Greetings Marvista Families,
The sun is out, and our community is glowing! It is fun to see all the late afternoon and early evening activities on our campus. Teams playing baseball and soccer, families playing on our playground, and students riding bikes and skating through our parking lots.
The sun also signals that summer is fast approaching. We have many fun end of year activities planned, including classroom field trips, field day, music concerts, and fifth grade promotion! In between all these fun events, our students are still engaged in critical grade level learning. Because of this, we are asking families to continue to prioritize attendance, as we don’t want our students to miss any important learning.
Why does attendance matter so much in elementary school?
- Research shows that missing 10% of the school, or about 18 days, negatively affects a student’s academic performance. That’s just two days a month.
- The academic impact of missing school is the same whether the absences are excused or unexcused.
- Students can fall behind if they miss just a day or two days every few weeks.
- Absences can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up.
How can our families help with attendance?
- Build regular routines for bedtime and the morning.
- Talk about the importance of regular attendance and about how your child feels about school.
- Don’t permit missing school unless your child is truly sick. Use a thermometer to check for a fever. Remember that stomach aches and headaches may be signs of anxiety.
- Avoid medical appointments and extended trips when school is in session.
- Keep a chart recording your child’s attendance at home. At the end of the week, talk with your child about what you see. You can also track attendance data through our parent portal.
- Develop back-up plans for getting to school if something comes up.
- Ask a family member, neighbor, or another parent for help.
- Seek support from school staff or community groups to help with transportation, health problems, or no safe path to school.
We appreciate your partnership and continued support. If you have any questions, you are always welcome to call our main office at 206-631-4200. Our team will work to connect you with the appropriate support staff.
Sincerely,
Maggie Heater
Principal
Marvista Elementary