The first day of school is fast approaching and the school building has been a flurry of activity. New students have been enrolling almost daily. Custodial staff have been busy making sure the building will be looking top-notch. Office staff have been urgently sorting supply orders and teachers have been popping in and out as we wrapped up summer break.

Additionally, Ms. West and myself along with hiring committees have been busy filling some of the end of summer staffing changes. We are happy to report that in this short window we were able to fill both the fifth grade and kindergarten teaching vacancies. Please see the next section to learn more about Mrs. Chambers and Mrs. Henri. We are happy to have them both join our team.

Finally, the school buses will be arriving before we know it and the excitement, joy, and sometimes angst, of a new school year will be here too. The first day of school always brings many emotions but it is our hope that above all our students will arrive at school to feel safe and like they belong here in the Asa C. Adams school community.

Please know that the Asa staff are eagerly awaiting the arrival of students with excitement and anticipation for an extraordinary year ahead. In the meantime, please know that we are always here if you need us.

Sincerely,

Ms. Wyman and Ms. West

Students arriving before 8:30 should report to the Cafeteria or Gym based on their grade level.

• Grades PK, K, & 1 will report to the CAFETERIA.
• Grades 2-4 will report to the GYM.
• Grade 5 will report to the GYM prior to 8:15 and to the 5th Grade Wing after 8:15.
• Any student having breakfast at school will report to the cafeteria to eat and if they are in grades 2-5 they should then report to the GYM or Specified Classroom room when finished.

Dismissal begins at 2:45pm for walkers and pickups. Buses dismiss at 2:55pm.

*Kindergarten will dismiss at 12:35pm from 8/26/24-9/6/24

Walkers: Students in grades 3, 4, or 5 with written parent permission to walk home will be dismissed through the 5th grade wing. Staff supervising the dismissal will check them off as they leave.

Parent Pick-Ups: Students in grades K-5 that will be picked up by parents, will be dismissed to the playground and wait in their grade level line until they are called to meet their parents. Parents may pick up from the Asa parking lot or from Goodridge Drive.

Bus Riders: Students departing on buses will be called to the playground at 2:55pm to board their buses as they arrive.

We would like to share a friendly reminder that should students need to have cell phones or smart watches for after school activities, they should be left in the student's backpack and turned off until students leave for the school day.

Parents should contact the main office for urgent communication needs or the classroom teacher directly for any non-urgent needs. Thank you for your help with this policy.

Starting out in the new school year we want to share some insights and information about Maine state attendance policies and laws.

Maine schools are required to notify families in writing when their child has reached certain levels of absenteeism. The two types of absenteeism laws fall under either truancy or chronic absenteeism. When you receive a letter regarding your child's attendance it is often out of our compliance with this law.

We do understand that often times illness or other excusable absences cannot be avoided. If we have academic concerns for your child's school progress we would request a meeting so families and the school team can make a plan to better support your child.

Please continue to read on to learn about the details of truancy and chronic absenteeism.

Truancy

The two terms describe different aspects of absenteeism and encourage different approaches.

First, let’s take truancy, a term that generally refers to unexcused absences. Federal law requires states to track truancy but left it up to states to come up with their own definition. In Maine, truancy is defined as missing:

• 10 full days of unexcused absences or 7 consecutive days of unexcused absences for students who have completed 6th grade.

• 7 full days of unexcused absences or 5 consecutive school day of unexcused absences for students who are age 6 who have not completed 6 grade

• 7 full days of unexcused absences or 5 consecutive school days of unexcused absences during a school year for students enrolled in a public day school at least 5 years of age

With its focus on unexcused absences, truancy naturally leads to an emphasis on students who are missing school without an excuse, skipping school and violating mandatory attendance requirements. Fixing a truancy problem often becomes a question of ensuring compliance, often left to front-office administrators, and in the most severe cases, to the legal system. Some recommend punitive consequences for truancy — such as suspensions, jail time and fines — for children and parents. Some communities and courts have devised effective approaches to reducing truancy, but in other places, punitive efforts are pushing students out of school. To learn more about the truancy process in Maine, check out this recorded webinar from the Maine DOE. You can also find more information on the Maine DOE Office of School and Student Supports page.

Chronic Absenteeism

Chronic absenteeism, on the other hand, incorporates all absences:

• excused

• unexcused

• disciplinary consequences

The focus is on the academic consequences of this lost instructional time and on preventing absences before students miss so much school that they fall behind. It recognizes that students miss school for many understandable issues such as asthma or bullying or homelessness or unreliable transportation, for which punitive responses are not appropriate. And what helps is working with families to share the importance of attendance and to address the underlying problems that are leading to absenteeism.

Given this broader focus, addressing chronic absenteeism becomes an issue for the entire community. Medical providers can help address health challenges; transit and housing agencies can resolve bus routes and housing stability; volunteers from businesses and faith communities can mentor students and support families. Developing systems and interventions to improve chronic absenteeism also improves truancy.

Chronic absenteeism is commonly defined as missing 10% or more of enrolled school days for any reason. That is 18 days a year and only 2 days a month. JUST 2 DAYS A MONTH ADDS UP!

In 2016, U.S. Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights released data in reported that 13% or 6.5 million students in the US missed 15 or more days of school during the 2013-14 school year. In the 2020-21 school year, at least 10.1 million students nationwide were chronically absent. National non-profit, Attendance Works, shares national data and policy briefs on their website.

During the 2021-2022 school year, over 48,000 Maine students were chronically absent according to the Maine DOE data dashboard; that's more than one in four Maine students.

Taking a systematic, data informed, non-punitive approach that draws upon insights from students, families, teachers and community partners is what leads to strategies that can improve attendance and achievement.

To read more about chronic absenteeism, head to Research or Attendance in the News.

Email: kwyman@rsu26.org
Location: 6 Goodridge Drive, Orono, ME, USA
Phone: (207)866-2151