Attendance Matters! The most important thing you can do for your child’s future is to establish good attendance. Here’s why…

Todays Agenda Discuss why we are here and why attendance matters Sign an Attendance Contract Q & A

Why You Were Invited Today We know attendance is important for the success of your child. We are concerned about your child. 2nd Notice Conference Notification (6 tardy/absences) 1st Notice of Truancy (3 tardy/absences) 3rd Notice Student labeled Habitual Truant and SARB process is initiated (9 tardy/absences) Welcome Parents/students. Create a positive welcoming environment. Start by letting them know you’re here to help them. Explain the attendance notification process, what lead to them being here today, as well as what happens next if the student continues to miss more school. Add in that we don’t want their child to get to the 3rd notice, and that’s why we are here today!

Did You Know? Good attendance is the # 1 factor your child being successful in school? Children who are absent two or more days each school month achieve 25 percent less than their fellow students. Regardless of your child’s past attendance history, it is never too late to establish good attendance? Speaking points: Bullet 1- Attendance is linked to test scores, graduation rates and life-long work habits Bullet 2- those who miss more than 2 days per month achieve way less than those who attend regularly Bullet 3- When your student does not come to school, the school loses money that is used for their child's education

Curriculum Built On 180 Days To get the most out of school and maximize learning time and learning potential your child needs to be in school everyday. Your child can make up an assignment but they can’t recover what is most valuable: the questions, the activities, the explanations from the teacher and the interaction that brings learning to life. Mention here that the curriculum is actually built on 175 days, we are teaching and learning more in a day then we did in the past. Attendance is directly linked to academic performance – better attendance = better performance!

What We Know From Research Attendance is directly linked to graduation rates and life-long work habits. Ninety percent of serious juvenile offenders begin as truants. Truant is defined as missing more than 30 minutes of instruction without an excuse three times during the school year. The likelihood of dropping out of school skyrockets to 75% when your child misses 20% (35 days) of the school year. 75% of 20 year olds that don’t have a diploma don’t have a job or a job that can support themselves or a family. The facts are harsh. The reality is the best thing you can do for you child, is ensure they come to school everyday. We are here to help you, because we care about your child being successful. It is never too late to improve attendance, and change behavior. The most important thing you can do for your child’s future is to establish good attendance.

An Example of the Research A study of Los Angeles Unified School District found that students who were “chronically absent” (10% + of school year) in the 9th grade graduated at a rate of just 17 percent. That means 83 percent of those habitually absent 9th graders are likely to remain unemployed, to become mired in poverty, to struggle and to need social services -- for the rest of their lives. This is just one recent study. We are seeing this over and over again, not just specific to LA, but across the United States. The most important thing you can do for your child’s future is to establish good attendance.

What You Can Do Make good attendance a top priority! Stress the importance of good attendance and how it relates to a career Ensure they have transportation to get to school every day on time If your child is responsible for sibling/elder care, find a different resource, your student needs to be at school to be successful If your child has a job, ensure he/she is not missing school in order to go to work and is getting enough rest May want to discuss how this can be challenging, between work and trying to get your teen to understand and see the bigger picture. Ask the parents to share their own stories about attendance at work, getting a job without a diploma, the struggles that child will face in the future. Struggling and need assistance to get your student back on track? Your School Can Help You!

What You Can Do (continued) 2. Ask questions. Why are they missing school or late for class? Are they struggling with homework? Is it a specific topic or several classes? Is there conflict with another student? Do they feel left out or like they don’t fit in with others? What can we do as a school/parent/student team to change this behavior? If we don't change our direction, we are likely to end up where we are going

What You Can Do (continued) Remove obstacles that are preventing your child from being at school every day, on time What is causing your student to be late? What can we change to ensure your student is not tempted to skip school? How can we ensure we are doing everything to get them back in class? Our top priority is always YOUR students success!

School Funding Public schools are primarily funded by the state. Funding is only paid for students when they are present at school. If they are absent (excused or unexcused) your school does not receive funding for that day. This is referred to as Actual Daily Attendance. This money is used for providing your child's education and preparing them for the future. This includes teachers and staffing, books, computers, additional classes and activities. 1st Bullet- Over 90% of funding is based on attendance 2nd Bullet- May add that schools use to be funded if student missed due to excused, but now school receives no funding is child is not present

Your student will thank you for this later! Final Thoughts Your child needs to be at school every day to be successful & graduate. Avoid scheduling vacations and doctor appointments during school hours Don’t accept or make excuses for why your child “must” miss or be late for school Support school rules and consequences for skipping class or being tardy Reach out for help if you need it. Add any final thoughts, retouch or include comments parents/student have shared throughout presentation if applicable. Excused and unexcused absences both affect the students learning. Discuss the illness policy, and really taking a look at your child to determine if they are truly sick, or if they can go to school. Your student will thank you for this later!

Thank you for coming today! We look forward to partnering with you! We Are Here For You! Please do not hesitate to reach out to me. Our attendance policy is also posted on our website: ranchocotate.org Please be sure you have signed in and signed an attendance contract before leaving today. Any closing notes needed! Thank you for coming today! We look forward to partnering with you!