Kiona-Benton City School District is making a special effort to ensure that all students fully benefit from their education by attending school regularly. Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves! 

DID YOU KNOW?

• Starting in kindergarten, too many absences (excused and unexcused) can cause children to fall behind in school.
• Absenteeism in the first month of school can predict poor attendance throughout the school year. Half of the students who miss 2-4 days in September go on to miss nearly a month of school.
• Poor attendance can influence whether a child can proficiently read by the end of 3rd grade or get held back. 
• Research shows that missing 10% of the school year, or about 18 days in most school districts, negatively affects a student’s academic performance.
• Frequent absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with school work, dealing with a bully or facing some other difficulty.
• Being late to school may lead to poor attendance.
• By being present, your child learns valuable social skills and can develop meaningful relationships with other students and school staff!

HOW YOU CAN HELP

We miss your student when they are absent, and we value their contributions to our school! We would like you to help make school attendance a priority so that your student can be successful in school. Here are some ways that you can help:

• Help your student maintain night and morning routines so they get a good night’s sleep and are up early enough to make it to school on time, every day!
• Try not to schedule dental and non-Covid appointments during the school day.
  
  • Wednesday afternoons and other early release days are best for this!
• Help your student stay engaged
  
  • Check in with your student to see how they like their classes and if they feel safe at school
    
    • If there are any concerns that arise, please contact the school immediately to work towards a solution
  • Encourage your teen to join meaningful activities, including sports and/or clubs
• If your student is going to be absent, please contact your child's school office:
  • Elementary: (509) 588-2090
  • Middle School: (509) 588-2040
  • High School: (509) 588-2140
• Sign up for notifications from PowerSchool so you know when your student is marked absent from school and sign up for the communication system used by your student’s teacher for class updates!

OUR PROMISE TO YOU

We know that there are a wide variety of reasons why students are absent from school, from health concerns to transportation challenges. We promise to track attendance daily, communicate with you to understand why they were absent, and to identify barriers and supports available to overcome challenges you may face in helping your student attend school.

THANK YOU for trusting us with your student’s education! We look forward to working with you and your student in having a great school year. Go Bears!