​By Danielle Lankford, Guadalupe School Communication Specialist
The leaves are changing, there's cool in the air, and boots and scarves are coming out of the closet and that means - it's almost October! And, October at Guadalupe Charter School is Attendance Awareness month, or what we call "Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow! Our 6th grade leadership team gave us their take on what attendance means:

"Going to Guadalupe is fun because it is where my friends are and I like seeing my friends everyday. Attendance is important because we don't want to miss homework and other information. When I miss school sometimes I miss important tests and lose grade points. I like attending school because I like the satisfaction of knowing I am doing something good for my future. I don't want to miss the lessons my teacher has to teach me.


We want to make sure all of Guadalupe School knows that coming to school every day counts toward our future!"
- Luis and Fernando


Luis and Fernando are right, attendance is important! The reason we make a big deal out of attendance at Guadalupe School is because everyday does count, and here's how:

• Kindergarten and first-grade classes often have absenteeism rates as high as those in high school. Many of these absences are excused, but still add up to lost time in the classroom.
• Two out of ten students in kindergarten and first grade are chronically absent. In some schools, it’s as high as one in four.
• Two in ten low-income students miss too much school. They are also more likely to suffer academically.
• Four in ten transient children miss too much school when families move too much.
• Students who attend school regularly are more likely to graduate and find good jobs. In fact, a high school graduate makes on average $1 million more than a dropout over a lifetime.
• A student who misses 10 days or more during a school year is 20 percent less likely to gradate from high school and 25 percent less likely to ever enroll in college.
• Chronic absence can affect a student’s ability to earn a living. Dropouts are less likely to succeed in a career, and even those who do graduate will not do well at work without good attendance habits.

Source: Attendance Works

By Danielle Lankford, Guadalupe School Communications Specialist


We at Guadalupe School are over-the-moon excited to announce that our very own In-Home Coordinator, Moira Rampton was recognized by the State Health Department’s Office of Home Visiting as the very first Early Childhood Provider of the Year! This comes just days after Guadalupe as a whole was also recognized with an award from the White House Initiative on Excellence in Hispanic Education. We don’t like to blow our own horn, but we do believe that these designations and awards are simply a reflection of the hard work our dedicated staff accomplishes every day, and they do deserve to be recognized for those efforts!

So, this week, I sat down with Moira for a chance to ask her to describe in her own words, what her award means for her career, the In-Home Program and our school.

1.       What was your initial reaction to hearing your name called for this award at the Home Visiting Conference?
“Shock, I was totally surprised. I thought, who would nominate me?”

2.       How long have you been working in the In-Home Program at Guadalupe School?
“Since February of 1992. Next February will be 24 years.”

3.       What has been your favorite part of working here over the years?

“Working with the families, and building relationships with the families for sure. That is the key to all of our programs.”

4.       What do you think makes our In-Home Program unique?

“We have a continuum in our program. We build on In-Home visits with all of our other programs. Other home visiting programs struggle with having that continuity, but in our program, families want to join because they want you continue in our school.”

5.       What do you think is the value in home-visiting programs like ours?
“The impact we can have with babies on a child’s education will last them a lifetime.”

6.       What response have you experienced from parents who participate in the In-Home program?
“Parents are very grateful to have a confidante, someone who builds their self-esteem and give them a high-five, and say ‘You’re really doing a great job!’ They are grateful to have someone to teach them new things. I think any of us, as parents, would like to have that support, but most of us don’t.”

Big thanks to Moira and her team of parent educators who go out every week, giving new parents the skills to be their child’s first teacher! They all deserve recognition for their efforts.

By Danielle Lankford, Guadalupe School Communications Specialist

What is the number one daily educational habit you can keep when you have a baby or toddler? Talk-Sing-Read! 

Babies and toddlers are absorbing language at incredible rates before the age of 3, and language development is one of the most important indicators for child development. So, here are some ways you can integrate Talk-Sing-Read into your daily routine, to make sure your child is learning every day.

Talk

·         Talk about what you see while going for a walk.

·         Talk about what you’re doing around the home.

·         Talk to your baby, responding when they make sounds.

·         Talk about what things are, such as labeling parts of the body, toys, or items in the grocery store.

·         Talk in questions to mix it up when playing with your baby.

Sing

·         Sing to the radio in the car.

·         Sing nursery rhymes and lullabies at home.

·         Sing the ABC’s or the clean-up song.

·         Sing your favorite traditional songs from your family or culture.

·         Sing before naptime or bedtime to calm your baby.

Read

·         Read a classic bedtime story.

·         Read as your baby explores a book on their own.

·         Read or tell a favorite story from your childhood.

·         Read along at a library or school story time event.

·         Read stories where you can use different voices for different characters and have fun with acting it out.

By Danielle Lankford, Guadalupe School Communications Specialist

Kindercollege is back in session with Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Taylor! Monday, August 31 was the first day of school for small scholars, and the first week of Kindergarten is a BIG step! This year of their education will lay the foundation for learning in years to come, so if the first week of Kindergarten is so important, what did they learn this week? Well, we will just let them show you...

We learned to follow instructions and work at our tables first thing in the morning. 

We learned to catch a bubble and walk through the hallway quietly.

We learned about story time and how to use the library.

We watched a video about wolves, and Mrs. Brown taught us about writing, and how to raise our hands to answer questions.

We learned to line up, get our trays, and find a seat for lunch time!

We learned to get our sillies out with a little mid-day exercise.

We learned to find our spot on the mat and sit criss-cross applesauce for group time.

We learned to clean up the classroom and get our things at the end of the day.

We learned to wait for the bus that will take us home, where we get ready for another day at Kindercollege!