Vista Grande Gazette
Vista Grande Elementary School
A "Shining Star" Award Winning School
November 8, 2017
Let's Start a Movement!
I've been doing some research and it is clear- attendance matters and makes a significant impact on student achievement.
Below are just a few facts from the article, "10 Facts About School Attendance." (http://www.attendanceworks.org/facts-stats-school-attendance/)
- Absenteeism and its ill effects start early. One in 10 kindergarten and first grade students are chronically absent. Poor attendance can influence whether children read proficiently by the end of third grade or be held back.
- By 6th grade, chronic absence becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school.
- Research shows that missing 10 percent of the school, or about 18 days in most school districts, negatively affects a student’s academic performance. That’s just two days a month and that’s known as chronic absence.
- When students improve their attendance rates, they improve their academic prospects and chances for graduating.
- Attendance improves when schools engage students and parents in positive ways and when schools provide mentors for chronically absent students.
So... what can we do to increase our attendance rates and ensure that our students are here on time and present every day? We have developed some attendance incentives for our students to help motivate both students and parents in coming together to reach our attendance goal.
Check out all of these great incentives below!
School Wide Incentives
- If our whole school meets the target of 97.7% at the end of the month, one student from each grade level will be selected to throw pies in Mrs. Colon's face! That is one pie I'm looking forward to!
Grade Level Incentives
- The class with the highest attendance rate at the end of the month, will earn the special trophy and have the privilege of displaying it proudly in their classroom for the next month.
- The class with the most improved attendance rate for the month, will earn the Most Improved Trophy and have the privilege of displaying it proudly in their classroom for the next month.
- The class with the best attendance in the whole school, will earn the Best in the West Trophy and have the privilege of displaying it proudly in their classroom for the next month.
- The classes that beat their attendance percentage from the previous month will earn extra recess.
- When a class colors their "WE'RE ALL HERE ON TIME" poster, the class earns a popcorn party.
Individual Student Incentives
- Students who have perfect attendance (no tardies and no absences) for the month will earn a colored wristband. Students will have the opportunity to collect all 10 colors and styles over the course of the year.
- Students who have perfect attendance for the trimester will receive a certificate at the Trimester Awards Assembly.
- We will be having "Attendance Challenges" throughout the remainder of the year. We will specify a window of dates and challenge students to have perfect attendance during that window. All students who have perfect attendance during that window will be able to participate in a fun party/celebration.
- Students who attend Saturday School will be given a Purple Rave for being responsible and will be entered into a drawing for a free yogurt from Yogurt Land.
Our first Attendance Challenge is coming up! We challenge all students to come to school on time and be present each day from 11/27/17-12/15/17. Students who meet the challenge will enjoy a movie, "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" and popcorn during their lunch!
Let's start a movement! A movement in which we see our attendance rates rising and our student achievement growing! Thank you to all of our students and families who work so hard to get our kids to school every day and on time! I'm ready for the pies in my face! Let's do this Broncos!
Mrs. Lite's 2nd grade class celebrating the completion of their "WE'RE ALL HERE ON TIME" poster with a fun popcorn party and dance! Check out the video below!
Amanda Colon, Principal
Email: amanda.colon@omsd.net
Website: https://www.omsd.net/Page/1868
Location: 1390 West Francis Street, Ontario, CA, United States
Phone: 909-988-2234
Twitter: @VistaGrandeOMSD