Present, Engaged and Supported

 

Did you know that poor school attendance can start as early as kindergarten and can affect a student’s achievement through high school? Consistent school attendance is very important. It allows students to build strong foundational skills in reading, math, and language. With this in mind, Selma City Schools is adopting the theme Present, Engaged and Supported: Don’t Count Me Out.

 

Being present is more important than ever during the remote learning space in which we find ourselves.  This means logging onto the learning management system daily, Monday through Friday.  It also means being on time.  Scholars are expected to logon before 9:00 a.m. each morning unless otherwise instructed by their teacher or school. 

 

Once logged on, scholars must be engaged and ready to work and participate.  This means being attentive to the instructor and minimizing distractions.  We know that this can be a challenge while learning at home.  Parents and guardians can assist with this by providing a quiet, organized space.  Additionally, making sure that scholars have the necessary supplies will also give them a greater opportunity to participate in each lesson with limited loss of instructional time.

 

Supporting our scholars is a must and can involve many stakeholders.  This includes our community partners like the YMCA and the Edmondites Missions who are providing supervision, internet connectivity and academic support.  Team Selma is also supporting our families with a variety of learning opportunities through our Parent University.

 

Each of the aforementioned aspects matter as many of our families are in poverty.  Research suggests that students who live in communities with high levels of poverty are four times more likely to be chronically absent than others often for reasons beyond their control, such as unstable housing, unreliable transportation and a lack of access to health care.

 

Indeed, there are many facets involved in our efforts of addressing and improving school attendance.  During the coming weeks, our teachers will continue to call the families of scholars who have not logged on.  If you have not been in contact with your child’s school, please give us a call as it is likely due to us not having a working phone number for you.

 

Being supported also means having reliable internet connectivity.  By the end of this week, all families should have received the letter and voucher from the Alabama Broadband for Connectivity (ABC) program.  This voucher can be used by families to provide free internet through December 30 of this year.  If you do not receive your voucher this week and still need internet connectivity please contact the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs or ADECA at 1-888-212-4998.

 

Team Selma looks forward seeing all scholars logged in and ready to learn until we can safely engage in traditional, face-to-face learning.  In the meantime, please continue to social distance, wear your mask and follow other CDC guidelines.  Check out our website and social media outlets for more information on our focus on student attendance. 

 

For more information, email me at avis.williams@selmacityschools.org