Pay Attention to Attendance:  Keep your Child on Track in Middle and high School

Showing up for school has a huge impact on a students' academic success starting in kindergarten and continuing through high school.  Even as children grow older and more independent, families play a key role in making sure students get to school safely every day and understand why attendance is so important for success in school and on the job.

Did you know?

• Students should miss no more than 9 days of school each year to stay engaged, successful and on track to graduation.
• Absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with school work, dealing with a bully or facing some other potentially serious difficulty.
• By 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that a student may drop out of high school.
• Missing 10 percent, or about 18 days of the school year can drastically affect a student's academic success. 
• Students can be chronically absent even if they only miss a day or two every few weeks.
• Attendance is an important life skill that will help your child graduate from college and keep a job.

What can you do?

Make school attendance a priority

• Talk about the importance of showing up to school everyday, make that the expectation. 
• Help your child maintain daily routines, such as finishing homework and getting a good night's sleep.
• Try not to schedule dental and medical appointments during the school day. 
• DON'T let your child stay home unless truly sick.  Complaints of headaches or stomach aches may be  signs of anxiety.

Help your teen stay engaged

• Find out if your child feels engaged by his classes and feels safe from bullies and other threats.  Make sure he/she is not missing class because of behavioral issues and school discipling policies. If any of these are problems, work with your school.
• Stay on top of academic progress and seek help from teachers or tutors if necessary.  Make sure teachers know how to contact you. 
• Stay on top of your child's social contacts.  Peer pressure can lead to skipping school, while students without many friends can fee isolated.m
• Encourage meaningful afterschool activities, including sports and clubs. 

Communicate with the school

• Know the school's attendance policy - incentives and penalties
• Talk to teachers if you notice sudden changes in behavior.  These could be tied to something going on at school.
• Check on your child's attendance to be sure absences are not piling up.
• Ask for help from a school officials, after-school programs, other parents o community agencies if you're having trouble getting your child to school.
• 

Gunnison Valley Middle School

Attendance Policy

Steps to follow if your child is absent:

1. Parent or guardian should call the school and inform the office of the absence.  GVMS phone # 528-5337
2. If no phone contact has been made the date of the absence, the parent or guardian must send a signed, dated note or phone call excusing their child when the child returns to school. 
3. A student will have one school day beyond his/her return to school to clear absences.
   
4. If your student is absent 3 days they will need to bring a doctor's note to be excused. 

Tardies:

1.  Check in at the office when coming to school after the first bell has rung.  
     You will be given an admit to class.
2.  Excused tardies must have a note from a parent or the parent needs to call
     the school to excuse.

General Attendance:

     Students typically do better in school when they attend regularly and
    consistently.  
    Keep absences to a minimum.  

Thank you for your assistance in this matter.