September 2019

Dear Parent and Caregivers:

The 2019-2020 school year has begun and Prairie View elementary staff has exciting plans and high expectations for your child’s learning.  I know that you also have many hopes and dreams for your child’s success in school and beyond.

To make sure those hopes and dreams are realized, I want to ask for your commitment to making sure your child attends school every day possible this year. The evidence is clear: children with good attendance are more likely to be successful in school.  High attendance rates are linked to high student achievement.  This is true for every grade – elementary, middle, and high school students.

A recent review of student attendance data by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction shows that regular school attendance from Kindergarten on is essential to successful learning:

Every day counts. Missing school even 10% of the time has a significant negative impact on reading and math achievement as children progress through school.

Students with good attendance performed better in math and reading. Children who had good attendance in Kindergarten through Grade 2 were more than twice as likely to score proficient on state math tests by the time they reached Grade 8 as their peers who missed more school. In reading, there were similar results.  

Good attendance starts early. Research has shown that the attendance habits established Kindergarten through Grade 2 have lasting effects on students throughout their education: children with high attendance in the early grades continue to have good attendance; and students with low attendance in the early grades are more likely to have low attendance—and lower academic performance—throughout their elementary and middle school years.

Prairie View. Last year at Prairie View 43% of the students receiving reading and/or math interventions had low attendance. 40% of the 43% had a history of low attendance. 

As your child’s most influential teacher, I am asking for your support in helping your child get to school on time at 8:40 a.m. every day this year. Your child needs to be in school and engaged in learning to reach his or her full potential. Yet, we realize that every family faces challenges. Please let me or your child’s teacher know if your family needs help dealing with a challenge to your child’s good school attendance. We will do our best to help you and your family ensure that your child’s school attendance stays on track.  

More information on what families and schools can do together to support good student attendance can be found on the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction website.  

Thank you for all you do to support your child’s school success and well-being, as well as our school.  I look forward to working with you this year and to having your child learn and grow at Prairie View elementary!

Best wishes for a safe, respectful, responsible and successful school year.