September 3, 2018

ATTENDANCE AWARENESS MONTH!

September is ATTENDANCE AWARENESS MONTH and we are getting in the spirit at Cooley!!

My bulletin board outside of my office has been changed to reflect the focus for this month and it currently highlights some basic tips for better attendance. Students who are dedicated to maintaining good attendance, or improving their attendance, are encouraged to come see me to develop an attendance success plan! We can work together to go over current attendance data and set some attendance goals for the remainder of the year.

Also, our AMAZING leadership students helped me advertise attendance awareness month on campus by making these signs to display in high traffic areas. How amazing, right?! HUGE thank you to Mrs. Liebman and her leadership class for their incredible collaboration and creativity!

Parents: wondering how you can get involved? Here are some things you can do to keep your child on track!

1. Make school attendance a priority.

• Talk about the importance of showing up to school everyday, and make that the expectation.

• Help your child maintain daily routines, such as finishing homework and getting a good night’s sleep.

• Do your best not to schedule dental and medical appointments during the school day.

• Don’t let your child stay home unless truly sick. Complaints of headaches or stomach aches may be signs of anxiety.

2. Help your child stay engaged.

• Find out if your child feels engaged by his classes and feels safe at school. Make sure your child is not missing class because of things like peer issues or anxiety. If any of these are problems, get in touch with the school counselor.

• Stay on top of academic progress and seek help from teachers or tutors 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, while students without many friends can feel isolated.

• Encourage meaningful after-school activities, including sports and clubs.

3. Communicate with the school

• Know the school’s attendance policy – incentives and penalties.

• Talk to teachers if you notice sudden changes in behavior. These could be tied to something going on at school.

• Check on your child’s attendance to be sure absences are not piling up.

• Ask for help from school officials, after-school programs, other parents or community agencies if you’re having trouble getting your child to school.

This information, and more, can be found at AttendanceWorks.org

Finally, EVERY DAY during the month of September I will be posting an attendance awareness fact on my Twitter page so tune in there to learn more!