Dear Parents and Families,
I want to begin this month’s newsletter by thanking you as parents and families for working in partnership with us on encouraging an increase in student attendance at school. I mentioned the need for a combined effort in my August newsletter as our chronic absenteeism rate last year was a whopping 21%. As a result of our joint efforts in the area of attendance, we have been noticing a trend in a positive direction. Great things happen in this place “Where Education Is a Community Effort.”
We still have some work to do with attendance. As I shared in August, we know that learning is a social endeavor. I also shared the following:
Attendance has a huge impact on student learning outcomes:
Missing 10 days of class in middle and high school reduces grades in English/Language arts and math by over a full letter grade.
Students in K-3 who attend school daily are more likely to read on grade level.
9th grade attendance is a better predictor of high school graduation rates than 8th grade test scores.
We are asking for your continued help in ensuring the best educational outcomes for our students (your children) by simply making sure they come to school and avoiding pulling them out when possible. We know life happens, but when possible, students thrive and find greater levels of success and achievement when they attend. Thank you for your continued efforts!
As a side note, please be on the lookout in the next few weeks for some important communications from me:
Annual Parent Survey
All Things Vail Pride Day
Enjoy the rest of the January newsletter where you’ll learn of some incredible achievements, some emergency and safety information, some exciting opportunities to gather as a community and celebrate our young people, and more!
