Educators at North Thurston School District are figuring out ways to incentivize school attendance for students who struggle making it to their classrooms.
At a board meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 7, Autumn Cummings, Chambers Prairie assistant principal, discussed things schools have been doing to improve attendance and what else can be done going forward.
Among those things was a donut party, branded “Donut Be Late,” where students were rewarded with sweet treats for making it to class on time.
Classrooms have had weekly drawings for students with stellar attendance with rewards, such as gift certificates for movies, ice cream and pizza. Each quarter, a classroom is rewarded with a gift card for best attendance and most improved attendance, Cummings said.
Chambers Prairie Elementary choir students at the meeting told attenders what makes them enjoy coming to school. Several of their answers included getting to see their friends and favorite teachers, as well as the clubs and activities the school offers.
“If we create a space where students want to be they will more likely be here,” said Rob Duerr, Chambers Prairie principal.
Cummings explained that it’s important to figure out barriers for students making it to school, and staff should meet together and figure out students’ motivations.
Twenty-six students were chronically absent last year, but are now regular attendees, Cummings said, showing that some of the incentives have been working.
“We have a long way to go, but we are making a difference,” she said.
Also discussed at the meeting were goals for kindergarten readiness, with six categories of criteria for future students to meet that have been shown to predict future school success. The six domains are social-emotional, physical, language, cognitive learning, literacy and math.
Currently, 50.3% of kids going into kindergarten are ready in those six categories, with a goal of 65%. There has been progress from the previous year, said Sarah Rich, assistant superintendent of the North Thurston School District, however kids aren’t as ready for kindergarten as they were before the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023 the rate of kindergarten readiness was 48.6%.
The goal, “Success in the Early Years,” involves students engaging in meaningful learning opportunities that foster curiosity and joy of learning while developing the academic and social to meet or exceed standards by the end of grade three, according to the presentation.
The next steps in ensuring kindergarten readiness for North Thurston students include continued Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS) support to calibrate data collection, exploring the possibility of expanding Future Ready Kindergarten, continuing the Success in the Early Years Family Education Series and Bilingual Story Times, and continuing Child Find and partnerships with community providers to increase enrollment of preschoolers in high-quality preschool and transitional kindergarten early learning opportunities.
The next steps in enduring kindergarten readiness also include a pilot ELA curriculum in preschool and transitional kindergarten to improve outcomes, continuing to expand partnerships with community organizations that are providing high-quality experiences to increase family and preschooler participation, and creating partnerships to fund and develop a Young Child and Family Center.
Research has shown there’s a relationship between meeting standards at grade three and at high school graduation. Students who enter school with skills expected of a kindergartener are more likely to meet math and ELA standards at a third-grade level later on, according to the presentation.
There has been bargaining between the North Thurston Public School District and the North Thurston Paraeducator Association in regard to salary for workers, and a conclusion was reached and approved by board members at the Jan. 7 meeting.
Bargaining began on Feb. 29, 2024, and a three-year agreement has been made. Under the agreement there will be a salary adjustment of 3.7% for the 2024-25 school year with a budget of $1.3 million.
For 2025-26, there will be a salary increase equal to the state-approved Implicit Price Deflator (IPD) plus 2%, and in 2026-27 there will be a salary increase equal to the IPD or 4%, whichever is greater.
The IPD is a tool that measures the changes in prices of things over time, including the rate of inflation. Paraeducators will also receive a 25-cent an hour increase upon completion of the Fundamental Course of Study, and in the 2025-226 school year a 60-cent an hour increase if they complete the General Paraprofessional Certificate.
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