Recently Governor Dan McKee and Education Commissioner Angelica Infante Green held a meeting at the State House to celebrate that Rhode Island has reduced chronic absenteeism for the third consecutive year. All Newport Public Schools have also seen improvements in attendance and decreases in chronic absenteeism over the last three school years. Great job everyone! That’s a big deal because if our students aren’t in the classroom, they’re not learning. So let’s keep the momentum going as a One Newport community and once again commit to Attendance Matters, Every Day! Parents, Guardians, and Caretakers- We need you on our team reinforcing this at home and ensuring that your child comes to school. You make the biggest difference in whether our children are in school. We need to work together to set expectations with our children that school matters now and for their futures. Join all of us to make this happen.
How do you improve student attendance? Improving attendance is all about building strong school day routines including a regular bedtime, wake up time, time to head out for the school bus, and a time after school to talk with your child about their day. Setting expectations now is important.
If your child is experiencing any issues or concerns in school, please reach out to your child’s teacher or the building principal. The sooner communication starts the better, and the sooner our teachers and principals can work with you and your child on a plan that positions them for success.
What else is new? This year students are not allowed to use their cell phones in Newport Public Schools during school hours. This is a big change, but we are already receiving lots of positive feedback and our students are doing a great job following this new rule. BRAVO!!
Last Update for this week -Traffic Control at RHS:
Rogers parents and students should read the important message below about drop off, pickup, and student parking. With limited parking and space while demolition of the old Rogers continues, we all need to work together to follow these procedures so that we don’t create traffic jams and unsafe conditions at the start and end of school days.
Have a great week of learning everyone and remember that when Attendance Matters, Success Follows for our students, less use of cell phones means more focused attention to school and instruction- and let’s be safe when driving!
Colleen Burns Jermain, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
