We've had a great start to the 24-25 school year! Teachers and students connecting, Picture Days, Open House, Fall Sports jamborees-bringing us all together to live out our theme this year: ONE TEAM. ONE DREAM.

But what is that dream? Our dream, or our vision as a school is to "Empower & equip your students to discover & pursue their dreams." We have so many opportunities through the Academies of the ISD to help prepare your students to be career and college ready and we want your students to be able to maximize those opportunities.

But how do we do that? Our mission as a schools is to "Embrace the practice rigor, relevance, and relationships in all that we do."

What does that mean, exactly? It means we hope to challenge your students with meaningful and purposeful learning and work in a caring, supportive environment.

Why do we do all of this? Becase we believe all students are worth it. Everyday.

As we engage in this work this school year, we are focused on the following:

Increasing student attendance-Our goal is for at least 73% of students to attend school at least 90% of the time. We have 155 school days this year and they all count! Important things are happening everyday and we miss your student when they are not here. School is best when all students are here participating.

Improving student achievement-improving student scores and outcomes as measured by a variety of assessments and personal growth, but formally in raising EOC raw scale scores by 1.5%,

Increasing engagement-We continue to look at ways we can help students and parents be more engaged in learning and the life of the school. You are engaging right now by reading this newsletter-thank you!

We hope you take the time to read all of the information in this newsletter and encourage your friends friends to do the same. The more we communicate and work together, the better the experience for our students.

Did you know......

*Pre-Covid, approx. 8 million students were considered to be chronically absent

*Post-Covid that number has doubled to 16 million

*Pre-Covid between 83 and 86% of students at Truman HS attended school 90% or more.

*In the 23-24 school year, 71.90% of students attended school 90% or more.

*Students are chronically absent when they miss 10% or more of the school year, which for us, means missing the equivalent of 15 days of school the entire school year.

*Research shows that students who miss fewer than the equivalent of two (2) full days in September continued to miss fewer than two days a month for the remainder of the school year

*This year, we have 155 instructional days with students (140 at the time of this newsletter), so students who miss the equivalent of 15 full days of school or more for the year will be chronically absent? H

*There are 68 instructional days in first semester, which means students missing the equivalent of 6 or more days 1st semester would be chronically absent. Strive for missing fewer than 5 full days 1st semester.

*Students who averaged 15 days of being absent per school year in grades K-12 would miss 195 days of instruction/learning over the course of their educational career. That's more than a year's worth of instruction.

As you can see from the statistics above, chronic absenteeism is a critical issue facing the country & our school. Chronic absenteeism can stem from many sources: lack of sleep, lack of transportation, lack of other resources, school avoidance/anxiety, chronic mental & physical health issues, etc. We can & must do better in helping our students value the importance of daily attendance, set up routines & create good habits that promote daily attendance, and identify & address the barriers that contribute to chronic absenteeism.

This year, our goal is to improve student attendance by just over 1% to 73%. That is a modest goal and we believe we can exceed it, but we need your help.

This year, we will focus on Getting R.E.A.L to BE PRESENT. BE POWERFUL

This semester, each student should Strive for Less Than 5 absences between Aug. 19th & Dec. 20th.

So what is the school doing?

1. As always, we are focusing on building strong, positive relationships with all students and amongst students so everyone feels comfortable, safe, and welcomed at school.

2. We continue to focus on designing engaging and relevant learning that students are eager to attend school for.

3. This week, all students will be setting an attendance and academic goal for this semester. Teachers will be checking in weekly with students to monitor their progress & celebrate achieving their goal.

4. We send daily communication when students miss class so you can monitor their attendance.

5. We will send 4 & 7 day letters when a student has missed 4 days (excused or unexcused) of any class as a gentle reminder that when they miss 7 days (excused or unexcused) of class, they are in jeopardy of not receiving credit for the class.

6. We require 90% attendance to attend all dances and purchase a parking permit.

7. We require 90% attendance in each class or the grade earned for the class is denied.

What we really desire is for students to want to be here, to want to learn and grow, to want to discover and pursue their dreams.

