Ukiah Unified Elementary schools have just completed the first trimester, with middle and high schools preparing to end their first semester in just a couple of weeks! The time has flown by! There have been back-to-school nights, field trips, fundraisers, homecoming, athletic competitions, and, most importantly, learning in every area! Staff members are focused on supporting students to proficiency and beyond. Students are working hard, no matter what their starting point, to learn and grow and thrive! We are very proud of them and so grateful to you, our families, and the community for all you do to partner with us in this!

Our students are learning academics with depth and complexity while also developing social-emotional skills that will help provide a strong foundation for a happy and healthy life. Being to school on time every day is a necessity to best benefit from the rich environments, experiences, and learning that take place. 

The content in schools builds on itself, each period of the school day being critically important to the next, designed to promote student progress. The foundation starts in Transitional Kindergarten and continues throughout the school experience as students learn how to interact with material that grows increasingly rich with meaning and purpose. Being late or missing days means missing critical instruction that leaves children trying to make up missing material while staying caught up on current instruction or experiences – a struggle for any student. That gets exponentially more challenging as more days are missed. Classrooms are dynamic and engaging places. In order to prepare students for their grade level and the levels to come, the pace must be brisk. The pace further adds to the difficulty for a student missing school.

Of course, missing a day or two of school a year does not usually result in an extreme or overly challenging situation. Our kids are smart, resilient, and capable! Making up just a few absences can be done, and our school staff are right here to help make sure that happens. However, multiple tardies or absences create significant challenges for kids. This negative impact disproportionately affects students who are facing additional challenges. Students struggling academically, socially, emotionally, or nutritionally need the most support. Any day missed can erode their confidence in themselves, negatively impact their relationships, and decrease their progress at school, making school avoidance a possibility.

There’s great news, though! Parents are the primary influencers for their children’s school attendance.

Show your children that you value daily attendance at school. Talk to them about the importance of all that they are learning. Be excited about what happens at school. Praise them for any growth! Show interest in what your child is learning at school. Ask questions about their day that require more than just an answer that is “yes,” “no,” or “good.” Have them tell you the best part of a day, something that they’re proud of, or a time that they were able to help someone else.

Ensure that your child has a bedtime routine and is getting a healthy amount of sleep at night. Have a morning routine that helps decrease morning stress, such as choosing what to wear the night before and having a plan about how your child will get to school.

If your child is eligible for a social-emotional group or counseling, please consider allowing them to participate. Great learning can happen in those groups! If your child makes a poor behavior choice at school, support the school’s consequence and talk to your child about what they will do differently next time.

Please attend school events, field trips, class demonstrations, and all of the other opportunities that happen at your school. Ukiah Unified is excited to invite you back onto our campuses!

We are allies in seeing the children of our community thrive and are thrilled to have such amazing partners as you! If we can help support you, connect you to resources, or answer any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your school!