1. Coffee with the Counselors
Attendance & Bullying
Mr. Gwinn & Miss Hartman
September 2016

2. Attendance

3. Why is Attendance Important?

4. Attendance Policy @ Lake Wylie
If an absence if necessary, the following should be done:
If possible, notify the school before the absence.
Upon returning to school, send a note signed by a parent or guardian stating the exact reason for the absence. Without a written note, absences will be coded unexcused!
Absence Codes:
Excused
Unexcused
Suspension/Expulsion
Excused Absences Examples:
Illness, Appointments, Family Deaths, Religious Observances

5. Improving Attendance- Lake Wylie Elementary

6. Recognize Good and Improved Attendance
“School communities can send a clear message that going to school every day is a priority by providing regular recognition and rewards to students and families who have good and improved attendance”
How Does Lake Wylie Do This?
SAIL Ceremony Perfect Attendance Certificate
Star The Classroom Level
Weekly Administration Meetings
Open Communication with Parents and Families

7. Engage Students and Parents
“A key component of the engagement is helping families learn about the positive impact of good attendance and the negative effects of chronic absenteeism on realizing their hopes and dreams for their children”
How Does Lake Wylie Do This?
3,6, and 10 Day Letters
Pirateer
Coffee with the Counselors
Open communication between families and school staff.

8. Monitor Attendance Data and Practice
“The best way to identify students with poor attendance is to calculate the data that schools are already collecting”
How Does Lake Wylie Do This?
3,6, and 10 Day Letters
Weekly Administration Meetings
Star The Classroom Level
Open communication between families and school staff.

9. Provide Personalized Early Outreach
“Perhaps the most critical strategy is using data to trigger early caring outreach to families and students who are already missing too many days of school. Outreach is essential for identifying barriers to attendance — hunger, health, shelter, transportation or other challenges — and the supports or resources that would help improve attendance”
How Does Lake Wylie Do This?
Open communication between families and school staff. Usually through contact with the school counselors.

10. Develop Programmatic Response To Barriers-If Needed
“If large numbers of students are affected by chronic absence, that suggests some type of systemic barrier or barriers are at play. Identifying the barriers to attendance can indicate the appropriate solutions.”
How Does Lake Wylie Do This?
Weekly Administration Meetings To Monitor Attendance and Discuss Barriers
Open communication between families and school staff.
Working With Community and CMS Resource to Address Barriers.

11. Improving Attendance-Parents
Build Regular Routines for Bed Time and the Morning
Talk About the Importance of Attendance
Don’t Permit Missing School Unless Student is Truly Sick
Develop a Backup Plan
Send in Notes if Absent
Seek Support!

12. Bullying

13. Bullying Defined
Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Both kids who are bullied and who bully others may have serious, lasting problems. 
In order to be considered bullying, the behavior must be aggressive and include:
An Imbalance of Power: Kids who bully use their power—such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity— to control or harm others. Power imbalances can change over time and in different situations, even if they involve the same people.
Repetition: Bullying behaviors happen more than once or have the potential to happen more than once.

14. Bullying is NOT…. Not liking someone Being excluded Arguments
Accidentally bumping into someone

15. Types of Bullying
Verbal bullying is saying or writing mean things. Verbal bullying includes:
Teasing
Name-calling
Inappropriate sexual comments
Taunting
Threatening to cause harm
Social bullying, sometimes referred to as relational bullying, involves hurting someone’s reputation or relationships. Social bullying includes:
Leaving someone out on purpose
Telling other children not to be friends with someone
Spreading rumors about someone
Embarrassing someone in public
Physical bullying involves hurting a person’s body or possessions. Physical bullying includes:
Hitting/kicking/pinching
Spitting
Tripping/pushing
Taking or breaking someone’s things
Making mean or rude hand gestures

16. Cyber Bullying
Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place using electronic technology. Electronic technology includes devices and equipment such as cell phones, computers, and tablets as well as communication tools including social media sites, text messages, chat, and websites.
Examples of cyberbullying include mean text messages or s, rumors sent by or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or fake profiles.

17. Cyber Bullying Facts and Figures
Teens spend an average of 26.8 hours a week online.
72 percent of teens have some type of social networking profile.
60 percent of teens use instant messaging.
91 percent of teens have an address.

18. Cyber Bullying: Where is it happening?
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Snapchat
Kik
YouTube

19. Behavior Policy @ Lake Wylie
In all instances, administrative actions will be aimed at teaching good decision making rather than punishing.
Counselors will be utilized as a form of intervention in the hopes that administrative action can be minimized.
In some instances, however, fair consequences for inappropriate behavior are needed to emphasize the need for choosing appropriate courses of action.

20. Eliminating Bullying-Lake Wylie
Bully Prevention Week
Positive School Culture-7 Habits
SAIL Ceremonies
Counselor Mail
CEO Lunch
School Counseling Services
Individual Counseling
Small Group Counseling
Classroom Guidance Lessons
Disciplinary Consequences
Clip System
Discipline Referrals

21. Eliminating Bullying-Parents
Recognize Warning Signs
Talk with the student(s) about bullying
Encourage positive social interactions with peers
Teach (appropriate) problem solving and conflict resolution skills
Communicate with the school
Reaching out to other parents

22. Questions?

23. Your Counselors’ Info Jason Gwinn (E) Jasonr.gwinn@cms.k12.nc.us
Andrea Hartman
(E)

24. Resources