LVIS Family Newsletter
April 14, 2022
Attendance Counts
Dear Parents & Families,
We know that this school year has presented many challenges to regular student attendance. Between required isolations, voluntary quarantines, and other concerns, we have understandably seen an increase in student absences this year. That said, as we work to return to more normal operations, getting students back into the habit of daily attendance matters now more than ever. We are asking for your help.
Student absences impact our school in a variety of ways:
- Student Learning: If a student is absent, they are missing out on valuable opportunities to learn, to socialize, to gain confidence, and to be inspired. As we work to recover from the pandemic, building routines, connecting with friends, and engaging in learning are even more important to student success.
- Teacher Time: At a time when so much education has been disrupted, it is vital that we make every school minute count. As teachers work to engage students, bridge learning gaps, and move students forward in their learning, it is much more difficult to ensure effective teaching occurs when teachers have the additional need to "catch up" students who have missed school.
- Lost Funding: The State of Texas funds schools based on daily attendance - so every day missed costs schools money. This year, the percentage of students attending each day has dropped several percentage points, which means significantly fewer funds are available to pay for things like additional teachers, student programs, and even teacher pay raises. On March 29th, TEA announced funding adjustments that would assist with low attendance rates through the fourth six-week attendance reporting period. However, there will be no adjustment made for the last 12 weeks of school. As it stands, for the rest of the school year and beyond, each day a student is absent costs the school about $38 in lost funding. At our current attendance rate, the funding loss for the District is about $6,150 per day...if that continues for the remainder of school, that will mean about $160,000 in lost funding.
Please understand that if your child is unwell, we expect you to keep them at home. However, even as the health situation in our community returns to normal, we continue to see very high rates of student absenteeism. In fact, even with almost no active COVID cases for the past six weeks, the number of students who are absent each day is double the pre-pandemic numbers from the same week.
After so much disruption to children’s education over the past two years, the most important thing that we can do is work together to get our children back into school. So, we are asking for your help. As long as your child is healthy, please ensure that he/she is at school, on time, and in attendance for the full day. Every day of school is an important opportunity for students to learn as well as connect to peers and their teachers. If there is something we can do to help improve your student's attendance so that we can keep them engaged and learning, please reach out to me so that we can talk about ways we can help.
We are extremely grateful for the commitment of our families and staff who have shown such amazing flexibility and resilience over the past two years. Despite the challenge, our teachers, families, and students have persisted to keep learning happening. Thank you!
May 7th - Bond Election
Bond Presentation
Coming Up...
The end of the school year is always busy. Here are some important dates to mark on your calendar.
4/15 - Good Friday - No School
4/18 - April Break - No School
4/19 - April Break - No School
5/2 - 5/6 - Teacher Appreciation Week
5/10 - Math STAAR for 4th and 5th Grade
5/11 - Reading STAAR for 4th and 5th Grade
5/12 - Science STAAR for 5th Grade
5/16 - 5/20 - STAAR Make-Ups
5/20 - 4th Grade End of Year Field Trip
5/23 - 5th Grade End of Year Celebrations at a Park - Details TBA
5/24 - 4th Grade End of Year Celebration at a Park - Details TBA
5/25 - Last Day of School/ Early Release
6/6 - 6/17 - Summer School
Help Us Stock our Teacher's Lounge
All About Your Child
Thank you for your continued support! We look forward to working with you and getting to know your child this upcoming year! Click on the link here