Student Success Begins with 180 Days of School

Did you know that some chronically absent students have poor attendance for reasons beyond their control, such as unstable housing, unreliable transportation, or a lack of access to health care?

GRPS’ Family and Community Engagement (FACE) office aims to build a culture of attendance that begins with identifying and tackling those barriers.

A portion of the Parent University website has been dedicated to listing useful local resources for families. GRPS is committed to supporting more than just a child’s education; follow this link to explore resources related to mental health, meal distribution and nutrition services, bullying prevention, and more. Recognizing that COVID-19 has presented families with additional barriers, our website also provides links to resources around Kent County that can help support families through this challenging time.

Under the Resources tab on our website, you’ll find a link to the GRPS Student Handbook. This handbook contains information about attendance, grading scales, uniforms, behavioral expectations, and more.

Strive for Less than 5 Partnerships

Success for your child begins with 180 days of school. Starting today, challenge your child to strive for fewer than 5 absences every school year. Here are some of our partners who help the district and families like yours Strive for Less than 5:

Kent School Services Network

• KSSN is a community school initiative that brings comprehensive health and human services to schools so that they can be easily accessed by students and families in a neighborhood setting. Learn more at https://www.kentssn.org/

Kids’ Food Basket

• This lifesaving food program nourishes children, living at or near the poverty level, with critical evening meals to level the playing field for their academic achievement. The meals equip children and families with better access to fresh, locally grown food in order to build a more vibrant, healthy West Michigan. The recent addition of a growing farm increases access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Volunteers are essential, and new faces are always welcome! Learn more at kidsfoodbasket.org.

Attendance Works

• Attendance works is the leading resource for districts, schools and families in reducing chronic absenteeism. The mission is to advance student success and help close equity gaps by reducing chronic absence. Learn more at https://www.attendanceworks.org/

This great video from Attendance Works discusses just one example of why it’s so important for community entities to come together to address the importance of good school attendance: