Measurable Results
Attendance and Academic Achievement - A Note From The Principal’s Office.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, "chronic student absence reduces even the best teacher's ability to provide learning opportunities" and, "A recent study looking at young children found that absenteeism in kindergarten was associated with negative first-grade outcomes such as greater absenteeism in subsequent years and lower achievement in reading, math, and general knowledge."
Madison Elementary has historically had low attendance rates. Over the past three years, we have worked to change student and parent culture around improved school attendance. With the help of Friends of Madison Elementary we have created a culture of "Come to School Every Day and On Time!"
Since we have implemented the attendance enhancement programs through Friends of Madison Elementary, we have seen a consistent student attendance increase of 2%, year over year during the critically important first 2 weeks of school. This has been a game-changer for Madison as the beginning of the school year attendance is how teachers and funds are allocated to schools. When a school's attendance drops, teachers and funds are sent to schools where attendance has shown an increase. If students attend from the beginning of the school year on, we can ensure that the teacher to student ratio is correct. The attendance enhancement and incentive programs that Friends of Madison funded and helped implement made a significant and immediate difference in increasing attendance during the important first 2 weeks of the school year, they also helped change the culture around attendance and punctuality that carried over into the rest of the school year. Parents now understand that bringing their students to school and on time is important and they make an effort to not extend their summer vacations.
We can also see the change in school culture around attendance in our 5th graders. Three years ago we had 1 of our 80 5th graders (or 1.25% of all 5th graders) with perfect attendance for the year. Last school year, that increased to 8 of our 70 5th graders (or 11.4% of all 5th graders) with perfect attendance for the year. That is a 900% increase in perfect attendance. The average number of days in class increased dramatically, absences decreased and the number of late-arriving students decreased substantially. The culture shifted to one of achievement. The students and each classroom were incentivized to have the highest percentage of on-time attendance each month - with the winning class receiving a celebratory Pizza Lunch Party. These monthly parties for the winning classes are fully catered with pizza, fruit, vegetables, bottled water, and dessert. The celebration includes music and plenty of food so the children can take home extra pizza, fruit, and vegetables. The students very much look forward to these pizza parties and they have become a powerful motivator. Not surprisingly, the students have discovered another great benefit of coming to school every day and being on-time - when they are in class on-time, settled in, and focused on the teacher and the lesson, they tend to learn more and they start to earn better marks on their classwork and better grades on their tests. This increases their self-confidence and excitement for being in class on time - they begin to realize that when they show up and show up on time, they do better in class and when they do better in class, school is so much more exciting and fun.
Thank you for all you do as part of the Madison Family!
2019
Volunteers – The Engine Behind So Much Good Work
NOVEMBER 22, 2019
There’s a new Fred Rogers movie coming out soon starring Tom Hanks as the most likable man in America. Not sure this requires a great deal of acting on Mr. Hanks’ part, perhaps only a cardigan and a clean pair of sneakers. However, it’s reassuring to be reminded of kind people in the world.
Probably the most famous quote by Mr. Rogers is: “My mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers — so many caring people in this world.”
It leaves most of us picturing daring rescues made by chiseled firefighters as flames lash their faces or soap opera-styled doctors shouting “CLEAR” as they shock a patient’s heart back to life. No doubt, these things do happen, even to those who aren’t styled for the part – dramatic rescues made by daring professionals worthy of the many blockbuster films or highly-rated television shows they inspire. Yet, there are countless, kind helpers who’ll never get a movie made about their efforts, much less one starring everyone’s idea of the nicest man in America, Tom Hanks.
I don’t have to look far for helpers. I’m fortunate to work with incredible volunteers every day.
According to VolunteerHub, one in four Americans volunteer at an economic value of $184 billion dollars. Your neighborhood volunteers… they’re the engine behind so much good work. Good work from which we all benefit. And they do it without the expectation of thanks.
Here are just a few of the helpers who make our work at Pasadena Educational Foundation easier… and a joy:
Summer Youth Leaders, who spent their summer helping us care for the children in our summer enrichment program.
Host Families, who invited interns from Taiwan’s Ming Chuan University into their homes so they could teach Mandarin in our enrichment classes.
Garden volunteers, from student/church groups to business volunteers like those from Kaiser Permanente, who helped us clean and maintain our school gardens.
Volunteers Maria Elena Navarro, Ann Hassett, Meriel Stern, students from area schools, and local members of the National Charity League, who helped with our Fall Appeal mailing, which raises funds for everything we do.
Students from Rose City High School, who unpacked books and helped us organize the free book fair we hosted, all thanks to a large donation of books coordinated by volunteer Kate Amsbry.
CalTech student Marcus Lee and teachers from PUSD, including Dany Richey and Micol Issa, who led groups of participants at our WinePas fundraiser late into the evening.
Jim Rispin, Will Webster, Julie Flad, Eric Mulfinger, Michael Werner, Katie Placensia, the Kealing Family, and the Kiwanis/Key Club of Arcadia who helped with the set-up, monitoring, production, and wrap of our 2019 Chess Tournament.
Principal for a Day volunteers, local business people who stepped-up to be a principals and those who helped make the day unique and special at each school.
Sarah Lanni, who helped us research grants and organize a comprehensive list of PUSD partners across every school in the district.
The ever-helpful Elliott Steinwedell, who continues to assist us in the office each week with whatever we need.
Our Board Members, who regularly give their time, expertise, and advocate for all of the children in Pasadena Unified School District.
Our Donors, who kindly donate the funds required to launch and maintain quality education programs across every school in our district.
It is truly amazing how much our jack-of-all-trade volunteers do. Their passion and support is invaluable. They help us in ways that we probably do not fully comprehend.
Dear volunteers, you demonstrate the power of actively engaging in one’s local community. You remind us to look for ways to learn, to grow, and to exercise compassion. In other words, you show us how to be our best selves. No cardigan or clean sneakers required.
Thank you for your service, PEF Volunteers!