We hope all our Downey Unified students and families enjoyed their holiday celebrations and time with loved ones. While we are truly grateful for the opportunity to take a break from our normal routines, we are so excited to be back in the swing of things at school.
With the beginning of the new semester ushering in a fresh start, we want to take time to remind our families how important establishing a healthy attendance routine can be for your student’s success. Making sure that they are present in school ensures they have ample opportunities to learn, can lead to behavior improvement, helps build essential life habits, and increases the likelihood of high school graduation.
Below are ways you can partner with your student and his or her school to ensure that your child is building an effective attendance routine.
Establish routines
Consistent, structured morning and evening routines help reduce stress and anxiety for students and allow them to feel more comfortable because they know what to expect each morning and evening.
Get clothes and backpacks ready the night before
Choosing what students are going to wear and packing their backpacks the night before each school day helps reduce rushing in the morning and creates a mindset that already anticipates going to school the next day.
Make efforts to maintain health
While some illnesses are not always preventable, families and students can make concerted efforts to stay healthy throughout the school year by eating nutritious foods, keeping an active lifestyle, and staying updated on annual doctor’s visits.
Communicate with your child
If you notice your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to your student about their feelings/emotions, and talk to teachers and school counselors on ways to help make your student more comfortable in the classroom setting.
Communicate with the school and teachers
If your child does need to miss time at school, contact the school and your student’s teacher(s) to see if there are assignments and/or activities that they can do while at home in order to remain on track and not fall behind.
Try to schedule appointments and trips outside of school hours and days
While it can be challenging to ensure that all appointments and family trips are not during school, students are most successful when they are in the classroom with their peers.
Create backup plans
Sometimes unexpected situations pop up that can throw off a student’s or family’s routine and prevent them from going to school. Make plans for another family member, neighbor, close friend, or another parent to ensure that your student gets to school when such circumstances arise.
At Downey Unified, we are happy to help provide any additional resources regarding attendance and how to help keep our students showing up for school. Please reach out if you have any questions or need additional information. Together, we can help create an enjoyable second half of the school year and encourage a strong finish to what is sure to be a memorable year.