So what can families do?

1. Promote a positive attitude about school in general. Have high expectations of daily attendance at home.

2. Avoid appointments and vacations during school days

3. Educate themselves on how the school calculates attendance (see FAQs below)

4. Encourage outside groups (scouts, church, employers) to recognize students with good school attendance.

5. Communicate with their students about their attendance & academic goals mentioned above and support those goals at home as well.

6. Monitor and track student attendance on Powerschool and reach out if corrections need to be made.

7. Reach out to the school for assistance when navigating chronic absenteeism issues.

8. Use the Get R.E.A.L. Framework below when talking to students about attendance:

• Showing up matters for R.E.A.L because it is an opportunity to:

• Build Routines

• Increase Engagement

• Provide Access to resources

• Support Learning

• Routines: Establishing a routine of daily attendance helps reduce stress at home, and supports a habit of attendance that will help your teenager get and keep a job.
• Engagement: Being in school helps students to get to know each other and school staff and builds relationships that can motivate participation in learning.
• Access to Resources: Schools provide access to valuable resources such as meals, health, mental health supports and fun enrichment activities such as sports, clubs, music, and other afterschool and summer programs.
• Learning: Students who attend school regularly do better academically are more likely to graduate from high school.

Parent FAQs about Attendance

How is my student’s attendance calculated?

We say "the equivalent of full days of school" above because student attendance is calculated by the minute, so when students arrive late to school, are tardy to a class, skip a class, or check out early for appointments, all that time adds up to equal full days missed.

But if I call and excuse my student’s absence, it doesn’t count against their attendance, right? Wrong. It is a common misconception that excused absences (which show up in Powerschool as "EXC") do not count against a student’s attendance. ALL absences count against a student’s attendance, whether excused or unexcused. While we may make provisions at the school level for medical absences, funerals, etc., all of those absences still do count in a student’s attendance rate. And of course, whether excused of not, the student has missed out on critical classroom instruction that cannot be replicated. An excused absence is is one where the parent has notified the school they are aware of the student's absence, but it is still an absence.

So what are unexcused absences then?

Unexcused absences, (which show as "A" in PowerSchool), are absences that the parent has not communicated to the school. It could be for an entire day(s), or a single block (ie, a student skips).

What about doctors' notes, appearances in court, funerals, etc.?

We understand that students may miss due to these reasons, which is why good attendance the rest of time is so important. Unless students are truly ill, they should attend school. When we have doctor's notes, etc. we are able to code the absence as "M" in Powerschool. Here again, all these absences still counts in a student's attendance rate and they have missed important instructional time with their teacher and classmates. While we may take these absences into consideration at the school level when it comes to credit for classes and privileges like dances and parking permits, it is still a part of their attendance rate.

My student’s attendance doesn’t really effect anyone except my student so I don't see what the big deal is.

Also a misconception. A student’s absence effects many people-the teacher who has to take extra time away from other students to get a student caught up, grade late work, etc. It effects other students who are relying on classmates to show up, to contribute to group projects, and class discussions. Many man hours are taken up accounting for student absences by secretaries, administrators, and counselors. Attendance is a big deal..

What is an NG and why would it show up on my student's grade card instead of a grade?

An NG stands for No Grade. This shows up on a student' grade card when they have missed 7 or more days in any course. Once a student has missed 7 days, they are denied credit for the course. They will be put on Attendance Probation for the next semester and be required to make-up the missed time on Monday schools AND maintain a 90% attendance rate before we can award them their grade/credit. This can cause issues with staying on track towards graduation as well as MSHSAA eligibility.

What if I have tried everything I can and my student just refuses to come to school? We understand this is so frustrating and we are here to help. Please reach out to your student's teacher, counselor, and/or administrator so we can work together to help your student.

We appreciate your partnership in improving attendance for all students this year, and we are excited to see the impact we can have, working together on ONE TEAM, ONE DREAM!

Check out the graphic below for details on our Parent Camp Event. Click the graphic to RSVP.

