IMPORTANT NOTICE TO PARENTS

FROM THE DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT'S OFFICE

DR. ISRAEL KOPPISCH

The Relationship Between School Attendance and Health

Fear, depression, social anxiety, and other mental health issues can make it difficult for children to feel comfortable going to school. When children are exposed to significant stress, violence, or trauma in their homes or communities, it can also trigger mental health issues that cause them to be chronically absent from school.

Chronic absenteeism is a critical national problem that puts more than 6.5 million schoolchildren at risk for falling behind academically, dropping out of school, and serious long-term health, employment, and financial consequences. There is a growing movement among schools, states, and the federal government to address the underlying causes of chronic absenteeism.

The intention to brief our parents about this problem is to provide a close look at the reasons behind chronic absenteeism, its adverse impact on health and life outcomes, and potential solutions.

Children are often chronically absent from school because of health issues.

Chronic absenteeism is also linked with serious health issues into adulthood.

Hunger, unstable housing or transportation, bullying, fear of violence, and other social factors also cause children to be chronically absent.

Chronic absenteeism is disproportionately high among children from low-income families, children of color, and other vulnerable populations.

Chronic absenteeism is widely defined as missing 10 percent or more of school days in a school year for any reason, including excused and unexcused absences. This can translate into missing 15 or more days per year or 3 days per month.

Students who are chronically absent in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade are much less likely to read at grade level by third grade—which would make them 4 times more likely to drop out of high school than proficient readers.

What is Chronic Absenteeism?

Chronic absenteeism is widely defined as missing 10 percent or more of school days for any reason, including excused and unexcused absences. This can translate into missing 15 or more days per year or three days per month.

Chronic absenteeism begins in early grades: more than 10 percent of kindergartners and first-graders are chronically absent. The problem is often overlooked because some schools pay more attention to average daily attendance (the percentage of students who show up each day to school) and unexcused absences.

Health Affects Attendance

Children are chronically absent from school for a wide variety of issues
directly related to their physical, mental, and social health.

Physical Health. Asthma is one of the most common causes of school absences, together with significant health concerns such as poor dental health, vision impairment, diabetes, and obesity. Research suggests that U.S. schoolchildren with this treatable and remediable condition miss a combined 14 million days of school each year. The same research suggests that dental pain, often due to untreated decay, accounts for
almost two million missed days of school annually.

Mental Health. Fear, depression, social anxiety, and other mental health issues can make it difficult for children to feel comfortable going to school. When children are exposed to significant stress, violence, or trauma in their homes or communities, it can also trigger mental health issues that cause
them to be chronically absent from school.

Safety Issues. Students who fear or experience violence or bullying are at risk for being chronically absent from school. This is especially true among racial and ethnic minority students. A 2015 report suggests that nearly 35
percent of black students and more than 28 percent of Hispanic students were involved in a physical fight the previous year, compared with about 20 percent of white students. The same report indicates 20 percent of high school students said they had been bullied in the past year.

Social Factors.

Food insecurity or hunger, unstable housing arrangements,
unreliable transportation, job loss within the family, and lack of health insurance also contributes to chronic absenteeism. In spite of substantial progress in the area of health insurance coverage for children, more than 15 percent of all U.S. children under age 17 remain uninsured, and thus
have more limited ability to access health care and treatment.

Absenteeism: A Major Factor in Long-Term Health and Employment?

The effects of chronic absenteeism can last a lifetime and negatively impact education, health, financial stability, and employment.

Chronic absenteeism affects graduation rates.

Research suggests that students who are chronically absent are significantly less likely to finish high school. According to a recent report, a student who is “chronically absent for any year between eighth and twelfth grade, is over seven times more likely to drop out.”

People who are better educated are more likely to live longer, healthier lives. On average, a college graduate is likely to live about nine years longer than someone who has not completed high school. The opposite is also true—adults with fewer years of education are more likely to die prematurely, engage in unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking, and have higher rates of
diabetes and obesity. Infant mortality rates are higher among children born to women who never graduated from high school compared with women who have earned a college degree.

Better educated people are more likely to have sound employment—jobs with healthier working conditions, better health insurance, and higher wages. College graduates earn nearly twice as much as high school graduates over
a lifetime, while people with fewer years of education are more likely to have lower paying jobs that offer fewer benefits.

parents-- daily attendance of your children to school is highly important.

Chronic absenteeism is a leading indicator that predicts success for both literacy and workforce outcomes of students. So, be aware that each day a child is absent FROM school, is a missed opportunity for your child to learn something they will need in order to understand more difficult material later.

