Circle Forum

The complexity of student needs underlying attendance concerns requires new responses from schools and community agencies.

Find out more about how to use restorative practices to build connections with community agencies. Send me a note to [email protected]

Check out our free resources at www.restorative.ca

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Every school is a busy place all the time!  It’s true that there’s no month of the year that isn’t busy with something.  Instead of just reacting, proactive changes can be made in small increments.

Find out more about how to use restorative practices in busy times. Send me a note to [email protected]

Check out our free resources at www.restorative.ca

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When educators discover some of the reasons behind student absenteeism, it can seem like the problems are insurmountable.  One of the best things to do is recognize your own role in support student attendance since everyone at school plays a role.

2:46 You never know the impact you’re having

3:34 Listening makes a difference and is more than “just” listening

4:43  They won’t care what you know till they know that you care

6:10. Maya Angelou - “People will forget what you said.  People will forget what you did bu people will never forget how you made them feel.”

7:11 story of a teacher who drew a Y to illustrate the turning point for a student

8:15 Little things can make a big difference

9:01 Story of an unknown impact on a student until years later

Find out more about how to use restorative practices listen and to do the little things for students. Send me a note to [email protected]

Check out our free resources at www.restorative.ca

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Talking about student attendance requires regular reminders to staff.  How about using your current memos or newsletters to make it a monthly discussion in the staffroom?  In this podcast we discuss some simple attendance tips that can be part of your conversations.

1:23 Greet students at the door of the classroom.

2:18 Address students by name

2:33 Have a weekly attendance update for staff.

3:36 Welcome students back after absences

4:03 Set the tone of welcome in your classroom.

7:22 Set an intention to make a sunshine call to each parent in your classroom.

7:46 Find out 2 new things about each student.

9:11 Use an attitude of curiosity when teaching.

9:50 Ask good questions that don’t blame or shame.

Find out more about how to use restorative practices for attendance tips at school. Send me a note to [email protected]

Check out our free resources at www.restorative.ca

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Parent voice needs to be included through a variety of channels that are formal and less formal.  

1:44 School climate surveys

4:00 Parents will come to meetings about topics that are important to them

5:34 Proactively design the questions for consideration.

7:57 Plan time for conversations with parents

9:06 Ask open ended questions like “What are 3 stars and a wish that you have for our school?”

Find out more about how to use restorative practices to build the questions about topics that matter for parents.  Send me a note to [email protected]

Check out our free resources at www.restorative.ca

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There are a lot of people at school who have information about a student or family that’s not connected or engaged.  It’s important to make connecting the dots of information a priority.

0:23 Starts with a school leader asking the question about who’s NOT connected

2:33 Involve the staff in addressing the question

4:46 Redraft staff meeting agendas to include topics like families that aren’t connected

6:30 Set up the question for the staff meeting beforehand, for example, “how might  we best engage  families that are not connected to our school?”

9:01 Shape the conversation by making family connections to school a priority for everyone

Find out more about how to use restorative practices when building relationships and connecting with families.

 Send me a note to [email protected]

Check out our free resources at www.restorative.ca

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Dealing with parents in difficult circumstances takes skill and practice.  The good news is that everyone can learn to get better at being firm and fair.

2:02 Start by de-escalating the situation

2:50 Acknowledge the upset parent with head nods and eye contact

6:10 Check your tone of voice and body language

6:51 Model and practice, model and practice again.

7:20 Fair process starts with Engaging parents, giving them an opportunity to have a say.

Find out more about how to use restorative practices to be firm and fair with upset parents.  Send me a note to [email protected]

Check out our free resources at www.restorative.ca

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Protective factors are those things that mitigate concerns regarding student attendance and help promote coming to school.  It starts with identifying the protective factors with which parents are most engaged.  Here are a few:

4:03 Parents may not know how to do this so educate and inform.

5:35 Parents have varieties of priorities to consider for their children.

10:38 Provide messaging to support parents in their parenting

11:15 Promote family and parenting workshops that are of interest to the families.

12:13 Principals are leaders in facilitating the conversations that include protective factors.

Find out more about how to use restorative practices to build protective factors with parents. 

Here’s the Checklist of Attendance Protective and Risk Factors.

Send me a note to [email protected]

Check out our free resources at www.restorative.ca

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Conversations about student attendance issues are filled with complexity and it all starts with attendance data.  How do you get attendance to be part of the discussions in schools?  How does attendance impact achievement?  What are the changes we can measure?  Who’s the point person for attendance at school or in the school district?  Sharing attendance data with school and district staff each have a role to play in student attendance.  What’s been shared with the community agencies to get their participation to address the underlying causes of absenteeism?

Find out more about how to use restorative practices when looking at student attendance data.  Send me a note to [email protected]

Check out our free resources at www.restorative.ca

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Talking with parents can be challenging especially when the topic is their child’s absenteeism. Don’t make attendance your first or only contacts with parents! Get to know them and ask questions that are open and curious. Restorative questions don’t judge others and lead to conversations not conclusions. It’s not always easy and we may feel judged as educators! Change your questions to build relationships rather than confront about an issue.

Questions like “What happened? What do you think? Who’s impacted by this and how? What’s the hardest thing for you in all of this? What do you think needs to happen next?”

Find out more about how to use restorative questions when talking with parents. Send me a note to [email protected]

Check out our free resources at www.restorative.ca

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