Also of note, transporation to 1st SESSION ONLY is provided, but must be requested by signing up

For more details about how to sign up, etc. visit the following link: https://www.isdschools.org/enrichment-opportunities/

Check out Monday School Offerings at the following link: https://mondays.isdschools.org/offerings

Mondays in September

No student attendance days on any Mondays in September.

Staff will attend on Mon. 9/30 for Professional Development

Mondays in October

10/7-Monday School Offered

10/14-No Monday School-Teacher Work Day

10/21-Monday School Offered

10/28-Monday school Offered

Mondays in November

11/4-STUDENT AND STAFF ATTENDANCE DAY (students will have the following day, Tues. 11/5 off due to the election. Staff will report for Professional Development)

11/11-Monday School Offered

11/18-Monday School Offered

11/25-STUDENT AND STAFF ATTENDANCE DAY (due to the short week for Thanksgiving Break, students and staff attend on 11/25 and 11/26)

Mondays in December

12/2-NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS OR STAFF

12/9-Monday School Offered

12/16-STUDENT AND STAFF ATTENDANCE DAY (to accommodate Winter Break)

Mark your calendars!

September Dates:

9/5-Junior Class Mtg duing PAT for Class Rings/Class Jewelry

9/6-First Home Football Game

9/10-Newcomer Orientation Night-6pm-Lecture Hall

9/11-Jr. Class Ring Orders taken at Lunch and Family Order Time 4pm-6pm in the Front Lobby

9/17-Parent Camp-Tech Night! 6pm Lecture Hall

9/18-Truman Patriot's Club PTSA Mtg. 7pm-Library

9/19-Academy Induction Ceremony during PAT which is moved to the end of the day.

9/21-Fall Vendor Fair-Big Gym-more details coming soon.

9/26-Senior Class Mtg. during PAT and Blood Drive led by JROTC

9/27-Wagon Wheel Game at WC

OCTOBER DATES:

10/1-10/4-Homecoming Week

Orchestra Concert-Oct. 2nd-7pm

10/4-Pep Assembly end of the day. Game 7pm. Queen crowned at Half-Time

10/5-HOCO Dance 7pm Small Gym.

10/8-Picture Make-Up/Re-Take Day 9-11 yearbook & ID photo, Seniors-ID photo only.

Senior Portrait Make-Up Only Seniors last name A-L who did not have a yearbook portrait taken this summer

10/9-SOS Day

10/11-END OF 1st QUARTER.

Parent Teacher Conferences-TUESDAY Oct. 15th 3:30pm-7:30pm & WEDNESDAY Oct. 16th 3:30pm-7:00pm (No school on the preceding Mon. Oct. 14th)

10/17-Senior Class Mtg. during PAT

10/18-Senior Portrait Make-Up Seniors last name M-Z only if they did not take a portrait for the yearbook this summer

10/22-Choir Concert 7pm Auditorium

10/23-Truman Patriots Club-PTSA Mtg. 7pm Library

Choir Concert at 7pm-Thurs. Oct. 19th-

10/24-Freshman Commitment to Graduate (F2G) Ceremony during PAT

10/27-Trunk or Treat Noon-2pm hosted by STUCO & Participating Clubs/Sports

Recently, all 9th and 10th grade ELA and Math students took the Star Reading and Star Math tests. This test shows students, teachers, and families how their student is performing in these areas to identify strengths on which to build and areas for growth & improvement. Ask your student and/or their teacher about their performance on this assessment.

All students have likely taken or will soon be taking Pre-Tests for the first units of study in all core areas and some electives. At the end of the units, they will take Common Unit Tests to see how they have progressed in their learning of the concepts covered in that unit.

Sept. 11th and 12th select seniors will be taking the ASVAB. Many seniors may also be taking the Work Keys Test at some point 1st semester to determine aptitudes and skills in areas that can help them focus on college & career readiness.

On March 11th, Extreme Test day, all freshmen will attend a college visit, all sophomores will take either the ACT or Work Keys, and all juniors will take the ACT. These tests help students identify areas of strength and improvement and can use results to help inform enrollment, dual credit eligibility, college admissions, scholarships, etc.