Students who miss more than 18 days of school are less proficient in reading, writing and math compared to their peers with good attendance.

PARENTS-- WE ALL NEED TO DO OUR PART TO ASSURE OUR CHILDREN ARE GETTING THE BEST EDUCATION POSSIBLE. WE ARE COUNTING ON YOU!

RE-ENROLLMENT PERIOD

MAY 3RD, 2024 IS THE LAST DAY TO RESERVE YOUR CHILD'S SPACE FOR THE 2024-2025 ACADEMIC YEAR, OTHERWISE YOU COULD LOSE HIS/HER SPACE FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR.

ENROLLMENT OF NEW STUDENTS

WILL START MAY 6, 2024.

CALL MRS. BLACKSHEAR-IMMEDIATELY - 419-382-2280.

END OF SCHOOL YEAR

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

MAY 1-2-3 KINDERGARTEN CANDIDATES 2024-2025 VISITATION DAYS

May 6-10 Teacher's and Staff Appreciation Week

May 27 Memorial Day -- no school

MAY 28 KINDERGARTEN GRADUATION

MAY 29 EIGHTH GRADE PROMOTION CEREMONY

may 31 last day of school -- end of 4q

SCHOOL NEW LOCATION / address

3891 Martha Avenue, Toledo, OHIO 43612

SCHOOL PHONE -- 419-382-2280

ABOUT AJHAE

Our school has been in existence since 2012—and it has been growing – THIS school year WE'VE GONE UP TO to the eighth grade. In our growing process we have been attached to our original fundamental core principles which have made, and continue to make, AJHAE an attractive option for families and students in need of choices in their educational development. AT AJHAE WE BELIEVE ALL CHILDREN CAN LEARN. WE ARE SENSITIVE TO THEIR SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING AS WELL AS TO THEIR ACADEMIC NEEDS.

Our core curriculum and enrichment classes are geared to offer our students the best educational program, focusing on their specific needs. Our enrichment courses, such as: leadership, music, arts, humanities, technology and online learning to promote in our children the basis of a strong educational background that will allow them to be successful in upcoming years. We serve English learners and believe strongly in supporting students with special needs. In short, all students who come to us are treated personally, and our academic goals are standards-based and structured to accommodate a variety of personal needs and goals.

One of our most important goals is to listen and to improve our support to all of our students, maximizing both academic achievement and personalizing the support for every student. It is part of our mission to hold ourselves accountable to providing the best education for all of our students. We achieve this by working together and providing the choices that reflect the changing needs and circumstances of our students and their families.

At AJHAE, WE Cultivate an environment where every member feels valued and supported. AS A LEADERSHIP SCHOOL, WE recognize that every student possesses innate genius, and understand that every individual—be it student, teacher, or staff—can be a leader.

KINDERGARTENERS FIELD TRIPS and

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES

2023-2024

COMMUNITY ACTION PROJECTS

Community action projects are student and personal learning experience favorites all times of year, but spring time is an especially great time for them for a variety of reasons.

Spring is here, the weather is warming, and students are getting antsy. The school year is wrapping up for many. Teachers want to end the year on a high note, but are also exhausted and don't know how much more they have left to give!

So what better way to cruise through the rest of the year than with a community action project (CAP)?

school surrounding sidewalks cleanup-- 04-17-2024

Community action projects are really powerful, inspiring, and a great way to end the year

IMAGINATION STATION

Kindergarten and First Graders

March 13, 2024

AN EXPERIENCE AT THE VALENTINE'S THEATRE, TOLEDO, OHIO

FEBRUARY 28TH, 2024

12-08-2023 TOLEDO MUSEUM OF ART

2445 Monroe St, Toledo, OH43620-1500

ACTIVE LEARNING AT ITS BEST!!!

10-20-2023 ROSENBLOOM FARM'S, SYLVANIA

KINDERGARTENERS FIRST FIELD TRIP 09-20-2023

fleitz pumpkin farm

7133 Seaman Rd
Oregon, Ohio 43616

a great learning experience for kindergarten students

Our students had a unique fall experience. They were able to see different produce, including all sizes and shapes of pumpkins, giant pumpkins, gourds, squash, giant squash, apples, straw bales, corn shocks, Indian corn, and hardy mums.

AJHAE: A LEADER IN ME SCHOOL

**What is Leader in Me?**

Founded on the belief that everyone has the potential to lead, Leader in Me is a comprehensive PK–12 framework that nurtures student leadership, fosters a culture of trust, and boosts academic success. This proven approach empowers students, educators, and families with essential leadership and life skills, preparing them to excel.

