News from Eli Terry
Week of September 8th, 2023
Thank you for all you did in the month of September to make the transition back to school a smooth and positive one for your family and child(ren). As we head into the beginning of October and settle into a normal learning routine, we wanted to remind you that your child's regular attendance at school is crucial to their success!
As we shared in our communication last week, our Eli Terry attendance team reviews attendance/tardy data monthly and plans for tiered interventions when students are considered "chronically absent" (missing 10% or more of the school days offered). We wanted to take an opportunity to highlight some of the take-aways from this month's data review:
- In the month of September, our 490 students collectively had an attendance rate of 96% - exceeding our goal of 95%!
- Currently 38 of our students (7.7%) are considered "chronically absent" having missed 2 or more days of school last month - ET, the district, and the state aim to have this consistently below 5%.
- Kindergarten & Grade 2 have the highest number of students (8 each) flagging as "chronically absent". Kindergarten also had the lowest percent of students present each day with an average of 95%
- Grade 5 has the lowest number of students (3) flagging. They also had the highest percent of students present each day with an average of 98%.
- Currently 75 of our students (15%) have at least one tardy; meaning they arrived to school after our 8:45AM start time.
We fully recognize that children get sick and appreciate the proactive steps each family takes to keep their child(ren) and our school community healthy and well. Often it's the "sick days" coupled with "avoidable absences" that cause a child to become "chronically absent".
When we talk about considering attendance for your child, we're asking you to consider the "avoidable" absences such as the ones that result from a long-weekend, planned vacation, scheduling of "well-visit" doctor appointments, or a late start that might result in a day home. Research shows that even when children have missed school for good reasons, too many absences can cause them to fall behind.
Our team here at Eli Terry is ready and willing to support students and families who may be considered "chronically absent". Do not hesitate to reach out if we can support your family in any way.
And just a friendly reminder that Monday is a planned absence for everyone in honor of Indigenous Peoples' Day!
October 18th is Unity Day across our nation.
Unity Day is a day where we ask our children and all people to wear orange in solidarity in order to represent our commitment to treating people with kindness.
Unity Day was started by a group of parents of special needs children who were being bullied back in 2000. They continued their mission through educating non-special education students and parents about their children’s disabilities. Later, in 2005 they decided to span their philosophy to all children. They started the PACERKidsAgainstBullying.org.
We here at Eli Terry and district wide have adopted this concept to unify us as a community, even as far as involving our community resources to join the force of wearing orange. So please show your support by wearing orange and having your child wear orange on Unity Day this October 18th. If you or your child do not own any orange clothing or accessories, we will provide an orange scottie dog to wear if your child so chooses.
This year we will have each student sign a pledge against bullying and treating people with respect. Grades 3 through 5 will also have a special presentation by InteractTV which will focus on problem solving and standing up for yourself in a healthy way.
Thank you for your support!
