With the close of another month of school, our attendance team met to review the month's and our cumulative attendance data! I don't think it came as a surprise that attendance was challenging in January due to illness, as well as extended holiday travel. Below we highlight some of the data, as well as a tip for attendance in February!
Attendance Numbers to Note:
- 45 students are considered "chronically absent". That is 9.2% of students. Well we are still below the threshold of 10%, our goal is to be much closer to 5%.
- In the month of January, our average daily percent present was 94.38%. For the second month in a row, this is below our goal of 95% or more.
- Grade 3 continues to have the highest average attendance with 96.83% and the least number of students flagged as chronically absent (5).
- Grade 2 had the lowest average attendance with 92.54% and the most students (11) flagged as chronically absent.
- 85 students have perfect attendance; never missing a day out of the 96 offered!
Attendance Tip for February: Create a family attendance chart or a "Days at School Tracker" to visually track and celebrate attendance milestones. You can customize it based on what works best for your child and family. Here’s how:
✅ Choose a Format: Use a whiteboard, poster, or a printable calendar where your child can mark each school day attended. You can get creative with stickers, stamps, or even magnets to track progress.
🎯 Set Milestones & Small Rewards:
- Daily: A simple checkmark or sticker to acknowledge a successful morning.
- Weekly: Celebrate five full days of school with a special privilege, like choosing the family movie night pick or an extra bedtime story.
- Monthly: Recognize consistent attendance with a family outing, a favorite meal, or a "You Rock!" certificate.
💡 Make It Interactive: Let your child decorate the tracker with their favorite characters, drawings, or themes. Consider a countdown to special school events to build anticipation.
Why This Works:
- Visual Motivation: Seeing progress makes attendance feel like an achievement and reinforces the importance of showing up.
- Positive Reinforcement: Small rewards and praise create excitement and make attendance a fun challenge.
- Ownership & Accountability: Children take pride in their progress and develop responsibility for being at school regularly.
By making attendance a family effort, you’re instilling lifelong habits of commitment, consistency, and goal-setting—all in a way that feels engaging and rewarding! 🚀
