Our school is determined to make a positive impact in the lives of students and our surrounding community.  We are developing initiatives and making strong effort to decrease the early warning indicators that negatively impact student success now and in the future.  Student success can be negatively impacted by three primary areas:  attendance, behavior/conduct and course failure.  Continue to read for further description and reasoning for our efforts on these three critical indicators.  

Early Indicator #1:  A for Attendance

Our goal this year is to ensure that every student attends school regularly.

Showing up for school has a huge impact on a student’s academic success starting in kindergarten and continuing through high school. Even as children grow older and more independent, families play a key role in making sure students get to school safely every day and understand why attendance is so important for success in school and in life.

We realize some absences are unavoidable due to health problems or other circumstances. But, we also know that when students miss too much school— regardless of the reason – it can cause them to fall behind academically.  Your child is less likely to succeed if he or she is chronically absent—which means missing 18 or more days over the course of an entire school year. Research shows:   

 Children chronically absent in kindergarten and 1^st grade are much less likely to read at grade level by the end of 3^rd grade. 

• By 6^th grade, chronic absence is a proven early warning sign for students at risk for dropping out of school. 
• By 9^th grade good attendance can predict graduation rates even better than 8^th grade test scores. 

 Absences can add up quickly.  A child is chronically absent if he or she misses just two days every month!!

Last year, we had significant absences for students, early check-outs, and tardies.  All absences, even partial ones, during the day result in a loss of instruction and a potential loss of learning for students.  We will continue to focus on attendance by reporting on our attendance data quarterly, following up with specific students in our good attendance group, making specific contact with parents whose children are on the path to being considered chronically absent, and highlighting students and classes for good, great, and perfect attendance.  

Clearly, going to school regularly matters!

 We don’t want your child to fall behind in school and get discouraged.  Please ensure that your child attends school every day and arrives on time.   Here are a few practical tips to help support regular attendance:

• Ensure your children maintain a regular bedtime and establish a consistent morning routine.
• Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
• Ensure your children go to school every day unless they are truly sick
• Avoid scheduling vacations or doctor’s appointments during school sessions.
• Consult with teachers and counselors for guidance if your children are feeling anxious about attending school.
• Develop backup plans for getting to school in case of an unexpected issue.  Call on a family member, neighbor, or another parent to take your child to school.

Let us know how we can best support you and your children so that they can show up for school on time every day.   We want your child to be successful in school!  If you have any questions or need more information please contact us at 919-773-7411.

Early Indicator #2:  B for Behavior

Good behavior matters.  When students behave in the classroom, the focus can be on the learning and teaching process for all children in the class, rather than on the negative behavior of one student.  This strong sense of learning and teaching can positively impact all students, enabling them to gain the skills and knowledge they need to move towards proficiency and beyond. 

EGES has made significant efforts to revitalize our PBIS program and has incorporated elements from the Capturing Kids' Hearts program, in which all staff participated in training in the Fall of 2016.  All students can benefit from having strong relationships between teachers and students, as well as among students.  Each day, our staff greet students with a handshake, fist pump, or hug.  Each class undergoes a process to develop a classroom community social contract, which outlines the agreement about how we will treat one another in the classroom and how we will handle any potential conflicts.  Our students commit to following the contract, along with any adult who enters and works in the room, by signing the MAPS Social contract.  

In addition to our work with PBIS and Capturing Kids' Hearts, the staff and Administration celebrate the good work and efforts of our students.  We purposefully seek out the good in our students and our school every day.  Teachers and Admin recognize efforts with compass cards, MAPS Explorer points, and each class is working to earn rewards on the Path to Success.  Be sure you check out our Compass Card Board in our main hallway.  To recognize students' efforts, students may be sent to the Principal's Office!  That's right! Students are sent to the Principal's Office for positive behavior and conduct, and a positive phone call is made to the student's parents and/or family.  The student's name will be displayed on a star and placed on the wall in the main hall. Each student gets a picture with the principal, and if permission is granted, each photo is tweeted out to the world (and shows up on the school website), sharing their good work!  

Early Indicator #3:  C is for Content Success

The final indicator is academic failure in reading or math.  This means if a student isn't learning the curriculum and is able to reach the benchmarks, he/she may fall further behind.  This is particularly important as students transition into middle and high school.  At the elementary level, and here at EGES, we believe that every child is uniquely capable and deserves to be challenged and engaged in relevant, rigorous, and meaningful learning each day (WCPSS Core Belief #1).  Additionally, we believe that every student is expected to learn, grow, and succeed. At the same time, we eliminate the ability to predict achievement based on socioeconomic status, race, and ethnicity (WCPSS Core Belief #2).   EGES will work towards building strong parent relationships that include opportunities for increasing and strengthening parents' capacity to navigate and support their child's educational journey in WCPSS.  Additionally, EGES will strategically and purposefully develop systems for sharing information, enabling us to maximize our impact on family engagement and parent involvement.