The Rochester City School District is grateful to the numerous volunteers who have given their time to let children and families know about the importance of getting kids to school. Each month the City School District hosts “attendance blitzes” and volunteers go into neighborhoods of students and families who are deemed “chronically absent.”
Superintendent Barbara Deane-Williams said, “I’m very excited to see the progress this attendance initiative has taken. Serving this community and our children is the primary role of our school District. Having the ability to reach out to someone who knows how to connect students and families to services and supports is what community is all about.”
As of Thursday November 8th, the District has 6,701 students who’ve had perfect attendance so far this school year. 15,159 students have 95 percent attendance so far this school year, meaning they have only missed one or two days of school.
Deane-Williams said, “There can’t be anything more powerful than going into the community and actually meeting with people face to face and making sure they have the connections to others, relationships matter.”
New in the month of November is the District’s reminder to volunteers about the start of the cold and flu season. Families and students are encouraged to get a flu shot. Erin Graupman from the District’s Student Health Services Department said, “We do have an opportunity for every student in elementary school to get their flu shot in school. The county does clinics throughout the month of December at every elementary school that doesn’t have a school based health center.”
