Attendance Wins Big at Maunaloa

Maunaloa Student Council News Release

Did you know that our school went from 39% to 6% absentee? That’s almost the whole school body! 

At our school, we have a program called M.A.P. (Molokai Attendance Program) for success. This program has helped our school and families get on track and improve our absences. But that’s not the only thing that has helped us on our journey in school attendance. In this article we will discuss why school attendance matters, what we did to improve it, and more!

Attendance matters because we need to maximize our learning and improve it so we’re not, not smart. Think of school like a movie. If you miss the first 30 minutes, the rest of the movie doesn’t make sense because you missed the parts that explain what’s happening. That’s super similar to when you miss one day of school, and then you go to school the next day, and you don’t even know what you’re learning about and/or you don’t understand what you’re learning. 

According to our principal, “Kumu Kaʻai,” she reported, “It was a big achievement for our staff, teachers, and myself. It’s a big thing!” That is why attendance matters.

So now we know that we went from 39% to 6% absences in a single year. How did we make such a difference in improvement? We found a community coordinator whose whole job is to help families with things like rides or supplies. So, kids don’t have to stay home. 

When a kid is absent for four days in a row, the school gives a friendly letter to see if the student needs help getting to class. The school puts activities like S.T.E.M. day and special visitors to give the students something to be excited about and want to come to school. 

Those are some simple steps our school took to improve our attendance. Our families try their best to keep our students learning, too. Some kids live far away but still manage to come to school with the support of families, teachers, friends and coordinators.

In conclusion, our future goal for the school attendance is to get 95% of the whole student body to attend school. One of the ways students can help keep attendance strong is by washing their hands and not spreading germs. And coming to school even when you don’t want to. 

“Everyday you show up, you’re investing in your future self.”