ews Attendance generating attention M ISSION — Prizes ranging f ro m a candy bar to movie tickets will be used as incentives to keep Native students in school this year. "Every Day Counts!" will recognize students who achieve high attendance rates through an incentive-based program, according to Lloyd Commander, Youth Services and Recreation Program Manager for the Education Department of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR). The end goal is for better academic success. Commander announced plans to use Every Day Counts! at a meeting of an inter-agency Absenteeism Task Force June 28. The program will be available in three school districts — Pendleton, Pilot Rock, and Athena-Weston — in elementary, middle and high school levels. Every Day Counts! will pr omote an attendance target rate of 90 percent for participants. If students fall under that number they are considered truant. The CTUIR Juvenile Code currently requires an 85 percent attendance percentage to identify a student as truant. Under the current code, a student can accrue up to 25 absences before entering truancy status, according to the program delivered to the task force by Commander. This mean a student could miss a full month of student /teacher contact before being considered truant. E very Day C o u n ts ! w i l l n o t o n l y award good attendance, but it also will recognize students who make significant improvement. "The program does not intend to be exclusionary, thus encouraging students
NCS may change absentee poli cy MISSION — Changes may be coming to the attendance policy at Nixyaawii Community School where one of 10 students is regularly missing as many as 14 days in a 36-period semester. The NCS School Board on July 26 discussed an absentee policy that takes away credits for students who miss more than 90 percent of classes. NCS is the only school in the area that takes credits away for absenteeism, according to Ryan Heinrich, the charter school principal. According to current NCS policy, a student could miss up to six classes every nine weeks before losing a credit. "That's 24 in a year; that's a lot," Heinrich said. Heinrich was charged by the School Board to bring new proposals back to their next meeting in August. low A's or high B's Ironically, some students are even when missing two weeks of school in the first nine weeks. The question becomes: should a student who has good grades lose a credit because they don't go to school. There also is a question about what constitutes an absence. Students who don't show up for class in the first 10 minutes are marked absent. Participation in class makes up 10 percent of the grade with 60 percent from homework and 30 percent tests. Heinrich said it isn't unusual for a student to score well
earning
with accumulative attendance percentages below 90 percent," Commander's outline states. "This program endeavors to provide an incentive-based approach to increase student attendance in order to deter more punitive actions." Along with student recognition, it is hoped that incentives for parents will push them to get their kids up and to school, and to stay in the classroom during the day. Additionally, parents will be recognized for attending monthly Parent Night meetings.
on tests and hand in enough homework to score in the range of even a B+. However, there has to be consequences when students don't come to class, he said. Heinrich has been at the school three years. In his first year, the policy — developed by an earlier school board — had great results. There was a response from parents who had been notified after four absences But two years ago it was just the opposite, Heinrich told the board. "We'd send out a letter telling parents that their student was getting a potential F and that they weren't going to school," Heinrich said, "but last year only one parent called after receiving the letter." Justin Quaempts, a school board member, warned that the school may be on a "dangerous slippery slope, a make-orbreak" for students. He said he was not promoting absenteeism but asked if the current policy could be hindering success. "I'm always empathetic because every student or household is not the same," Quaempts said. Board members asked Heinrich if he had any ideas. "I can change it every day, I can tweak the policy, but by Round-Up there will be nine kids or more that will be in trouble. What we need is something above and beyond the loss of credit," the principal said.
Depending on how well they attend school, elementary students can earn prizes such as candy bars, gift cards, movie passes, pizza certificates, skating pass, and a "big party." Middle school and high school students with good attendance could receive gift cards at local stores and restaurants, backpacks, even nail polish or beaded earrings. Partners with the CTUIR Education Department include Yellowhawk's Sys-
tems of Care and Circles of Hope, CTUIR's Department of Children and Family Services, Tribal truancy program, Tribal Public Safety and potentially others. The kinds of prizes are being reconsidered after a similar incentive program last year resulted in a cost of nearly $18,000 including $3,150 for movie tickets, and $3,000 for laptop computers and printers. Last year, a total of 1,157 prizes were awarded to 662 students, plus 75 awards were given to parents.
• Pendleton grades 6-12 — Monday, Aug. 29 information check Nixyaawii.k12.or.us.
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• Pilot Rock — Monday,Aug. 22 • Athena-Weston — Thursday, Aug. 25
• S tanfield /Echo schools — M onday,Aug. 22
• Hermistonschools — Monday,Aug. 29 • Nixyaawii Community School — first day for freshman Tuesday, Aug. 23 from 8 a.m. to noon; and for all students Wednesday, Aug. 24 from 8 a.m. to noon. • Heppner schools — Monday, Aug. 29 Registration Aug. 10 and 11 in school lobby. Parent/guardian must accompany students. Registration fee is $50. Sports fees are $30 per sport. For basic • Pendleton grades k-5 — Monday, Sept. 19
Confederated Umatilla Journal
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August 2016