Metro Nashville Public Schools

As the sign outside of Jere Baxter Middle School says: “Positive attendance is a whole vibe!” And nobody knows that better than our students.

That’s why, for the second year in a row, Metro Schools hosted an Attendance Matters creativity contest, where students submitted their best posters and videos reminding their fellow students that daily attendance is important. 

“We know that when students miss school, they miss out,” said Dr. Carol Lampkin Brown, Metro Schools’ director of attendance services. “For the second year in a row, we’ve enjoyed elevating our students’ voices and hearing from them just how important being in school all day, every day really is.”

Contest Winners

This year’s theme was “Strive for 5,” which encourages students to attend school five days a week and not to miss more than five days a year. Our overall district winners are:

• Westmeade Elementary School 5th grader Ryan Johnson, who created the winning “Strive for 5” poster.
• A.Z. Kelley Elementary School art teacher Brandi Harmon, who created the winning “Strive for 5” coloring page and led her students in a lesson about the importance of attendance.
• Tusculum Elementary School students and staff, who recorded a “Strive for 5” music video.

Help Your Student Succeed

As a parent, your support for student attendance is critical. Here are a few ideas to help your child show up every day:

• Set up for success the night before – lay out clothes, pack your bookbag and do whatever else you can at night to give yourself an easier morning.
• Rhythm and routines – help your children maintain a morning routine that gets them out the door on time.
• Talk about the importance – school is just as important as a job, and showing up on time is crucial. 

Metro Schools puts the health of students first, so we recognize it is important to keep your child home while they are sick. Of course, students who are sick should stay home to reduce the risk of spreading illness until they feel better and are no longer contagious. But as soon as students feel better, they should be back at school and ready once again to learn and succeed.

Schools offer a wide range of programs and services to support students and families, in and out of the classroom. Please reach out to the Family Information Center to learn more.

Tusculum Elementary Strive For Five Video