MOLLY MOON'S SUPPORTS "BE HERE GET THERE!" CAMPAIGN

Earlier this week, Mayor Mike McGinn announced the launch of the Be Here Get There, a research-driven, incentive-based campaign designed to raise awareness and improve academic achievement by improving citywide school attendance.

We were so excited by this initiative we decided to entice students with a few delicious prizes! First of all, we've provided Seattle Public Schools with 500, yes 500 complementary scoop coupons to be distributed to students who maintain awesome attendance. Additionally (this is a big one), we will cater, via our big, blue ice cream truck, a school-wide ice cream party for the elementary, middle, high and K-8 schools who have the best average attendance this school year! How awesome is that?

Be Here Get There is a joint initiative of the City of Seattle, Seattle Public Schools, the Alliance for Education, and Get Schooled to raise awareness of the importance of going to school using community-wide education and incentives. The campaign will address the chronic absenteeism currently affecting public schools across Seattle and help improve academic achievement, boost overall student success and cultivate a lifelong passion for learning.

The Be Here Get There campaign aims to make schools engaging and attractive to students by rewarding positive behavior. To help the campaign reach students, Get Schooled is starting wake-up calls. These calls will feature a friendly message about school attendance from celebrities like NBA Player Jamal Crawford and hip hop artist Wiz Khalifa.

Students can sign up for the wake-up calls by clicking here!

The campaign will also make use of healthy competitions at the school and classroom level to get students energized to go to school. To learn more about some of the contests and incentives planned for October, visit http://getschooled.com/Seattle. The Get Schooled Seattle website will simultaneously track school attendance, allowing students at schools across the city to see how they compare. Partial list of sponsors include Molly Moon’s, Pagliacci Pizza, Starbucks, Raleigh Bicycles, Pacific Science Center, Experience Music Project, KEXP, KUBE 93, KISS FM, and more to be announced throughout the campaign. The campaign will be actively seeking prize donations throughout the school year.

Beyond incentives and competitions in schools, Be Here Get There will focus on strategies for schools, students, families and the community, as well as the shared responsibility to improve attendance. The campaign will address chronic absenteeism in ways that meet the needs of students, families and schools.

Recommendations for school staff to encourage consistent attendance in students include acknowledging students by name and providing engaging learning experiences. For families, the Be Here Get There campaign will increase awareness of attendance policies and provide support and contingencies for those struggling with attendance.

For more information on Be Here Get There, please click on the links to the following articles from the Seattle Times, Seattle PI, West Seattle Blog, Ballard News Tribune, Seattle Channel, and The Stranger's Slog!