaning intended in this col
umn. We are teaching your children
in your school. This is your town and
our town, your school and our school
but conditions indicate that we have
been slack in encouraging and enforc
ing regular and punctual attendance
or you have been slack in encouraging
and enforcing regular and punctual at
tendance or both of US have neglected
this duty.
What we want is your cooperation
an assistance to relieve this disgrace
full condition, that the Winnemucca
schools may have that work and dis
cipline that make strong scholars; that
the schools of the town will invite
people with their families to settle in
our community, instead of driving
them away.
We do not mean that you are to read
this article and say: "Yes, that 4
right, we should support our schools.
But we do mean that you are to act
to take a firm stand with respect tt
the attendance and the application Of
your child. Action only and not words
will relieve the present irregularity OF
attendance.
Here is the record of the attendance
for the upper grades for the month
Of February, showing how many days
each pupil was absent. Take this and
consider for yourself. Being absent
two days means being absent ten pei
cent of the month. Compute what
scholarship each pupil will have on the
basis of the following attendance:
Feb.
days abs. Tardy
Vincent McEnerney =. az
Viola Lupien ......... y 3
Theckla Wright ........ .2h
Mark Guthrie ..........
Grace Latta .......... 2
Mark Cessna ............3A
Leland Muller ...........2 .2R
Phyllis Davenport .......11 !
Rena Brewster .........h
Electra Hurst ........... .2A
Z