Area Businesses Are Providing Students with Incentives in School Attendance Boosting Campaign 🦊

With the “Every Student, Every Day. . .Counts!” initiative to bolster student attendance well underway in Newark Central School District schools, some area businesses are doing their part to help the cause.

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An afternoon check November 2nd with Sandra Orsborne, who along with husband Dan owns and operates Sugar and Slice Pizzeria in Newark, revealed they’ve given away nearly 200 slices of pizza for free to NCSD students who achieved perfect attendance during the month of September.

Those students were among the 900 students at all five district schools that had perfect attendance in September giving all of them the right to get a free slice of pizza at Sugar and Slice Pizzeria until the couple’s generous offer expires November 30th.

The attendance boosting campaign, announced by Superintendent Susan Hasenauer at the beginning of the school year, is a coordinated effort that has included informational assemblies at each of the district’s five schools, family outreach and community incentives to reduce chronic absenteeism and sets consistent expectations for lateness, absences, and more.

Jessica Orchard is working as an administrative intern this year on the attendance boosting campaign with John Ginter who is the Director of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support and is also as administrative intern at Perkins School.

“This idea started with Superintendent Sue Hasenauer, who wanted to create a campaign that gives students reachable attendance goals and opportunities to celebrate their achievements,” Orchard explained. “Julia Solan, Director of Family and Community Engagement, helped bring the idea to life by connecting us with local businesses willing to support and celebrate our students!”

Orsborne, at Sugar and Slice, is happy to help the cause.

“We want to support the school district,’’ she said. “I think it’s a great idea. A little treat for students to work for.”

Because they had the lowest absenteeism rate among the five NCSD schools in September, Lincoln School pupils were treated to a real treat on Halloween Day October 31st _ a pizza party during lunch. Sugar and Slice Pizzeria, which generously supports other student-related events in Newark, had a hand in it, providing Lincoln School with 8 sheet pizzas at half the normal price.

“A huge thank-you to our community partners: Sugar and Slice and The Apple Shed, Snapdragon Apples, Oats and O’s, and the Alex Eligh Community Center, who will be providing incentives throughout the school year, for supporting our students in this initiative,” Orchard continued. “We are incredibly grateful for all the support we’ve received so far from our community. We’re so excited to keep this momentum going and continue celebrating our students.”

Solan agrees.

"Our attendance campaign has really been about bringing our community together to recognize the importance of showing up every day and ensuring our students and families feel supported along the way. We partnered with local businesses to identify opportunities to

celebrate attendance milestones throughout the year, while also engaging our Newark Parent Advisory Council to gather valuable family input.

In September we met with our Newark PAC to learn more about attendance and our initial steps as a district on how to improve attendance globally. During our meeting, we tasked them with answering 4 questions in small groups and truly gathering honest feedback. A lot of what we decided for next steps of our attendance campaign came directly from our parents.

“Our PAC answered:

· How can we enhance our attendance campaign through family & community partnerships?

· What can Newark do to support families with attendance?

· How can parents be partners or advocates for positive attendance outcomes?

· What are real life barriers that make coming to school difficult for families?

“Those conversations helped us better understand some of the barriers families face when it comes to attendance, hear their ideas for meaningful incentives, and identify ways we as a school district and community can better support our students,” Solan continued. “Ultimately, this is about more than rewarding good attendance; it’s about building relationships, removing barriers, and reinforcing that Every student, Every day . . . Counts.

"I would like to personally thank our Newark PAC, our admin team, and community partners who have been working collaboratively to reinforce our shared commitment to support all members of our school community and for making this campaign a success!"

In October, the NCSD attendance boosting campaign focused on students with the most improvement in their attendance over the previous school year.

Ginter, who has been a driving force behind the attendance boosting campaign said:

"Attendance is about more than being present in school each day—it’s about ensuring every student feels connected, supported, and valued. By building strong partnerships with families, listening to their experiences, and working together to identify and reduce barriers to attendance, we can create a school community where every family feels welcomed, every student feels they belong, and every child has the opportunity to thrive. When schools and families work together, we send a powerful message: Every student, Every day. . . Counts."