September is Attendance Awareness Month!
Every September, Attendance Awareness Month takes place to spread awareness regarding why maintaining attendance in school is essential for academic success. We know that everyone plays a role in making sure our students are in the classroom, ready to learn each day.
IDEA Lake Houston- Sr. Principal Ms. Marissa Garza
11th Year at IDEA Public Schools
Left Photo: Ms. Garza supporting Michael Ortega, 9th Grade, Class of 2028.
Right Photo: Ms. Garza celebrating Ronen May, 9th Grade, Founding Gator, Class of 2028, Perfect Attendance Achievement.
IDEA Lake Houston’s Sr. Principal Ms. Marissa Garza says “Attendance is the foundation of all our driving goals. We know that when scholars are in their seats, they are learning and enjoying the process of becoming life-long critical thinkers.”
At IDEA Public Schools, we believe that a habit of good Average Daily Attendance (ADA) is a school-readiness skill that takes the entire school community of staff, students, and parents to build. Along with social-emotional and readiness skills, consistent on-time attendance is a habit that lasts a lifetime.
“We ensure we invest our staff to make phone calls each day and have our leadership team follow up with each family. We stay true to ADA daily calls, ADA daily Huddles, and Weekly ADA Escalation Matrix meetings,” Ms. Garza shares.
As Ms. Garza greets students in the morning, she has one-to-one conversations with them regarding their absence the previous day. Due to their continued improvement in attendance, these past three years, IDEA Lake Houston has been recognized as the National School of the Year by IDEA Public Schools, “A” rated campus by TEA, and “Star” designation on the annual “Honor Roll” list for their outstanding student performance on the STAAR tests. With the support of the entire school community and its families, IDEA Lake Houston has made the impossible, possible.
IDEA Frontier- Sr. Assistant Principal of Instruction Luis Larrazolo
8th Year at IDEA Public Schools
When students attend school regularly, they build on their previous learning and create a strong network of friends. Creating positive memories throughout the school year that last a lifetime. Mr. Luis Larrazolo, Sr. Assistant Principal of Instruction at IDEA Frontier says, “Together, we make the most out of our academic journey. Attendance is all about joyful and rigorous instruction. When students are engaged in their learning, that’s when the magic of perfect attendance happens.”
Our tailored approach to education allows IDEA Public Schools to serve as the nation’s leader in preparing students for college and beyond. “We have experienced teachers who think outside the box to make learning challenging and fun. At IDEA Frontier, we bring joy by celebrating our students when they’ve been in school for the month with patches, bracelets, dances, healthy snacks, free meal vouchers, or even a trip to the movies,” says Mr. Larrazolo.
IDEA provides regular recognition and rewards to students and families who have good and improved attendance.
We believe that by encouraging, incentivizing, and celebrating school attendance, students will keep pace with their classmates and consistently learn, setting them on track for success in school and in life.
Mr. Larrazolo shares that their mission to prepare students for college and beyond can only be made possible if their students enjoy coming to school and are being challenged to think critically, write innovatively, and express themselves articulately. “That is why IDEA Frontier is one of the top schools in the state of Texas and the nation!” Mr. Larrazolo adds.
On Attendance Awareness Month, let’s challenge all our students to hit attendance out of the ballpark this school year by attending school daily, on time, and ready to achieve their goals!
Interested in attending IDEA Public Schools? Learn more about our application process and submit your application for the 2024-25 school year today: www.ideapublicschools.org/apply.
