Help Your Child Succeed in School:  Build the Habit of Good Attendance Early

Did you know?

•       Starting in kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school.

•       Missing 10 percent (or about 18 days) can make it harder to learn to read.

•       Students can still fall behind if they miss just a day or two days every few weeks.

•       Being late to school may lead to poor attendance.

•       Absences can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up.

Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. Start building this habit in preschool so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Good attendance will help children do well in high school, college, and at work.

•       Set a regular bed time and morning routine.

•       Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.

•       Find out what day school starts and make sure your child has the required shots.

•       Introduce your child to her teachers and classmates before school starts to help her transition.

•       Don’t let your child stay home unless she is truly sick. Keep in mind complaints of a stomach ache or headache can be a sign of anxiety and not a reason to stay home.

•        If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors, or other parents for advice on how to make her feel comfortable and excited about learning.

It is Head Start’s goal to ensure a safe, positive learning environment for all children. Positive classroom climate contributes to positive behavior.  Head Start’s discipline philosophy approach consists of five basic components:

• High expectations for student behavior that are age appropriate;

• Supportive, secure relationships with adults;

• Clear, understandable, and predictable routines;

• Instruction focused on developing skills for self-regulation  and dealing with intense feelings; and

• Consistent response to student behavior.

In support of this philosophy and to ensure a safe and positive classroom environment, teachers will design and implement Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS), Tier 1 strategies that set clear limits, model appropriate behavior, redirect inappropriate behavior, and work with families to solve unique problems.

All discipline procedures will adhere to Head Start guidelines and Portland Public Schools policies. Teachers will teach expectations and routines that support students in ways to Be Safe, Be Friendly, and Be Ready to Learn. These expectations and routines will be retaught throughout the year.

Parents will be informed of classroom expectations and routines. They will be engaged as partners in developing additional supports as needed.

In this week's PPS Pulse: PPS performers, speakers set to appear at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. tribute; first-graders dive into coding

Portland Public Schools will again be a featured part of the city’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. tribute event. The 34th edition will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 21, at the Highland Christian Center, 7600 NE Glisan St. The event will feature digital, musical and artistic performances, and an array of community speakers.

The PPS Visioning initiative has entered a new phase in January, with a series of community meetings in which  students, families, educators and volunteers will be able to share what they think the future of education in Portland should look like. 

Christy Wheeler of Sellwood Middle School recently won the Oregon Counselor of the Year Award from the Oregon School Counselors Association. We asked her to share her thoughts on the role counselors play in school communities.