Student Success Begins with Attendance

​Student Success Begins with Attendance ​The path to graduation begins with coming to school The first day of kindergarten is one of the first steps a child takes on the path to graduation. It is a critical time and can set the tone for the educational journey that he or she is beginning. Stressing the importance of being in school and encouraging growth and learning sends the right message to kids. It lets them know that their education is a priority to you and will become a priority to them.

As a parent, you are responsible for making sure your child gets to school each day. While you might think that a few absences here and a few absences there don’t add up to much or won’t impact learning, they do. Missing 18 days of school, which is ten percent of the time, is considered chronic absenteeism

When children miss one day of school, they miss an entire day of instruction.   For every day missed, it takes a child at least two days of school to catch up and they must work twice as hard. They miss opportunities and skill development and have a harder time learning to read.   Additionally, a teacher loses class time by having to teach one tudent something the entire class was taught the day before. An absence impacts the entire class.

What attendance tells us:

• Absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with school work, dealing with a bully or a facing other serious difficulties.
  
  
• By 6^th grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that a student may drop out of high school.
  
  
• By 9^th grade, regular and high attendance is a better predictor of graduation than 8^th grade test scores.
• Missing 10 percent, or 18 days, of the school year can dramatically affect a student’s academic success.
  
  
• Students can be chronically absent even if they only miss a day or two every few weeks. 

What you can do

• Talk about the importance of going to school every day.  Make it an expectation.

• Set a regular bed time and morning routine.  Help your child maintain daily routines such as finishing homework and getting a good night’s sleep.
  
  
• Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
  
  
• Try not to schedule any appointments, including medical or dental, during the school day.
  
  
• Don’t schedule family vacations while school is session. 
  
  
• Don’t let your child stay home unless truly sick.  Complaints of headaches or stomachaches may be signs of anxiety.
  
  
• If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors, or other parents for advice on how to make him or her feel comfortable and excited about learning.
  
  
• Develop back-up plans for getting to school if something comes up.  Call on a family member, a neighbor or other parents.
  
  

Help your child stay engaged

• Stay on top of academic progress and seek help from teachers if necessary.  Make sure teachers know how to contact you.
  
  
• Stay on top of your child’s social contacts.  Peer pressure can lead to skipping school.
  
  
• Encourage meaningful afterschool activities including sports and clubs.

Talk to teachers if you notice sudden changes in behavior.  Log in to Campus Parent Portal and check your child’s attendance frequently.

 If you are having trouble getting your child to school, ask for help.  Talk to school officials, afterschool programs, other parents or community agencies.  We will help you find the resources that you need.

Coming to school every day will give your child the best chance of staying on the path to graduation.