Pulaski County, Ark. -- Attendance Awareness Month is celebrated in September to recognize the connection between regular school attendance and academic achievement.
PCSSD schools are starting off strong with the “Be a H.E.R.O.” Attendance Challenge. Schools that achieve 95% attendance throughout the month of September will be entered to win a snow cone party for their school. Last year, Sylvan Hills Junior High and Lawson Elementary won for having 95% attendance throughout the month of September. This year, two elementary schools will be chosen along with one secondary school.
What Does it Mean to Be a H.E.R.O.? H.E.R.O. captures the District’s attendance goals for every student.
Here: Regular attendance is key! Chronic absenteeism (missing as few as two days a month) can affect early literacy for our youngest learners and is a clearer predictor of graduation rates than test scores for secondary school students.
Everyday: Every day students are healthy, we’d love to see them in class. Please note, this is not an encouragement to send sick students to school.
Ready: Has your student eaten breakfast? Do they have the necessary supplies? Set your student up for success by sending them to school ready to learn.
On Time: Tardiness eats into instructional time! Every minute a student is in class is a minute they can learn.
Parents and families are essential partners in promoting good attendance because they have the bottom-line responsibility for making sure their children get to school every day. Just as parents should focus on how their children are performing academically, they have a responsibility to set expectations for good attendance and to monitor their children’s absences, so that missed days don’t add up to academic trouble.
Help us encourage students the importance of being a H.E.R.O. everyday at school.