September is Attendance Awareness Month, and one of our district’s schools, McNary Heights, has taken big steps to improve attendance for their students. Regular attendance is so important—it helps students grow academically, socially, and emotionally. When students show up at school, we are so excited to see them.
What is Fab Friday?
About a year and a half ago, McNary Heights launched “Fab Fridays” after the school’s Attendance Team identified a problem: Fridays were the least attended day of the week. The Attendance Team, which includes teachers from different grades, the school’s Attendance Secretary, specialists, and administrators, saw this as an opportunity to encourage more students to come to school on Fridays. Their solution? A fun incentive program!
How Fab Fridays Work
Here’s how Fab Fridays motivate students to attend school on time, in person, every Friday:
Tickets for Attendance:
On Friday mornings, teachers hand out tickets to students during breakfast or morning announcements. Students must hold onto their tickets, because later in the day, one lucky student’s ticket will be drawn.
Exciting Prizes:
The student whose ticket is drawn gets to choose a special prize: they can either have lunch with Vice Principal Tim Young and two friends, or invite Mr. Young to join them and their entire class for lunch.
Goal Updates:
Each week, Mr. Young not only announces the winner but also updates students on the school’s attendance goals. This helps keep everyone motivated and aware of the progress being made.
Celebrating Success
In-person attendance for Fridays improved by 22% since Fab Fridays were introduced at McNary Heights Elementary School. Last Friday, McNary Heights students met their attendance goal, achieving 90% attendance! This is a wonderful achievement, and it shows that programs like Fab Fridays can make a big difference. This week’s winner was Israel from 5th grade. Great Job, Mustangs!