Superintendent's Office

A Message from the Superintendent

October 28, 2024

Dear South Holland School District 151 Families,

This year, our district theme is "The Sky's the Limit!"

Students at Taft, Eisenhower, Madison and Coolidge are learning new skills and demonstrating their amazing talents. Our goal is to help children grow in every school, in every classroom, every day. Consistency is the key to student growth. 

This year, we are asking all families to help their children grow by focusing on ATTENDANCE. 

Our goal is for each child to have fewer than ten (10) absences during the 2024-25 school year. That will mean each child has an attendance score of over 90%! 

Missing school can cause children to fall behind. For example, in Kindergarten and 1^st Grade at Taft, children learn best from daily classroom activities, lessons, discussions, and routines. When a child misses school, there is no way to make up for what they have missed. This makes it hard for them to develop beginning Reading, Writing, and Math skills. 

In Grades 2 – 5 at Eisenhower and Madison, children are taught new information and skills each day. To be successful, children need to participate in lessons and practice every day. At Coolidge Middle School, it becomes increasingly difficult to catch up after missing class. Students learn best when they are in school all day every school day. The impact of being late, leaving early, or missing school even one or two times per month adds up quickly.

Today, you are receiving an Attendance Magnet for your child. Please put this magnet on your refrigerator. Then: 

• Use it to keep track of your child’s absences from now until the end of the year.
• Try to keep the number of absences for the school year under ten (10). Please keep in mind that arriving to school late or leaving early can add up to a ½ day absence. 
• In January, all students at Taft, Eisenhower, Madison, and Coolidge who have less than 5 absences will be entered into a drawing for a special prize. 
• In June, students with fewer than 10 absences will be entered into a drawing for prizes at each school. 

Whenever possible, we ask families to schedule appointments, trips out of town, and other activities for days when children do not have school. Please reach out to your child’s school whenever your child will be absent and share with the Principal or Assistant Principal when there is an extenuating circumstance that will keep your children out of school.  

Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,

Dr. Teresa Hill

Superintendent of Schools