Regular attendance is one of the most important ways families can support a child's success in school. In PreK–2, every day matters as children build foundational reading, math, social, and classroom skills. Our goal is for every child to attend school every day, arrive on time, 

WHAT FAMILIES NEED TO KNOW

OUR SCHOOL DAY

Doors Open: 8:30 AM

Instruction Begins: 8:50 AM

Dismissal: 2:50 PM

Students arriving after the official beginning of the school day will be marked tardy.

IF YOUR CHILD IS ABSENT

If your child must miss school, please notify the school. When your child returns, send a written note explaining the absence. Include your child's name, date of absence, reason for absence, and parent/guardian signature.

To be considered excused, the written explanation must be received within 5 school days of your child's return.

EXCUSED ABSENCES

Examples of excused absences under PCSD policy include: 

Personal illness,Illness or death in the family, Disability-related reasons, Religious observance, Required court appearance, Doctor or dentist appointments, Other reasons approved by the Commissioner of Education. An absence that does not meet the District's criteria for an excused absence will be recorded as unexcused.

EARLY DISMISSAL

Please schedule your child’s appointments (ex. doctor/dentist/therapy and other appointments) outside of school hours whenever possible.

When an early dismissal is necessary, a parent/guardian should provide a written request explaining the reason for the early dismissal. Early dismissals are recorded as part of your child's attendance record.

WORKING TOGETHER FOR GREAT ATTENDANCE

 WHY ATTENDANCE MATTERS

Young children learn through much more than worksheets and assignments. Each school day includes: Reading • Writing • Math • Classroom Routines • Social Skills • Teacher Support • Friendships • Hands-On Learning

Missed work can be completed, but it cannot fully replace being present for classroom instruction and experiences.

 WE ARE HERE TO HELP

We understand that children get sick and families sometimes experience circumstances outside of their control.If your child is having difficulty attending school regularly, please reach out to us. Our goal is to partner with families, identify barriers, and help children attend school consistently.

Community Schools Liaison, Ms. Martinez: Ext: 5304       Attendance Caseworker, Mr. Alfred: 845-685-7087

 WHEN ABSENCES ADD UP

Sojourner Truth Elementary School monitors attendance throughout the school year. When absences or tardiness become a concern, families may receive:

Phone Calls • Attendance Letters • Meetings • Home Visits • Additional School Support

New York State requires school-aged children to attend school regularly. School staff are mandated reporters and must follow District and State procedures when there is reason to suspect educational neglect related to school attendance.

Communication is important. 

Please stay connected with us so we can work together to support your child.

• Trinity Temple Food Pantry: 19 N. Bridge St., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

• Spanish Poughkeepsie SDA Church Food Pantry: 61 Market St., Poughkeepsie NY 12601

• Mother’s Cupboard Food Pantry: 92 Catharine St., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

• Beulah Baptist Church Soup Kitchen: 92 Catherine St., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

• CAP for Dutchess County – Poughkeepsie, 77 Cannon St., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

• St. Paul’s Poughkeepsie Food Pantry, 161 Mansion St., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

• Reach Out and Touch Food Pantry: 100 Cannon St., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

• Dutchess Outreach Lunch Box, 29 N. Hamilton St., Ground Floor, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

• Dutchess Outreach Food Pantry: 29 N. Hamilton St., Ground Floor, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

• Ebenezer Baptist Church Food Pantry: 15 Smith St., Poughkeepsie, NY Open the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month

• Salvation Army – Poughkeepsie Meal Program: 9 Pershing Ave., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

• Salvation Army – Poughkeepsie Food Pantry: 19 Pershing Ave., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

• God’s Helping Hands Food Pantry: 120 Hudson Ave., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

• St. Augustine Parish Food Pantry: 35 Philips Ave., Highland, NY 12528

• Ascension Holy Trinity Food Pantry: 21-23 Lower Grand St., Highland, NY 12528

• RCCG Restoration Arena Food Pantry: 22 IBM Rd., Suite 110, Poughkeepsie NY 12601

• Hudson River Lodge Food Pantry: 391 Manchester Rd., Poughkeepsie, NY 12603

• Family Outreach Food Pantry: 529 Route 44 #55, Highland NY 12528

• Wings on Wheels Mobile Food Pantry: 529 Route 44 #55, Highland, NY 12528

• Jehovah Jireh Food Pantry: 9 Knollwood Ln, Poughkeepsie NY 12603

• Hyde Park Food Pantry: 4337 Albany Post Rd, Hyde Park, NY 12538

• Pleasant Valley Ecumenical Food Pantry, 92 Martin Rd., Pleasant Valley, NY 12569

• Reach Out Food Pantry: 241 Crum Elbow Rd., Hyde Park, NY 12538

• Love Reaches Out Food Pantry: 1138 Route 55, Lagrangeville, NY 12540

• CAP for Dutchess County – 7 Mill Street, Wappingers Falls NY 12590

• Pathstone – Poughkeepsie Food Pantry, 201 South Ave, Suite 203, Poughkeepsie NY 12601

Pre-K 

(Building Early Number Sense)

• Count everything together – steps, toys, snacks, cars passing by.

• Play with shapes – name circles, squares, and triangles during play and in the environment.

• Use simple math talk – “You have 2 crackers, if I give you 1 more, how many?”

• Sort & classify – laundry, toys, buttons (by size, color, shape).

• Sing number songs – classics like Five Little Ducks or Ten in the Bed.

Kindergarten 

(Numbers to 20, Early Addition/Subtraction)

• Practice counting forward & backward – especially crossing 10.

• Use everyday objects – “We have 5 apples, if we eat 2, how many are left?”

• Play board games with dice – builds one-to-one counting and number recognition.

• Build with blocks or Legos – talk about patterns, lengths, and comparisons (taller/shorter, longer/shorter).

• Make numbers visual – draw dots or tally marks instead of just writing digits.
  
  

1st Grade 

(Addition/Subtraction to 20, Place Value to 100)

• Practice fact fluency in fun ways – flashcards, card games, or online games (Prodigy, XtraMath).

• Use a number line at home – hop forward/backward to add and subtract.

• Talk about place value – group things into “tens” and “ones” (like 14 crayons = 1 ten and 4 ones).

• Play “Make 10” games – e.g., “I have 7, what number do I need to make 10?”

• Involve them in cooking – measuring cups are great for halves, wholes, and comparisons.

2nd Grade 

(Addition/Subtraction to 100, Early Multiplication, Measurement, Money, Time)

• Practice skip counting (by 2s, 5s, 10s) to lay groundwork for multiplication.

• Use real money – count coins, make change for simple purchases.

• Read clocks together – ask “What time will it be in 30 minutes?”

• Solve “real world” problems – “We have 47 stickers, if we use 20, how many are left?”

• Encourage math explanations – ask “How did you figure that out?” to build reasoning skills.

• Play math card games – War (highest number wins), or make equations to match a target number.