Help Your Child Succeed in School:
Build the Habit of Good Attendance Early
School success goes hand in hand with good attendance!

DID YOU KNOW?
• Starting in kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school.
• Missing 10 percent (or about 18 days) can make it harder to learn to read.
• Students can still fall behind if they miss just a day or two days every few weeks.
• Being late to school may lead to poor attendance.
• Absences can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up.
Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. Start building this habit
in preschool so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Good attendance
will help children do well in high school, college, and at work.

WHAT YOU CAN DO
• Set a regular bed time and morning routine.
• Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
• Find out what day school starts and make sure your child has
the required shots.
• Introduce your child to her teachers and classmates before
school starts to help her transition.
• Don’t let your child stay home unless she is truly sick. Keep in
mind complaints of a stomach ache or headache can be a sign
of anxiety and not a reason to stay home.
• If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to
teachers, school counselors, or other parents for advice on
how to make her feel comfortable and excited about learning.
• Develop back-up plans for getting to school if something
comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbor, or
another parent.
• Avoid medical appointments and extended trips when school
is in session.

For more on school readiness, visit attendanceworks.org and reachoutandread.org

First Day Packet Drop Off!

To provide a smoother start to the school year, we are providing opportunities to complete and return all the necessary forms that traditionally go home the first day of school. Beginning August 12th, you can stop by the district office to pick up your student’s packet or visit our website to download the forms. We have included the revised schedule, important school information, and forms that need to be completed for the start of the school year. Lunch applications should be completed and submitted even if your child does not participate in our lunch program. Many new funding opportunities that are available to schools are based on the number of qualifying applications. Please help us get the most for our students and support our schools. If you need assistance completing any of the forms or applications, office staff will be available on Packet Drop Off Day on August 27, 2019.

Packet Drop Off Days: August 27th
-Oak Grove Elementary, 9:00am-noon
-Willowside, 12:30-4:30pm

We will review the completed forms and check off your first homework assignment of the school year. We may even have an incentive for early completion!

Please click here to download the Packet

Fall Plant Sale!
Willowside School Nursery
5299 Hall Road & Willowside Rd.
Contact: 4lochs@comcast.net for questions

• Saturday 9-2
• August 31
• September 21
• October 12
• November 2
• November 23

For more information click here

OGEP raises money for a wide variety of outstanding educational programs, school activities, events and materials, and works to foster the home and school connection. Your donations directly support our students’ Art, Music, Drama & Dance lessons, Arts Showcases, Science, Art & Social Studies field trips, Library books, Garden programs, Reading Incentive programs, Cultural events such as Dia de los Muertos, Halloween Carnival, Chinese New Year, Winter Holiday Sing-along, and Dia de los Niños, as well as Outdoor Education and 8th Grade Promotion.

Click here for more information

Dr. Celeste Philip, Sonoma County's new Health Officer, has provided the attached letter for parents/guardians regarding current state and nationwide measles outbreaks. In this letter (provided in Spanish and English), she outlines the serious threat measles presents to unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children and strongly encourages any unvaccinated children to get the measles vaccine as soon as possible. SCOE strongly supports this valuable information being shared with parents and guardians.

Click here for more information