January updates within WNESU

Dear WNESU families,

We have moved through the Fall and our December Break and are heading into the busy winter months. I've really loved seeing the sports highlights from the high school and middle school, the photos from the winter programs of skiing, skating and hiking, the musical events in both the elementary schools and high school, and all of the incredible learning that is happening in classrooms throughout WNESU.

Below are a few pieces of information that I wanted to share that are important to concentrate on this winter, across the district, as well as some announcements for some activities that are also happening at the schools.

The district is re-examining attendance as a focus moving forward through this academic year.

We've shifted to a post-emergency response to the Covid-19 pandemic and have been working with school leadership as we re-visit our district attendance procedures. If coming to school is a challenge for some students, we as a school district want to develop a plan for the student to create patterns of consistent attendance versus a pattern of absenteeism. Research shows that strong attendance at the elementary school level creates consistent patterns of attendance at the middle school and high school level.

Some possible resources that may be used to support the student and to figure out the barriers or resistance to attendance may include: a meeting with your student's school team, receiving services from Home to School Liaisons , and/or coordination with community agencies. We want to work together to identify the causes of these absences, review the impact of these absences on the student and to develop a plan to best meet the student's social, emotional and academic needs.

We've aligned our attendance procedures with the Windham County Best Attendance Practices document to ensure consistent application of attendance policies in our region. We will continue establishing protocols for student welfare checks and collaborations with community agencies/partners to inform our support of WNESU students.

You should expect documentation of absences with uniform attendance codes, an attendance letter that is filed at the school and sent to WNESU households as needed, and monthly attendance reports from each school that will be reviewed internally as part of our multi-tiered support system. If you are unsure of the procedure to notify the school of your child's absence, the school handbooks are another good resource.

Our school staff work every day to ensure that your student has amazing academic opportunities, while they also create activities to address social and emotional wellbeing and we want all WNESU students to benefit.

Please note some of the additional resources below to see how can you learn more about the goings-on in our WNESU schools that can benefit your student, and know that there is a team behind your student to support strong attendance.

As a reminder, it is important to make sure your child is prepared each Wednesday for their winter sport. Please be sure to revisit the lists below and send your child to school with what they need.

Remaining Winter Sports dates: February 15, and March 1.