Winter Season ATtendance
By Kate Bonilla, EdS, NCSP
OCSD School Psychologist
We’ve almost made it! A few more weeks and then school will let out for the longest break we have outside of summer. If you are like my family and me, that may bring up a whole host of feelings: eagerness to have a break, anxiety about all the things that need to get done before that time, overwhelm with more family events than usual; maybe you are also struggling with financial pressures, missing loved ones, and managing high expectations to deliver gifts and plenty to people in your life. This can be a confusing time of year and attending school can easily become deprioritized. Here is a checklist of considerations during the season to make sure your child’s learning stays front and center:
Your child can go to school even when they aren’t feeling 100%. ‘Tis the season of sniffly noses, scratchy throats, and the like; these present good opportunities to work with your child to identify when it’s appropriate to stay home (consult the OCSD website for specifics) and when pushing through is the best course of action. We all know that jobs (and life!) require us to parse out sick days and manage ourselves when we’re not 100%; let’s start building those skills now with our students.
Keep in mind that healthy habits create strong immune systems: plenty of sleep, balanced diets, and exercise help us fight off winter viruses.
Whether an absence is excused (sickness or vacation) or unexcused, the number of days missed is factored into overall attendance for the year. Why? Excused or unexcused absences all mean one thing: your child missed out on learning opportunities.
Connection and belonging drive attendance. When you get down to it, this season is about relationships–it’s a reminder that being together, whether that’s with your family, friends, church and/or community. Schools are powerful communities, ones that cultivate connections and learning. Research shows that when students feel a sense of belonging and connection with their school, they are more likely to attend regularly; ask your child who they feel connected to at school. It’s a perfect time to highlight those relationships and remind your child that showing up each day creates stronger bonds with teachers and peers alike.
Create a holiday attendance tracker. Everyone is tired. It’s cold outside. Motivation to attend school can wane during these winter months. Consider an incentivizing way to encourage your child to attend school. Choose a defined period of time (say, between now and the holiday break) and identify short term rewards every week when consistent efforts towards attendance occur. Discuss strategies to be successful (putting clothes out for the morning, getting backpacks ready the night before school, etc) and identify one celebration at the end of the entire period (when winter break starts) if your child did their best to get to school. For older students, this may mean a pizza party with buddies and for younger children, this may mean making cookies–just some ideas to refresh motivation around attending school, make the challenge fun, and spark discussion around what creates strong attendance.
Your school is a wealth of resources, especially during a season that can be challenging. Remember: your school staff is available to problem solve challenges as they come up. If you are encountering boundaries to food, secure housing, and/or mental health support, your child’s school has a team of people who can either provide that resource or give you a pathway to connect with that resource. Don’t let these challenges stand in the way of your child’s learning; in fact, your child’s school community is eager to support you in overcoming these challenges.
Let’s show up for each other this season–your school is ready to welcome you and your child!