“Today, or any day, that phone may ring and bring good news.” – Ethel Waters
Attendance is one of the key solution areas moving the needle on third-grade reading proficiency. You’ve probably heard some of the statistics, but here’s a refresher because it’s important to remind ourselves about the “why” often:
Here’s the kicker:
By now, you’re probably wondering where that “good news” is that we mentioned.
See all those numbers below … They reflect Sarasota County Schools’ attendance at the 80-day mark. According to the data on the Attendance Dashboard, 61% of the Elementary Schools in Sarasota County are showing improved attendance for this year. Atwater, Brentwood, Cranberry, and Glenallen elementary schools are doing a remarkable job of lowering the number of chronically absent students.
Director of Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, Beth Duda, inquired with the schools about their strategies. Assistant Principal of Brentwood Elementary, Dr. Patti Brustad Folino, shared what’s working for them.
“We have weekly attendance meetings as part of our School-Wide Support Team where we generate ideas to help those students who have excessive attendance concerns. Of course, we continue to credit Attendance BINGO as a huge motivator. Much of our strategies are based on the individual needs of the family … And, yes, the Student Emergency Funds definitely help support us!”
The Attendance Dashboard is proving to be a valuable tool for collecting data that can help education providers and support, fill the gaps where children and their families are falling.
Click here for a chart featuring all Sarasota County elementary schools at the 80-day mark.
Three “Whooty Whoos” to all the artists and schools that helped make this another incredible year: Whooty Whoo! Whooty Whoo! Whooty Whoo!
In honor of Attendance Awareness Month in September, the Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading hosts an Attendance Awareness Poster Contest to promote good attendance habits and help students and parents understand why going to school every day matters.
In 2018, 38,304 students in grades Pre-k-5 participated in the Attendance Awareness Poster Contest where they learned the importance of outstanding attendance by creating their own personalized artwork.
Winners of the 2017/18 Attendance Awareness Poster Contest will receive tickets to the opening weekend of Circus Sarasota, February 9-10, 2018. Regional winners will be honored in front of the School Board and gifted with an iPad. The School District of Manatee County’s event is scheduled for February 27th, 2018, and Sarasota County Schools’ event is scheduled for February 6, 2017.
FUN FACTS!
Circus Sarasota
Celebrating 407 students who won the
Attendance Awareness
Poster Contest
February 10
7:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Mind in the Making
(MITM):
Team Zinc
Team Wonder
Team Velvet
Team Youthful
All Faiths Food Bank Food Distribution Schedules
SCGLR is looking for a minimum of 80 volunteers to help assemble 3,400 Kindergarten Readiness Bags for children in Sarasota, Manatee, and DeSoto counties. Each day, shifts will run from 3:00pm-6:00pm and 6:00pm-9:00pm. The bags will be filled with items to prepare children for kindergarten and encourage parents to work with their kids.
Community service hours are available for youth.
Your time is appreciated and valuable in assisting with the mission of helping all children read on grade level.