What can students do to preprae for these assessments? Attend school each day, fully engage and participate in the learning and work provided by their teachers, and do their best.

See below for other ACT National Test dates.

How and when can my student purchase a dance ticket?

It's important to remember that attending a dance is a privilege. That privilege is earned with good attendance, good grades, good behavior, and no obligations.

FIRST, All students must complete a Ticket Request Form to determine eligibility prior to purchasing a ticket.

This form will be emailed to all students approx 2-3 weeks prior to the dance and announced to students daily to complete the form. Students who do not complete the Ticket Request Form by the deadline will not be permitted to purchase a ticket. Once students have completed their form, they should check their email daily for a response regarding their eligibility.

Students requesting to purchase a ticket must meet the following criteria:

Academic: Passing 7 of their 8 classes.

Attendance: Have 90% attendance effective 9/12/23 & maintain through the date of the dance.

Behavior: No major disciplines issues (ISS/OSS)

Obligations: No obligations of any kind. All obligations must be cleared prior to purchasing a ticket.

Once approved for a ticket, students can then purchase a ticket.

Ticket sales begin approx. two weeks prior to the dance.

Tickets can be purchased anytime on MySchoolBucks

Or in person during lunch shifts, or after school until 3:30pm Tues.-Thurs each week. Students should not miss class to purchase a ticket.

Please note-NO TICKET SALES ON FRIDAYS.

How much are tickets?

Tickets are $10. If purchasing in person, must have exact change. No tickets are sold at the door

Tickets Non-refundable and non-transferable, meaning Student A cannot purchase a ticket, decide to not go, and give their ticket to Student B.

Is there a dress code?

Most students dress formal to semi-formal. Attire should not be overly revealing and should be appropriate for a high school dance. Administrators reserve the right to address any attire that could be questionable or unsafe.

What else should students and parents know?

1. No high heels are permitted on the dance floor and if worn, will be asked to be removed.

2. All students need to show their current student ID to enter the dance.

3. All school rules apply to dances.

4. No admission to the dance after 8pm. Once students leave the dance, they are not permitted to re-enter.

5. PTSA will run a shoe/coat check and sell bottled water and some snacks.

6. Rides should pick students up promptly at 10pm

4. Homecoming King is crowned at the dance.

Just a reminder to keep the following in mind when students are attending sporting events this year.

1. All students need to show a current year school ID to attend all home and away events or be accompanied by their parent or gaurdian.

2. Only students from the two participating schools will be admitted, unless accompanied by their parent/guardian.

3. All middle school schools students must also have a current year student ID AND be accompanied by a parent.

4. No backpacks are allowed in to any events.

5. No re-entry: once students or patrons leave the event, there is no re-entry permitted.

6. No admission after halftime.

7. Students should be picked up within 10 minutes of the event ending.

8. All school rules apply to porting events-home and away.

9. We are a tobacco and firearm/weapon free campus.

10. Activity passes are available for purchase from our Athletics & Activities office. Otherwise, there is an entry fee for all events.

10. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for students.

Need to know when your student is playing?

Want to order some Truman Gear?

Want score updates?

Interested in joining our Patriot Booster Club?

Click the link below for your one-stop for all things Sports and Activities at THS.

https://gotruman.com/

First, thank you all, students, staff and parents for a good first two weeks of the new school year. There are a couple of reminders and updates I wanted to share with you.

- When parking in the parking lot, make sure students are locking their vehicles and not leaving anything of value in plain sight. Also, make sure your student is not leaving their keys in the vehicle. We have had a stolen vehicle case due to this.

- Parking passes need to be purchased if your student is choosing to drive and park in the school parking lot. Tickets will be issued starting September 3rd, 2024. STUDENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PARK IN ANY SPACES THAT ARE NUMBERED

- If your student is driving to school, they need to have a valid driver's license and insurance. If your student has a permit then they need to be accompanied by a licensed driver who is over the age of 18. TWO PERMITS DO NOT MAKE A LICENSE.

