Counselor Corner: January

Happy New Year, Whitman Families!

January’s theme is PERSEVERANCE—it can be tough for kids and grown-ups to come back after the holidays and get back into the school routine. The time off often gets us sloppy with habits of timeliness, consistency, routines, and follow-through.

We hope to partner with you with an emphasis on attendance, and helping your student with simple baby steps to get back in the swing of things to be successful. People often set New Year’s Resolutions or set goals this time of year, and we hope attendance can be one of them! Here is some food for thought to consider:

• “Every Day Really Does Matter: There’s a close connection between school attendance and student success. Students who are chronically absent (that means they miss 10 percent of the year for excused or unexcused reasons) are much more likely to struggle in school and eventually have more trouble graduating.

• Start Early: Good attendance is a habit that will help your children do well. Preschool is a great time to start building these routines. In fact, studies show that poor attendance in preschool can predict absenteeism in later grades. Additionally, studies show many children who miss too many days in kindergarten and first-grade struggle to read by third grade.

• No One Is Above the Rules: Think that because your child is a good student, the rules don’t apply? Think again. Too many absent students can affect the whole classroom, slowing down instruction. Avoid vacations that require your children to miss school and try to schedule health care appointments for days off of school or afternoons.

• Set Successful Routines: For younger children, set a bedtime and morning routine. Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before. Make sure that when the lights go out, so do the cell phones, video games, and computers. Consider keeping technology in another room at night.”

• Check-In: Trauma and bullying can lead to regular absences, but so can feeling behind—the more days kids miss, the more they feel lost and don’t want to stand out among their peers for not knowing what’s going on in class, which often leads to more “tummy aches” and health room visits, as well as wanting to miss school because it’s too hard to catch up and the gap seems like a mountain to scale.

Please talk to your student if you believe there is more to the story as to why they may not want to be at school, and partner with us so we can be part of the solution. We want your kids here, and after two weeks off, it can be very difficult to leave all the fun things behind, but setting small goals to get back in the doors is the perfect way to build good consistent routines!

This is the best way to teach about perseverance, which is to be able to push through and do hard things even when it feels difficult or we don’t want to do it. This life skill will allow them to thrive down the road!

Source: BH High School

Did you know the attendance line takes messages 24/7?

When you have a little one up ill in the middle of the night, or remember after 4 that you forgot to call in your student's absence, feel free to call 509-354-4383 to leave a message 24 hours a day!

(Hopefully your little one feels better soon!)

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