Dear Woodmont Parents, Guardians and Families,

As we enter the second month of school for the 2016-2017 school year, I want to thank each and every one of you for your commitment to getting your child to school one time, every day.  Attendance is the first step in providing an excellent education.  We have been sending home information about the importance of school attendance each week.  Here are some additional facts that highlight just how important every day attendance is form www.attendnaceworks.org.

1. Absenteeism in the first month of school can predict poor attendance throughout the school year. Half the students who miss 2-4 days in September go on to miss nearly a month of school.
2. Absenteeism and its ill effects start early. One in 10 kindergarten and first grade students are chronically absent.  Poor attendance can influence whether children read proficiently by the end of third grade.
3. By 6^th grade, chronic absence becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school.
4. Research shows that missing 10 percent of the school, or about 18 days in most school districts, negatively affects a student’s academic performance. That’s just two days a month and that’s known as chronic absence.
5. When students improve their attendance rates, they improve their academic prospects and chances for graduating.

In partnership, 
Jordanne E. Nevin, Ed. D