GOAL Digital Academy Recaps Month-long Attendance Awareness Initiatives in September

GOAL Digital Academy spotlighted the power of showing up with a month-long series of Attendance Awareness initiatives designed to help students build consistent learning habits and feel connected to their school community. Throughout September, National Attendance Awareness Month, GOAL rolled out student-friendly themes, attendance tips and tricks, and creative competitions tailored to support the district's blended learning environment. 

 To connect with students’ interests and translate attendance into relatable lessons, each week in September featured a popular gaming theme paired with real-world, relatable skills: 

Week 1: Pokémon

Students connected math, reading, memory, and strategy skills to battling and collecting Pokémon. They entered competitions by designing their own Pokémon cards, creating characters out of clay, writing short stories, or submitting their rarest finds in Pokémon Go. 

Week 2: Spirit Week

Each day focused on the power of community with a dress-up challenge: tie-dye day, hat day, mix and match, pajama day, and GOAL Gear day, encouraging creativity, connection, and pride when showing up. Students logged attendance daily and completed assignments to “level up” with GOAL Gear and candy prizes. In addition, students participated daily in GOAL Goes Live Spirit Week Zoom sessions with their peers and staff, creating a fun and interactive space to show off their spirit together. 

Week 3: Minecraft

Attendance was framed as placing blocks one by one to create something lasting. Students practiced patience, determination, creativity, and problem-solving while entering competitions that included Minecraft builds, drawings, dream maps, and short adventure stories. 

Week 4: Mario

Students learned lessons in perseverance, focus, time management, and strategy by comparing school success to progressing through Mario levels. Competition entries included original Mario-inspired map and character drawings, short comics, and stories. Just like in the game, students were reminded that it was okay to fail, as long as they kept trying. 

Week 5: Animal Crossing

The month closed with lessons on organization, financial literacy, friendships, and positivity. Students submitted creative island layouts, journal entries, and screenshots of their own Animal Crossing worlds. The theme highlighted how a consistent presence, whether on an island or at school, helped communities thrive. 

“This month’s Attendance Awareness activities showed just how much students connect when we make learning fun and engaging,” said Jill Millisor, Process Improvement Coordinator at GOAL. “We saw a noticeable increase in enthusiasm for showing up and for using their creativity in the competitions. It was inspiring to watch students build confidence in their online community!” 

Eighty percent of GOAL’s student population won new GOAL Sweatshirts for the Spirit Week Attendance & Assignments Count Week. Individual student winners from each weekly competition are set to be announced at GOAL’s Annual Halloween Bash on October 31, via Zoom, with prizes that include an excused absence, a special goodie basket, and their submitted art pieces featured in GOAL’s 7th Annual Art Show and Sale at the end of the school year! 

“The creativity our students showed in their submissions was incredible,” said Casey Clark, Marketing Manager and High School Art Teacher at GOAL. “From hand-drawn characters to imaginative worlds and digital creations, their work showcased the power of blending art and learning. Alyssa Clayton, our K–8 Art Teacher, and I are excited to showcase these artworks at our Annual Art Show.” 

GOAL Digital Academy is a statewide, tuition-free, public online and blended school serving K–12 students across Central Ohio. With seven Learning Labs and flexible programming, GOAL pairs personalized instruction with real-world support so every learner can be known, valued, and successful. 

Learn more at: www.goaldigital.org