Surprisingly Simple Ways To Support Belonging and Attendance Series
Part 3: The Powerful Little Postcard That Could Improve Attendance
When we are trying to improve attendance, it is just so easy to focus our efforts on what isn't working.
Who has missed another day.
Who is late again.
Who is already starting to develop a pattern.
You're not alone. Across the nation, educators tell us the same thing. They are all spending so much time on attendance.
Looking at the daily numbers. Watching the percentages. Trying to figure out how to get more kids through the door.
We are all paying such close attention to what isn't improving.
But that means we have to pay just as much attention to what is working.
The minute we see even a little improvement, we need to notice that too.
Tell them. Tell their caregiver. Put it in writing.
One of our favorite ways to do that is with a positive postcard.
A positive postcard is exactly what it sounds like.A short, handwritten note that tells a student something good we noticed.
And there is something special about getting a postcard in the mail.
The only mail we seem to get is bills.
And kids? They never get mail!
So imagine a student opening the mailbox and seeing their own name.
A handwritten note from someone at school.
Something good. Something someone noticed about them. That feels special.
Maybe they made it to school on time three days in a row.
Maybe they came back after missing several days.
Maybe they are working hard on a behavior that has been difficult.
We do not have to wait until the problem is completely solved.
If we see movement in the right direction, that is worth noticing!
And sometimes that little postcard can end up doing more than we ever expected.
We can’t tell you how many times caregivers have told us that our postcard lived on their fridge.
Then, on a morning when getting to school was hard again, they could point to it.
“Hey! Your teacher noticed.”
“They know you can do this.”
That matters.
Because the postcard is no longer just praise from school.
It becomes a reminder that someone is paying attention. That someone sees the effort and their presence matters.
One of the easiest ways to make sure every student gets that kind of message is to make it part of the routine.
Print address labels for every student in your class or school.
Don't worry if you don't know how to do that. We don't know how to do that either. But we guarantee someone in your office knows. The magical human who somehow always knows how to fix the copier? Ask them.
Then slap those labels on blank postcards.
The postcards don't have to be fancy. Print your school logo on some card stock.
And yes, we know. We know. This is one more thing.
You are already so busy.
So we made a postcard template for you.
Write a few each week. Keep going until every label is gone. Then start again. That’s it.
If you are doing this school-wide, write a few postcards at every staff meeting.
If you are doing this individually, block out a few minutes each week.
Yes, it takes a few minutes.
But those few minutes are worth it, especially when they help us get more kids through the door.
And positive postcards are not the only way to put care in writing.
Ask students to write to us.
Then write back.
Notice something specific in their work.
Tell them what they are doing well.
Remind them what they have to be proud of.
When we put care in writing, students get to keep it.
They can reread it.
Take it home.
Stick it on the fridge.
Carry it with them.
And sometimes, that written reminder is exactly what helps them come back through the door.
Next week, we’ll share another simple way to build belonging and support attendance: Start With Connection and Curiosity.
Want to go deeper?
We recently hosted our training Escape the Behavior Trap, where we break down why traditional responses don’t work - and what to do instead.
