Our schools are excited to welcome you and your children to another tremendous school year here in Gorham. There are a lot of outstanding things happening at our schools so be sure to check out the school websites, keep an eye on your mail and email, and watch for flyers and other materials that will be sent home with your students the first few days of school to let you know about many of these exciting planned events.

You can also check out my blog, which is updated monthly, to help parents stay informed about the various things going on in our schools. We are also active on social media, so you can check us out on Facebook or Twitter, all of which are linked from our webpages.

Our schools are also eager to welcome parents to Partners In Education (PIE). Each of our three elementary schools has a PIE group who work tirelessly to help our schools and the children we serve. Both Gorham Middle School and Gorham High School have parent groups that would love to see more participation.

There is a direct correlation between the level of parent involvement in your child’s education and the academic achievement of your child. As parent involvement increases, student achievement also increases. We want you to be involved and there are lots of ways (both little and big) to be involved, so don’t be bashful.

As we get ready to open a new school year, we want to draw your attention to the importance of school attendance. As you know, our schools have focused on improving attendance over the past few years and we continue to work hard to make sure our students attend school regularly, but we need your help.

Absenteeism in the first month of school can predict poor attendance throughout the school year. Half the students who miss two to four days in September go on to miss nearly a month of school during the year.

Poor attendance can influence whether children read proficiently by the end of third grade. By sixth grade, chronic absence becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school. Finally, research shows missing 10 percent of the school year (or about 18 days in most school districts, which defines chronic absenteeism) negatively affects a student’s academic performance. That’s just two days per month.

Encouraging regular school attendance is one of the most powerful ways you can prepare your child for success, both in school and in life. When you help us make school attendance a priority, you help your child get better grades, develop healthy life habits, and have a better chance of graduating from high school ready to meet all that life’s challenges may have in store for them successfully.

We also want to remind all parents/guardians of our incredible volunteer program. Last year, we had well over 2,000 hours donated to our schools by our awesome volunteers. In order to continue to keep this program vibrant and strong, we need everyone who wishes to volunteer in the Gorham Schools to first register online here. You may also inquire at your school’s Principal’s office for more information.

The Gorham School’s staff continue to work hard to make our schools a place where students want to come each and every day to challenge themselves, to socialize, and to achieve all that they can achieve as learners. Our schools are lucky to have this talented staff and we are also lucky to have a strong community and our supportive parents. Together, we all care deeply about the success of our children and our schools care deeply about our community and its success as well.

We are all so very proud to be Gorham Rams and look forward to another great year. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with questions, comments, or concerns at heather.perry@gorhamschools.org or 222-1012.