- While marijuana is legal in Missouri for adults 21 years and older, it is illegal for students to be in possession, under the influence, and/or distributing marijuana, especially at school. Please note that this is taken very seriously by not only the school but by law enforcement. Youth court referrals or tickets will be issued if your student is caught with any type of controlled substance or drug paraphernalia on school grounds.

- Judge Watkins who presides over Youth Court, has approved a new charge for juveniles. While it is a violation of school rules and board policy for students to video at school, there are now also Youth Court charges should a student be caught filming and/or posting video of a student conflict/altercation at school. Students who video CAN and MAY be CHARGED with Disorderly Conduct. Their phone MAY also be seized by SRO and placed on property as evidence requiring parent pick up and proof of ownership. It is not safe to video or post video of students conflicts at school for a number of reasons. Students should get as far away as possible and seek adults to intervene.

I hope to communicate with parents regularly and seek your partnership in ensuring a safe school environment for our students. If you have any questions pertaining to the law enforcement side of things, or need assistance with an issue, please feel free to contact me here at the school.

As always take care and be safe,

Officer C. Cole #1429

Independence Police Department

816-325-7300

Chris_Cole@isdschools.org

Oct.8th-This is a makeup day for all students who were not in attendance on Aug. 21st and Aug. 22nd or who need a retake. This includes students 9-12 as this picture is for their Student ID. For students grades 9-11, this picture is also their yearbook photo.

SENIOR PORTAITS ONLY -Oct. 8th and 18th. These dates are for any senior who did not have a portrait session this summer. This is your senior's yearbook photo. If they do not have their photo taken by Strawbridge, their photo will not be in the yearbook. We may have additional dates and will update you as we add those.

Watch your email closer to these dates for ordering information. While you have the opportunity to purchase portraits, purchase is not required to appear in the yearbook or receive an ID.

We know the struggle is real and getting students, especially teenagers, up and going in the morning is a challenge. We empathize! We have noticed that the closer to 7:00 and 7:05, the more congested the front drive-thru becomes. We are asking for your help to ease that congestion and help get students to class on time by reviewing and following the information below:

1. Please leave early enough to account for long waits, but still have students to school on time. This is especially true in inclement weather when more families will drop off instead of students riding the bus.

2. Please drop your student off as early as 6:45 to wait to enter the building when doors open at 7am. (In inclement weather, we will open our doors a little earlier). Students do not have to and should not wait in their cars until 7am. They can be dropped off and wait at the door under the portico.

3. When using the front drive, please pull ALL THE WAY THROUGH to the digital sign and let your student walk back to the door. This will allow more cars to get in the drive and drop off students more quickly as opposed to dropping them off right at the door, which causes a good portion of the congestion.

4. Of course at all times, be slow, safe, and courteous. Getting into the school can be a hectic and frustrating time, but we want to be sure we are aware of others, polite, and above all safe as students are entering the building.

Board Policy S-185-E states that the District strictly prohibits bullying, including hazing, and cyberbullying on school grounds, at any school function, or on District transportation.

This policy defines these behaviors and outlines responsibilities for reporting.

At Truman High School, reports of bullying can be made to our Anti-Bullying Coordinator,

Dr. Taisha Newcomer

taisha_newcomer@isdschools.org

816-521-5350

Additionally, in cases of harassment and discrimination, individuals may contact the District Compliance Officer

Dr. Brett Playter

brett_playter@isdschools.org

816-521-5300

If you are on social media, you may want to follow the accounts below to stay connected and informed to the life of our school and district.

Truman High School

Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/THSPatriots

Official Twitter: @THSPatriots

Truman High School Official Sports Updates

Twitter: @GoTrumanPats

Truman High School PTSA -Truman Patriots Club

Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/groups/297650478495369

Twitter: @THSPatriotsClub

Truman High School Counseling Center

Instagram: @counseling_ths

Twitter: @Counseling_THS

Truman Student Council

Instagram: @trumanstuco1

Truman High School Library Media Center

Twitter: @truman_library

Independence School District

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ISDSchools/

Twitter: @ISDschools