Hello Mission Meadows Families!

September has been Attendance Awareness Month. We all know that students perform much better in school when they are actually at school learning the important grade level skills and strategies by our amazing teachers. There is simply no substitute for being at school. This is true for all of our students, but most especially for TK-1st grade students. Did you know that a student who has excessive absences in these critical years will have a much more difficult time reading on grade level by the time they reach 3rd grade than their peers who did not have excessive absences?

So far this school year we have an overall student attendance percentage of 95.11%, which is a 1% increase over this time last year. This is great! We just need to keep this going so that we can accomplish our wildly important attendance goal of 95% for all students for the entire school year. That means a student should have no more than NINE ABSENCES TOTAL for the entire school year. We know children will get sick throughout the year, so please do your very best not to schedule vacations on school days. Rathe, please take advantage of some of our many school and national holidays and vacations.

To help celebrate our students and their attendance this month we will be holding a special spirit day on Friday, September 29th. All students are encouraged to wear their favorite SUPERHERO ATTIRE (Costumes or t-shirts) to school on Friday to commemorate that they are a H.E.R.O who was Here, Everyday, Ready and On-time. This is different than what was advertised in the community update sent out by Dr. Doyle when the rest of the district will be celebrating this spirit day, because we have picture day on Wednesday.

Thank you again for all you do, and have a wonderful week!

Sincerely,

David Peel, Principal

Our students have been doing an amazing job with both reading, and in getting the word out about our Fall Reading Challenge Fundraiser. So far we have already raised more than our original goal of $15,000 and we still have until October 2nd when this fundraiser will end. This is INCREDIBLE! This will go a long way toward funding assemblies, family events, student programs, and much more!

So far our students have received donations from 34 different states and two foreign countries!

If you aren’t registered yet, don’t worry! You have a whole week left. You only have to register & share to get your first prize and $50 in donations earns you a baby Hercules stuffy! Here is the link to REGISTER online today, SHARE with Family and friends, and READ!

Prizes

There is amazing list of individual and classroom prizes available for this fundraiser, including a donut party for a class if everyone participates. We also have NINE classes that have already reached their own fundraising goals and have earned a dance party but we want all students to participate , so keep on reading and raising funds for our school!

Check out the entire list of prizes in the information packet. Here is the link to the information packet in case you lost it.

Carnaval de otono

• We have a huge goal this school year to have every student achieve the HERO Award (Here Everyday Ready & On-time) by being at school at least 95% of the time. We know that student who miss an excessive amount of days (more than 10% of the school year have a greater chance of falling behind their peers academically.
• We hope that students will achieve at least 95% attendance this school year.
  
• Students are to stay home when sick, but can only miss up to nine school days to still meet our 95% goal.
• At last weeks Friday Morning Sing Assembly it was announced to all students that if we meet this goal at the end of the year, students will be able to duct tape Mr. Peel to a wall and through cream pie at him. Please help your child be successful by having them in school everyday, and help them achieve the goal of taping Mr. Peel to a wall!

Tips Families Can Use To Maintain or Improve Attendance:

1. Make school attendance a priority. Talk about the importance of showing up to school on time, everyday.

2. Help your child maintain daily routines such as getting ready for school, homework, and getting a good night’s sleep.

3. Encourage your child to join a club or extracurricular activity at school.

4. Keep your child healthy by providing adequate nutrition. Reach out to your school’s Community Liaison if you need assistance with basic resources.

5. Develop backup plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbor or another parent.

6. Try to schedule medical appointments and extended trips when school isn't in session. Bring them to school before and after appointments if a middle-of-the-day appointment is necessary.

7. If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors (see list of school counselors linked HERE) and other parents for advice on how to make your child feel comfortable and excited about learning.

Students with Illness Symptoms - For students with symptoms, (fever, diarrhea, vomiting) should test and stay home until symptoms have improved and are fever free for 24 hours. For students who test C+, they may return as early as Day 6 if they feel well, symptoms are improving and they have been fever free for at least 24 hours. Asymptomatic close contacts may continue to attend school. COVID testing is recommended, but not required. Schools are not required to verify negative test results.

COVID-19 Positive Students - Students and staff members who test positive for COVID must stay home from school or work. Students and staff may return to school as early as Day 6 if they meet the following criteria:

• Must feel well

• Symptoms must be improving

• Fever-free without the use of fever-reducing medication for at least 24 hours

Students should wear a mask on Days 6-10.

We are also excited to share with you our new Mission Meadows Student & Family Handbook. When you have some time, please check it out to get more information regarding important information and procedures here at Mission Meadows.

• Mission Meadows Family Handbook 2023-24 (English)
• Manual familiar de Mission Meadows 2023-24 (Española)