Attendance matters for success, both in school and in life. When a student is absent from school, he/she misses out on opportunities to learn and succeed. The Empty Chair is a symbol that stresses the importance of attendance and the fact that a teacher cannot teach an empty chair. This initiative by the Mayor’s and Superintendent's Attendance Task Force is part of a strategy to develop a culture of attendance. Understanding that everyone in the community has a stake and a role in ensuring that every student attends school every day, the group came up with the idea of a "high five" greeting event on the first day of school, September 7, 2016. School and elected officials were joined by police and fire department personnel, agency and medical personnel and members of the private business and service community to greet students as they entered each of the eleven elementary school city-wide. Click here for the Herald News article. Click here for a seven-minute video of the event at three of the eleven schools. For more information on what YOU can do to fill the Empty Chair, contact Barbara Allard at 508-675-8421, Ext. 55143. 

(Top row) Lisa DeMello and Deb Paulino from Saint Anne's Hospital put on stickers that read "Every Day Counts" to emphasize the importance of attending school every day before Principal Anne-Marie Scott greets Lisa and Fall River Juvenile Court Magistrate Roger Oliveira. (Row two, left and right) School Resource Officer Michele Niles talks with first-grader Jordan Ortiz before students are welcomed into the Viveiros Elementary School. (Row two, center) School Committeeman Gabriel Andrade greets students and parents at the Letourneau School. (Row three) Debra Morisette of the Fall River Housing Authority greets a student at Viveiros while State Representative Paul Schmid talks with Paulette Perry, Irene Souza and Terry Ferland from Pediatrics Associates outside the Letourneau School where Assistant Principal David Assad, Principal Brian Raposo, and City Councilor Cliff Ponte wait for students to arrive. (Row four) City Councilor Richard Cabeceiras and Terry Ferland high fives students in front of Letourneau while Mayor Jasiel Correia, Superintendent Matt Malone, and Fonseca Principal Alici Lisi pose for a selfie. (Row five) Deb Morisette prepares to greet students at the front of the high five line. (Row seven) Partners for a Healthier Community, Inc. School Wellness Coordinator Marcia Picard holds an Empty Chair poster as students are greeted on the way into the building. (Bottom row) Mayor Correia high fives students along with Superintendent Malone on the way into Fonseca.