NEWSLETTER
March 2017
In This Issue:
ADDRESSING CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM

WHAT IS CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM? 

Every absence, excused or unexcused, is a learning opportunity lost and can have significant impacts on  a  student's success in school and life. A student who misses 10% or more of their school days, which amounts to 18 or more days in a school year-or just two days a month-for any reason is considered chronically absent. Chronically absent students are more likely to fall behind in reading and math and less likely to graduate from high school. Helping the Federal Way School District address chronic absenteeism and developing good attendance habits is a top priority for Communities In Schools of Federal Way.

CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM IN FEDERAL WAY

In 2016, an analysis of Federal data revealed that Washington State has the  second worst  chronic absenteeism rate in the nation.  In 2015, 16% of Washington State students missed 18 or more days of school.  In comparison, the Federal Way School District is well above the state average, with 20% of students (4,600 total students) being chronically absent, putting us in the  bottom 20%  of Washington State school districts.

COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS IN ACTION

Here are just a few examples of how our School Outreach Coordinators are partnering with their schools to improve school attendance:

Anthony Cryer, at Totem Middle School, has recently provided individualized support for a student to help improve her attendance. This student has been late or absent a total of 60 days this year.  The student's mom leaves the house at 5 am for work, so it is up to the student to get to school on-time. Anthony, the student, and her mom came up with a detailed plan to improve her attendance. If the student gets to school on-time 30 days in a row, then she will earn a new pair of sneakers she has been desperately wanting. The student is responsible for checking in with Anthony every morning, and Anthony is happy to report that the student, for the first time this year, has gone 11 days in a row without being absent!

Our School Outreach Coordinators, Kaitlin and Esther, at Federal Way High School recognize good and improved  attendance. For example, they recently surprised  one of their  students, Esther (pictured below), with a goody bag of treats for having 100% attendance 1st semester!

At Thomas Jefferson High School, Soraia Francisco has been working with this student, Irene (pictured below), for a few years now. Irene struggled with attendance and grades at the beginning of this year, but with frequent scheduled check-ins with Soraia to monitor her attendance and grades, she is back on track to graduate this June! She has A's in all of her classes, and recently scored the highest grade on on an exam in one of her classes.

Ariassa Wilson, at Kilo Middle School has developed an incentive program called "Team Glow Up" to recognize good and improved attendance, as well as behavior and academic work. Jae'Shanel (pictured belwow) is a 7th grade student at Kilo Middle School who is participating in "Team Glow Up," Jae'Shanel had a rocky start to the school year, but since joining Team Glow Up, she has improved attendance, better focus in class, and better behavior. Team Glow Up has motivated Jae'Shanel to keep working hard to reach her goals.
Learn more about Chronic Absenteeism and how we are helping solve the problem.

CIS ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

One of our Federal Way High School  CIS Alumni, Marshun, was the Master of Ceremonies for the Communities In Schools of Washington State  Annual Mardi Gras Auction. Marshun's charisma on stage and telling of his personal success story helped the state office raise nearly $220,000! 

Marshun is currently attending Washington State University, and was recently one of 6 students from across the country to receive a full scholarship to attend the alumni track at CIS National's Professional Development and Leadership training in Los Angeles! The goals of this track are for alumni to gain a greater understanding of - and build an even stronger connection to - Communities In Schools and the Alumni Leadership Network, as well as strengthen their public speaking, career and leadership skills. He will join 90 other CIS Alumni from across the country, and have the opportunity to network with other students who have also overcome many obstacles to achieve success.
 

Read more about Marshun's story here.

Bottom right photo: Marshun and School Outreach Coordinator, Kaitlin Thomas, graduation 2016. 
ANNUAL FUNDRAISING BREAKFAST

YOU'RE INVITED!

Join us on April 28th at the Federal Way Community Center, for our Annual Fundraising Breakfast and help us surround students with a COMMUNITY of support.  Doors open at 7:00 AM, breakfast service starts at 7:15 AM, and program begins promptly at 7:30 AM.

 Register Here. 

THANK YOU TO OUR CURRENT SPONSORS!

TOTE Maritime
Laurus Financial
Multi Service Center
WSECU
Kiwanis Club of Federal Way
Coldwell Banker Danforth In the Community
Woodstone Credit Union
City of Federal Way
CHI Franciscan Health
Cash America
DaVita
King County Council, Office of Pete von Reichbauer 
Village Green Retirement Campus
Federal Way Coalition Against Trafficking
Sound Credit Union
Red Canoe Credit Union
ESM Consulting Engineers
Sylvan Learning Center
Susan and Bruce Honda
Seattle Children's-South Clinic

Sponsorship opportunities are still available.  
Contact Jessica Cox, at jessicac@cisfederalway.org for more information.
PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT
TJHS PI CLUB

Our AmeriCorps School Outreach Coordinator, Lanette Ava, at Thomas Jefferson High School, advises the school's Pacific Islander Club.  The Club recently performed at the school's Multi-Cultural Night in-front of an audience of over 100 people, as well as their school's talent show, where they provided entertainment during intermission and at the end of the show. April will be a very busy time for the club, with performances happening at least once a week!  The club is currently raising money for new performance costumes.  Their goal is to raise $300.  If you would like to donate to the club for new costumes click here and designate your donation to the PI Club. 

The Pacific Islander Club's (PI Club) mission is to discover and develop talents through music and singing, and learning and performing cultural dances.  These students are very dedicated to the club, meeting Monday-Thursday after school from 2-4 pm and during Advisory periods on Fridays.  There are 15 students who participate regularly, and th ey have grown very close and consider themselves a family.   Learn more about PI Club here.
The  PI Club will be showcasing their talents at our Annual Fundraising Breakfast on April 28th!
CIS INTERN SPOTLIGHT

This school year we have five Social Work (BSW) Interns from the University of Washin gton Tacoma  and  Pacific Lutheran University who are  assisting our School Outreach Coordinators at Sequoyah, Illahee, Sacajawea, and Lakota Middle Schools, and Thomas Jefferson High School. The BASW interns are applying what they have learned in the classroom to help our students overcome their barriers to success and achieve their goals!  

Our School Outreach Coordinator, Alicia Vasey, at Sequoyah Middle School has her Master's Degree in Social Work from the University of Texas, making her a qualified Practicum/Field Instructor, which is required by UWT and PLU.  As the Practicum Instructor, Alicia works with the interns to develop their student learning goals, monitor their learning progress, and provide feedback and evaluation for the students. The students are required to be at their school site a minimum of 16 hours per week, which includes group seminars led by Alicia to discuss challenges and questions, as well as ways to integrate social work theory into practice.  

These five interns have been a great addition to our Communities In Schools team and have brought a fresh new perspective. They add another layer of support that we are able to provide to students, and at the same time they are gaining valuable professional experience in a challenging but supportive environment. 


Communities In Schools of Federal Way
1825 S. 316th St. #101
Federal Way, WA 98003
253-529-7440

Surrounding students with a community of support, 
empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.

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