EVERY SCHOOL DAY COUNTS! 
Year four of our county-wide
Attendance Awareness Campaign
Themes for February: 
 
Elementary School - 
Attending school helps me and my future...

Key Message:   
  • By the 6th grade, if a student continues to be chronically absent, it is a leading indicator of whether he or she will drop out of high school.

     
Middle and High School -
Students with good attendance are much more likely to have a successful future.

Key Message:   
  • A student who misses 10 days or more during a school year is 20 percent less likely to graduate from high school and 25 percent less likely to ever enroll in college.  
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Communication Tools/Strategies for Parents:
Families are crucial to ensuring students attend school every day whether their role is to transport a young child to school or monitor whether their teenager is showing up to class. What families say and do has a big influence on their child's attendance.
 

Every winter, bad weather or even heavy rains in warmer climates - can present challenges to getting children to school. So do the colds, fevers and earaches that often come with the winter months.

These tough, but common winter conditions mean it is even more important to remind parents about the importance of good attendance so they are motivated to make every effort to get their children to school despite the challenges! Absences, even if they are excused, can add up to academic trouble.

The tools and resources in this winter messaging toolkit can help parents and community members develop strategies and plans to overcome weather-related barriers that stand in the way of getting children to school. 

English Parent Flyer
 
Spanish Parent Flyer
 

Check This Out!
Poster Contest and Principal Challenge Winners Recognized!
Poster Contest yields beautiful 2018 Calendar

The winning posters were used to create the 2018 Attendance Awareness Calendar, with student posters featured in each month and the principal winners noted on the back cover.

Each elementary school in the county will receive a copy of this calendar, and they are now being distributed to district offices to be disseminated to each school.  Calendars are also available for purchase for a nominal fee.

The overall winner of the K-5 poster contest is 1st grader Haley Brown from Rodeo Hills Elementary School in the John Swett Unified School District, and 12 students were selected as runners up. Order yours today (order form is online at the following link).  Check out the winning artwork here.


Photo of winning teachers

Pictured from left to right, County Superintendent Karen Sakata; Jessica Petrilli, Helms Middle School; Alison Huie, Sylvester Greenwood Academy; Jeff Wallace, John Swett High School; Laura Casdia, Ayers Elementary; Linn Kissinger, Ygnacio Valley Elementary; County Board President, Fatima Alleyne, Ph.D.

Principal Challenge Winners Recognized by the
County Board of Education in January

Many principals completed the Principal Challenge, and Jeff Wallace from John Swett High School scored highest and was deemed the 1st place winner. Second and third place winners were Alison Huie from Sylvester Greenwood Academy and Jessica Petrilli from Helms Middle School respectively, both from the West Contra Costa Unified School District. Eleven runners up were also identified. Due to the generosity of Phillips 66, each winner received a gift card and certificate. On January 17th the County Board of Education recognized all of the student and principal winners. Check out the story here.

Resources -- Check them out today!
Principals Make a Difference

Principals can create a culture of attendance in their school and marshal the data to intervene with students who are missing too much school.

Principals and school leaders know from experience and common sense what research confirms: Showing up for class matters. Students can't benefit from investments in high quality instruction and more engaging, rigorous curriculum unless they are in their classroom.

Principals make a difference when yhey:
Click here to find the templates, tools, and messaging you need to improve attendance in your school. Keep in mind the importance of tailoring these approaches to take advantage of policies and practices in your own district.  With the right plan in place, your school team can improve student attendance and, with it, academic achievement.

Don't Miss an Issue -- Archived Newsletters
Did you miss an issue of the Attendance Awareness Campaign E-Newsletter?
Check out back issues here, under the Archived Newsletters drop down menu: