At Aurora Public Schools, we know students are more likely to thrive when they feel connected, supported and successful at school. That starts with them being there every day.
September is Attendance Awareness Month, and APS is proud to have been selected to participate in the Denver Broncos Attendance Network, a partnership between the Colorado Department of Education, the Denver Broncos Foundation and Attendance Works.
Through this partnership, five APS schools, including Aurora Hills Middle School, East Middle School, North Middle School, Aurora Central High School and Hinkley High School will receive additional tools to help remove barriers to attendance and ensure every student has the opportunity to thrive.
Over the next two years, those schools will benefit from:
🏈 Guidance from attendance experts to strengthen student supports
📚 New strategies and resources to encourage positive attendance habits
🤝 Collaboration with school districts across Colorado to share successful practices
The work builds on efforts already happening across APS. Over at Virginia Court Elementary a schoolwide focus on student attendance helped the school achieve a 93.4% attendance rate last year, which was the highest in the district among elementary and middle schools.
“We know that students having high attendance leads to stronger academics, higher feelings of belonging and more confidence in school,” said Assistant Principal Nora Polaski. “We want our students and teachers to feel successful and like they are an important part of our community.”
Polaski is one of several leaders on the Virginia Court attendance team that meets weekly and runs consecutive absence reports to see where resources can best be deployed. One of their goals is to build strong relationships with families so they feel comfortable communicating with the school about what they need.
“Most of all, we have teachers and staff members that work endlessly for our students to feel safe and welcome, hold high expectations for students to be successful and make sure school is fun,” Polaski said.
Every school day gives students another opportunity to learn, build friendships, develop new skills and prepare for their future. We know that when students attend school consistently, they are more likely to succeed academically, feel connected to their school community and stay on track for graduation!