Attendance

District and school policy states that you must report any student absences to the school. If your student will be out for the day due to sickness or an unseen event, please call the school attendance line:

303-982-8020, option #1

If you choose to email absence notification, please copy both sara.mccloskey@jeffco.k12.co.us and roxanne.eddy@jeffco.k12.co.us in the email.

Please do not report absences to teachers and assume the message will be communicated to the office.

If you have a planned absence please complete this prearranged absence form.

Also, each family should ensure their student’s school has their correct contact information in Infinite Campus, so that the school can communicate about any attendance issues that may arise.

Here is how absences impact academic achievement and future school success:

• Research demonstrates a strong connection between student attendance and academic performance.
• Regular attendance allows students to establish and nurture relationships.
• Students who get to school each day have a better chance of learning and succeeding.
• Research shows that students who miss two days of school per month can struggle with reading.
• This may increase social-emotional stress.
• When your student misses school, they also lose valuable learning time and can fall behind in their schoolwork, making it difficult to catch up.
• Students chronically absent in kindergarten and first grade are much less likely to read at grade level by the end of third grade.
• By sixth grade, chronic absence is a proven early warning sign for students at risk of dropping out of school.
• By ninth grade, good attendance can predict graduation rates even better than eighth-grade test scores.

Here are some helpful tips to support regular, on-time attendance:

• Make sure your student is getting enough sleep.
• Limit the use of electronic devices in the bedroom.
• Set out clothes and backpacks the night before so your student is ready to go in the morning.
• Establish a set morning routine to support getting out the door on time.
• Only keep your student home if truly sick.
• Complaints of stomach pain or a headache can be a sign of anxiety and not a reason to stay home.
• If your student is experiencing anxiety about school, let us know so additional support can be provided.
• Talk to your student’s teacher, counselor or other parents in the community about how they motivate students to attend school.
• Avoid scheduling vacations and doctor’s appointments when school is in session.
• Have a backup plan for unexpected situations.
• Read How Sick is Too Sick?
• This document provides clear guidelines to help parents make attendance decisions based on illness.
• If there are challenges in getting your student to school, please contact your school or Family Response Service Team (FRST) for support.

The importance of regular, daily school attendance as a basis for academic achievement cannot be overemphasized. Attendance is a shared responsibility of the student, the families and the school.

It is the family’s responsibility to ensure their student attends school and to notify the school when their student is absent for a legitimate reason, such as an illness or family emergency. Each family should also ensure their student’s school has their correct contact information so that the school is able to communicate about any attendance issues that may arise.