Attendance Awareness

There are a lot of activities and events happening around the district. Students have achieved state-level honors in music, robotics, cooking, and health occupations, and multiple sports since we returned to school in January. Congratulations to all our students achieving high honors as well as their teachers/coaches and parents. There are many more competitions coming up during the 4th quarter, and we are looking forward to what our Bobcats will achieve!

Participation in the school day and extracurricular activities is directly related to academic success for students. Showing up for school has a huge impact on a child’s academic success starting in kindergarten and continuing through high school. Attending school regularly is important to ensure your child is learning the academic skills required for their grade and helps them feel better about school and themselves. We miss your child when they are not at school, and we value their contributions to our schools. Chronic absenteeism, as early as preK and kindergarten, is correlated to lower test scores, poor attendance and retention in later grades, especially if the problem persists for more than a year.

We want to partner with you to make sure your child benefits fully from their education by attending and engaging in school regularly. As we enter the final quarter of the school year, let's finish the year strong! We are better together!

• Children miss out on fundamental reading and math skills and the opportunity to build a habit of regular attendance that will carry them into college and careers.
• Children who are chronically absent in kindergarten and 1st grade are far less likely to read proficiently at the end of 3rd grade.
• By 6th grade, chronic absenteeism becomes a leading indicator a student will drop out of high school.
• When students improve their attendance rates, they improve their academic prospects and likelihood of graduating.
• Students may fall behind even if they miss just one or two days every few weeks.
• Absences can impact the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up.
• Attending school daily provides opportunities for your child to learn valuable social skills and to develop meaningful relationships with other students and school staff.

• Attendance is an important life skill that will increase the likelihood for your child to graduate from college and keep a job.

• Significance Level: α = .05

• P-Value = 8.2016E-12 = .0000000000082016

• .0000000000082016 < .05 , therefore there is a significant linear correlation between attendance and GPA
  

• Significance Level: α = .05

• P-Value = 3.552E-7 = .0000003552

• .0000003552 < .05 , therefore there is a significant linear correlation between attendance and math achievement

• Significance Level: α = .05

• P-Value = 8.781E-6 = .000008781

• .000008781 < .05 , therefore there is a significant linear correlation between attendance and reading achievement

Satisfactory Attendance: 9 or fewer absences in a school year

Warning Signs: 10 to 17 absences in a school year

Chronic Absenteeism: 18 absences or more in a school year

*These definitions are based on our EPSD Policies and CDE Attendance Guidelines*

• Students should miss no more than 9 days of school each year to stay engaged, successful and on track to graduation.
• By 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three warning signs that a student may drop out of high school.
• By 9th grade, regular and high attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 8th grade test scores.
• Missing 10 percent, or about 18 days, of the school year can negatively impact a student’s academic success.

Research collected at Attendance Works

When your student is ill and too sick to come to school, please keep them home and help them get well. We understand when this happens. Sometimes it is difficult to know how sick is too sick. You can use the guidelines from Colorado Department of Health to help make those decisions.

Build regular routines for bed time and the morning. Keep a chart recording your child’s attendance and talk about it with your child. Develop back up plans for getting to school if something comes up.

Seek support from school staff or community groups to help with transportation, health problems, or safe paths to school.

The current 2022-23 school calendar and the upcoming 2023-24 calendar can be found HERE. Please scroll to the bottom to view and download your own copy. Please avoid medical appointments and extended trips when school is in session.

EPSD is working on developing the next 3-year calendar for years 2024-2027. This process will take place between now and fall of 2023. Please provide your input on the following link or by clicking the button at the end of the newsletter: https://forms.gle/V3snUwoW8DubwA548

Email: info@estesschools.org
Website: www.estesschools.org
Location: 1605 Brodie Avenue, Estes Park, CO, USA
Phone: 970-586-2361
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EstesParkSchools