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Dear Parents and Guardians,
As we begin the second quarter, I would like to remind you that at Madison High School we value our students attending school regularly. Within the next few weeks, we will send out a personalized Attendance Summary to each student and enrolling parent/guardian, even students with perfect or great attendance. We recognize that there are a variety of reasons that students are absent and this summary is for informational purposes only. For more information about which absences count toward chronic absenteeism, see the end of this email, below my signature.
Why are we sending this summary? We need your partnership to ensure that students have every opportunity to be successful; that begins with being in school working with their teachers and other students every day. Through our collective efforts, we were able to decrease our overall Chronic Absenteeism Rate last year to 13.5% from 15.2% during the 2022-2023 school year. That means students continue to miss class at a rate of almost 3 full days each month. The VDOE defines chronic absenteeism as anyone missing 10% or more of the school year. Currently, our school's chronic absenteeism rate is 8.4%. For more VDOE information on Chronic absenteeism see their website.
What do we do about chronic absenteeism at Madison? Work together! We understand that there may be obstacles preventing students from attending school, such as illness or personal circumstances. That’s why it is so important for our school team to work together with our students and families to remove any barriers to attending school. Regular school attendance is not only a basic right of every student but also a shared social value. We all belong here!
Attending school - even if your student arrives late - is valuable for their academic and social success at school. Please encourage your student to arrive on time every day and maintain regular attendance. Together, we can work toward increasing school attendance rates and improving academic outcomes for all our students.
Please read the tips below to support regular school attendance and foster a positive attitude in your student regarding school and education:
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Scheduling: Schedule family vacations, trips, appointments, and other out-of-school activities during school holidays. See the FCPS calendar.
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Engagement: Help your student stay engaged by asking “What are you learning about in school?” and “Where are you in that learning?” Monitor progress by logging into ParentVue. Reach out to your child’s teachers if you have questions.
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Participation: Encourage your student to participate in after-school activities such as clubs or sports.
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Monitor Attendance: Monitor your student's attendance in ParentVue. If a student misses just two days each month, by the end of the school year, they may be considered chronically absent.
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Social-Emotional Health: If your student expresses anxiety about school, contact your student’s school counselor.
We appreciate your partnership in prioritizing regular school attendance. Please reach out to your student’s counselor or visit this FCPS resource on Encouraging School Attendance if you need additional support.
Liz Calvert, Principal
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