The Leader in Me PROGRAM AT AJHAE begins with adopting 5 new paradigms in education.

PARADIGM OF LEADERSHIP

Everyone Can Be a Leader

We all have the ability to lead, serve, influence, and make a difference.

PARADIGM OF POTENTIAL

Everyone Has Genius

Recognize and celebrate the unique gifts and talents of each student, teacher, parent, and community member.

PARADIGM OF CHANGE

Change Starts with Me

Don’t sit back and wait for change. With this paradigm, individuals are proactive and empowered.

PARADIGM OF MOTIVATION

Empower Students to Lead Their Own Learning

See the incredible synergy that develops throughout schools, districts, and classrooms when everyone has a voice.

PARADIGM OF EDUCATION

Educators and Families Partner to Develop the Whole Person

Schools and AJHAE district work with families to guide each child to create their own best life.

“If you want small changes, work on your behavior; if you want quantum-leap changes, work on your paradigms.”

—Stephen R. Covey

BUILDING BETTER SCHOOLS:

LOCAL CHARTER SCHOOL CELEBRATES ITS LEGACY

By: kristian brown

INTERVIEW TO OUR SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT / SCHOOL LEADER

published august 9, 2022 13ABC-TV ACTION NEWS

Ann Jerkins-Harris Academy of Excellence

Celebrating tWELVE Years of Excellence

Oldest independent charter school in the Toledo area

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - It’s been around for a decade..

While other charter schools have closed up shop, Ann Jerkins-Harris Academy of Educational Excellence has sustained.

So what’s the secret to success?

The Superintendent School Leader of the academy — located on 728 Parkside Blvd., — said the secret is the value her staff places on its students.

“We credit our longevity with the fact that our students are important to us and that we make sure that every student gets what they need when they come here. They get social-emotional support, they get the academic support they need. Every teacher is here because they love children, they care about children and they want them to succeed,” Sonya Loggins, Superintendent School Leader said.

In 2012, the school was founded by Loggins’ late mother Ann Jerkins-Harris who died in 2021.

“My mother believed in educating the whole child that means including their social-emotional learning; their academic learning; their personalities; their interest; and their families. We encompass all of that in our school,” Loggins said.

The K through Sixth charter school is tuition free and offers free transportation AND FREE BREAKFAST AND LUNCHES.

School officials said their enrollment has decreased due to COVID. The academy currently has nearly 100 students enrolled.

“We value quality above quantity. So the quality of education is what’s important to us not the number of students in our classrooms. The smaller the number of students the better education we can give them,” Loggins said.

The academy is offering limited enrollment for 2022 to 2023 academic year.

OHIO AUDITOR OF STATE AWARD TO AJHAE

Thank you for selecting the

Ann Jerkins-Harris Academy of Excellence

for your child.

We are very excited about our upcoming ELEVENth school year! We have been growing slowly but surely thanks to the community support.

At the Academy —an elementary leadership and culturally responsive school--, we are proud to provide our students with the opportunity to learn alongside a diverse group of children and families who reflect the racial, cultural and socio-economic diversity of the communities surrounding our school. Our standards-based program provides an academically challenging, creative and emotional supportive environment for our students and is designed to continually expand student’s knowledge and understanding of concepts, ideas and information.

The educational philosophy, called constructivism, is the cornerstone of our instructional delivery at our school. We offer our students the strategies for gathering information, a classroom climate of shared inquiry, and hands-on experiences making use of a variety of materials. Teachers design projects to promote collaboration between students, connect concepts between curricular areas, and anchor state standards in meaningful contexts like those students will experience in their lives beyond the classroom. Projects will be shared with our community in performances, simulations, art shows, and displays as we celebrate together the continuing joy of lifelong learning.

Definitely, our school is designed for families who are seeking innovation in education. Through our Personalized Learning Model, students participate in enrichment classes in the core subject areas of language arts, math, social studies and science. We offer a wide range of programs plus onsite intervention and enrichment curricula, including technological resources. The school provides high-quality and state adopted curricula.

The ANN JERKINS-HARRIS ACADEMY OF EXCELLENCE

also provides a Special Education Program for students of special needs.

Because we firmly believe that

ALL CHILDREN CAN LEARN,

we provide through our SPED program a diversity of related services:

Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy,

Psychological Services, Mental and Behavior Services.

We encourage you to maintain an active role in your child’s education. As a new and growing school, we welcome your comments, feedback or questions you may have. Feel free to call or set up an appointment if you would like to discuss any matters pertaining to your child’s education and school.