The second semester is back in full swing, and everyone is doing an amazing job adjusting!

This newsletter is here to keep you informed of the happenings in our school and provide you with helpful resources. You can also keep up to date through these channels:

• District website
• Backpack flyers
• District Facebook Page

We are here to support you and your family. Please let us know if there are ways we can accomplish this. We are so excited to see what this year has in store!

Students are considered chronically absent when their attendance rate falls below 90%. That means missing just 15 or more school days for any reason, including excused absences and suspensions!

Children who struggle to attend school regularly tend to have lower reading and math scores when compared to their peers. In addition to having lower academic achievements, there are consequences a child faces when they miss school even in early childhood:

Not attending school regularly may be a predictor of success in high school

• Even one year of chronic absence between 8th and 12th grade increases a students' likelihood of dropping out before graduating high school

Attendance in school could even predict outcomes in adulthood

• Dropping out of high school, which is experienced more frequently by chronically absent students, is linked to poor outcomes later in life, such as poverty, poor health, and involvement in the criminal justice systems

Communication between parents and the school is key to supporting a student who is missing school. The school may know of resources that would help the improve the situation to help the child get to school if there is an open line of communication between the parents and school. Here are some tips improve communication between parents and the school:

• Use a convenient school and parent friendly form of communication, such as SchoolStatus!
• Obtain and provide notes from the doctor when a child is sick or goes to the dentist
• Contact the school counselor for resources if there is a need
• Attend parent/teacher conferences and other events hosted by the school
• Get involved with volunteer committees, such as the PTO or JOM

February 4th heats up with National Homemade Soup Day. In every cuisine, soup provides a rich basis of flavor and history.