The JagWire

From the Principal

Greetings, families!

New month, new year and new habits!

For the first half of this school year, not quite 90% of students came to school 90% of the time. Yet state and national research continue to point to attendance as a critical indicator in school success. A student who misses 3 days a month (that’s 27 days in a school year, folks!) is substantially more likely to miss proficiency on district and state tests. On national assessments (aka NAEP), they’ve measured the gap at about 18 points in math between students who miss 0-1 days per year and students who miss 3 or more days per year. 

If attendance was a challenge for your child this fall, now is a great time to make a new year’s attendance resolution to help your child get back on track for success in school and life. We are here to help support you however you may need. Here are some ideas for working with your student during the next month to help motivate them to improve their school attendance:

• Remind them of how much it matters for their goals and plans (and help them think about those goals and plans if they aren’t already thinking about it)
• Use ParentVUE to keep track of how many days your child is missing
• We know how beastly scheduling can be, but do your best to schedule around school hours
• Fevers and vomiting stay home - but we can accommodate most other discomforts and minor ailments - Nurse Ana is great!
• Adjust bedtimes if needed - these kids are growing and their sleep needs go up and down. Help them pay attention to what their body is telling them.

We really value having your child at school and we know we do a better job of preparing your child for high school and college when we see them every day. So really, keep track of those days!

And, in advance of weather rumors, info for bus riders:
Not all neighborhood schools’ bus routes require snow stops or routes during inclement weather. To determine whether your child's bus has a snow route, review the All Schedules & Routes website here. Snow routes can be designated to operate for AM or PM (or both) dependent upon road conditions or weather forecast.

Please pay close attention to additional District announcements throughout the day for changes. District decisions made after the initial call will be updated to all media outlets.

Have a great week!

8th Grade Parents & Guardians ...

It's forecasting time for Wilson! Wilson counselors will be at Jackson for forecasting these two days:

1. Thursday, January 23: 9:30-10:30, in the library. 8th graders will attend an hour-long presentation by Wilson counselors on course offerings and forecasting instructions. Students will receive their Wilson HS forecasting sheets. Please fill in the forecasting sheet with your student, and sign it. Have your student bring the completed, parent-signed forecasting sheet to Jackson on January 30. Students who are absent the 23rd may pick up a forecasting sheet from one of the Jackson counselors in the student office.
    
2. Thursday, January 30, 9:15-3:30, in the 8th grade pod. Wilson counselors will meet with each student individually in the 8th grade pod and review their forecasting sheets. Please remind your student to bring the form on the 30th! If your student forgot to have you sign the forecast sheet or does not have it they will still meet with their Wilson counselor and turn it in to them. If your student is absent on the 30th, when they return they should turn in their forecasting sheet to Jackson counselors in the student office. 

Thank you for your attention to the forecasting process. Please contact one of us if you have any question.

The Jackson Counseling Team
Bassi: Students with last names A-K (yabassi@pps.net)
Jen Andres (jandres@pps.net) & Tara De Leon (tdeleon@pps.net): Students with last names L-Z