Across the country, many schools have higher student absence rates than ever before. Attendance in January was understandably low because of the Omicron variant - some students were sick; some student had family members who were sick; some students were quarantining; and some students and/or their families were worried about sending their children to school. As the virus cases come down, we will have more students returning to school from a few days absent or from many days. As much as some folks wish we could control students' attendance, we can't, but there are some things we can do to ensure that students feel welcomed back with love after any absence. I reached out to some wise friends and am sharing our ideas below: 

• Be like Anita - Anita Torres is a Paraprofessional and Coordinator of the After School Program at the Hernández School (pictured above with my 2nd grade child). Anita greets students with so much love and warmth that they often run to hug her. As Anita hugs students, she says, "Bienvenidos mis niñ@s bellos hermosos de mi alma y corazón 💗!" It's such a gift to spend time with young people, and we want them to know we cherish our time with them. 
• Be aware of negative feelings that could affect how you greet a student - we might be worried about how we can catch a student up on what they missed or about the students' overall performance or attendance data, but these worries can affect how warmly we greet a student. These worries are 100% valid - please do not be hard on yourself for having these feelings. In the moment of welcoming a student back, we should be mindful of setting our worry aside and focusing on how glad we are that the student is back with us today. We also have to remember that - almost always - a child's parent or guardian decides when the child does or does not attend school, so we don't want to blame children for that which is out of their control. 
• Choose what students need to make up - Supervisor of Attendance Wilson Santos recommends asking students: "How can we support you?" Wilson also advises that teachers choose what is most important for students to make up when they return and be very clear with students about what they need to make up to move forward. Of course, students can't make up every do now and class activity, so we have to choose what is most essential for students' learning and ensure students know what to focus on and don't feel overwhelmed by everything in Google Classroom or Seesaw. 
• Focus on the current learning - English High Math Coach Amanda Hathaway said she always welcomes a student back and doesn't ask about why the student was out in front of the class. Amanda said that it can be challenging in subjects like math because teachers get worried about helping the student learn everything they missed. Instead, Amanda recommends focusing on the present and folding the student back into class. She often tells students, "This might be confusing for a day or two - don't worry - you will get it in a couple of days," which can prevent students from feeling stressed when they don't understand that day's lesson. It can also be helpful to have the student sit with someone who has a strong understanding. 
• Consider using Succeed Boston's Restorative Toolkit for Re-entry  - I love how the amazing people at Succeed Boston created these guides that help us think about what to do (and not do) before a student leaves school, the day before they return, the day they return, and then checking in at a date a few days or a week later to see how re-entry has gone.