http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24445674-952,00.html
Make Every Day Count
I had to change the notice board at school to welcome students back for 4th term and had two spare lines so thought the most positive thing I could say was ... Make Every Day Count ... to try and capture what I had been trying to communicate with children who work after school in the grounds. The next morning I find that the Queensland Government was having a "Make Every Day Count" campaign to respond to the rates of absenteeism.
‘Every Day Counts’ campaign to help reduce absenteeism
A government campaign has been launched to reduce student absenteeism and drive home the message that every day counts at school.Tthe ‘Every Day Counts’ campaign was aimed at changing parent, community and student attitudes to school attendance and ensuring every child attended school every school day.
“Parents need to be aware that students need a legitimate reason to be away from school because if they’re not at school they are missing out on vital parts of their education.
The majority of students do attend school consistently, but there is a small percentage of students who are absent for extended periods without good reason – and this is totally unacceptable.
The average student attendance rate in Queensland is about 92 per cent – this means students are away an average of 18 days a year. Most students only take a few days off each year due to illness or family reasons, so obviously there are some students who are absent a lot more days than the average.
This can only have a detrimental impact on their education. My Department’s research shows that there is a clear relationship between attendance at school and student achievement, such as in the national literacy and numeracy tests. Higher rates of attendance at school mean higher levels of achievement and as attendance drops off, so does the rate of achievement.
Going shopping or visiting family, staying up late and beI ing tired or extending school holidays are not acceptable reasons to be away from school.
Schools would play a vital role by monitoring attendance, identifying those students with attendance problems and managing this by the use of early intervention strategies.
Schools and teachers should be aware of the early warning signs for children at risk of chronic absenteeism. These include many unexplained absences, including children arriving late or leaving early, and children experiencing learning difficulties or health issues.
These problems are best managed by early identification and intervention. Earlier this year I introduced the Guidelines to address chronic absenteeism, school refusal and truancy and schools can use these to plan and document their school’s approach to improving school attendance.
While there is no ‘quick-fix’ to chronic absenteeism, a partnership between schools, parents and the local community has proven effective in reducing absenteeism and improving school attendance. By working together, schools along with local businesses and shopping centres may also develop protocols to manage students who are on their premises during school time.
October 05, 2008
Social and emotional learning to help students cope
State schools will begin embedding social and emotional learning into their school curriculum in a bid to boost students’ skills in dealing with stress, self-responsibility and interpersonal relations in today’s society.
Education and Training Minister Rod Welford will this week launch a guide to enable state schools to choose suitable social and emotional learning programs for their schools.
“Students who are happy in themselves, relate well to others and are motivated to learn, achieve better academically and create positive relationships with their teachers, family and classmates,” Mr Welford said.
“We think nothing of encouraging children to eat healthy foods and be active, particularly in this Year of Physical Activity, but a child’s social and emotional development is just as vital to their success.
“Social and emotional learning teaches children to recognise and manage emotions, develop care and concern for others, form positive relationships and make responsible decisions. Children with well-developed social skills and emotional awareness do better at school, both socially and academically, and that’s important for both teachers and parents.
“Today’s young people are growing up in a complex society which relies on technology and has access to more information than past generations. While this can be a good thing because there are more ways to keep in touch with others, it can sometimes be overwhelming and bring challenges that can test the resilience and maturity of young people.”
Mr Welford said some students could become stressed, anxious, sad or depressed because of issues at home or with their friends and other outside factors.
“Research shows that by building children’s social and emotional skills we can improve their capacity to learn and lay the foundation for coping strategies and the ability to bounce back after problems,” he said.
“Learning these skills can also help safeguard against negative behaviours such as bullying, dangerous risk-taking around sex, drugs and alcohol and engaging with violence - these negative behaviours threaten a child’s well-being and a school’s orderly functioning.”
Mr Welford said the Guide to Social and Emotional Learning in Queensland State Schools would be provided to schools so they could implement learning programs most appropriate to their needs.
“There are a range of programs available to help children develop positive relationships and motivate them to learn and achieve better academic results,” he said.
State schools around Queensland are implementing a variety of social and emotional learning programs including KidsMatter, FRIENDS for Life, You Can Do It, Bounce Back! and Aussie Optimism to ensure student social emotional well-being.
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