Teaching and Learning

Why attend school?

Getting our children to school on time every day is the best thing we can do for their futures. When a child is absent, whether excused or unexcused, it’s hard to catch up. Missing 1 day of school means missing 6.5 hours of learning, no matter why they’re gone. We want to help, so we review your child’s attendance data at the end of each month. We’re sharing the information so you can step in if your child is at risk of chronic absence.

The Attendance Problem

Across the country, more than 8 million students are missing so many days of school that they are academically at risk. Chronic absenteeism can translate into students having difficulty learning to read by third-grade, achieving in middle school, and graduating from high school.

What is Chronic Absence?

Chronic absenteeism means missing 10% or more of school time.  For a 180-day school year, that’s 18 school days.

The positive climate of a school sets the foundation for learning and creativity. The best schools are places where students are safe and feel supported and encouraged. As educators and community members, we are all responsible for fostering a positive climate—creating a place where students want to be, want to learn, and can thrive.

While student misbehavior can disrupt the positive climate and create major barriers to learning, school staff have significant power to shape students’ behavior and motivation. Every adult in the school plays a role in creating the best environment for student learning. Safe & Civil Schools helps guide our staff so everyone can be a positive influence that your students will remember for the rest of their lives. The Guidelines for Success in South Kitsap are Safe, Kind, and Responsible.  These three traits are what each staff member and student strive to live each day to realize our fullest potential.