The Importance of Attendance

Title VII has recently finished production on a short video highlighting the importance of daily school attendance. Please take a few moments to view it below. If you are having trouble getting your child to school, follow these tips:

• Set early goals with your child for excellent attendance. Explain your expectations clearly and emphasize the importance of their education. The most important thing you can do as a parent is show support for your child and their teachers.

• Make sure both you and your child get enough sleep. Even on weekends.

• Provide an alarm clock for your child and show them how to use it.

• Prepare outfits, plan breakfasts, and make lunches and snacks the night before to save time in the morning.

• Create a place for coats, hats, glvoes, shoes, and homework near the door to prevent frantic last-minute searches.

• Schedule medical and dental appointments outside of school hours and during school breaks.

• Don't ignore phone calls or letters home alerting you of absences. Follow up on any communication from the school with both the school administration and our child.

If an absence is unavoidable, inform your child's school as soon as possible. Some schools require you to complete a form indicating which days your child will miss and why. Make sure ou contact your child's teachers to arrange to pick up missed work either in advance if the absence is planned, or the same day if the absence is unplanned.

Remember, the Anchorage School District takes chronic absenteeism very seriously, and all Anchorage schools have a set limit on the number of absences a student can have before disciplinary action is taken and/or credit is withdrawn. The School Board's new goal is for students to be in school for 90% of the school year. Familiarize yourself with our school's policies b reading the parent handbook. Handbooks can be downloaded here.

Title VII Attendance Video from Title VII Indian Education on Vimeo.