MES focuses on attendance

As the winter break ends, it is the hope of all of us who serve the Andrew J. Mitchell Elementary School community that everyone has enjoyed this precious time together.

On Jan. 2, the staff and students will return to the school ready to continue working toward our goal that every student will show growth throughout the year in reading and math. I am happy to report that we are on our way to achieving this important goal with each of our students.

One of our other school goals is to improve daily student attendance. Daily attendance is essential because teachers and students are able to impact student achievement most effectively when all students are able to be at school every day.

According to AttendanceWorks.org, missing as few as two days a month can impact student reading. Missing a day or two every few weeks can cause students to fall behind. Due to the collaborative nature of learning, absences affect individual students and the classroom as a whole.

As a Leader In Me Lighthouse School, Mitchell Elementary practices the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. We remember our mission to create kind and successful leaders using these habits during our daily morning meeting. Every day there are opportunities to practice our habits individually and collaboratively.

A great example of this is school attendance. Attending school daily is a great example of individual commitment to beginning with the end in mind and putting first things first. When students attend school regularly, opportunities to synergize increase student and classroom learning.

We all know that missing school sometimes is inevitable, but as we begin this new year, I hope that we are all able to make regular school attendance a priority. Daily attendance helps students feel better about school and themselves and puts them on the path to continue to achieve through high school and beyond.

To begin building today’s successful students and tomorrow’s leaders, our teachers consistently teach the standards with a focus on leadership and the Seven Habits. Thank you for continuing to support our school and community as we work together to create the best learning opportunities for all of our students.