Attendance Policy

The School Division has an attendance policy based on the following beliefs about attendance and learning:

• Our primary purpose in school is to foster student learning

• Regular and punctual attendance enhances the chances for successful student learning

• Developing a pattern of regular and punctual attendance will serve students well as they make the transition to the workplace

• Maintaining regular and punctual attendance is the responsibility of the student; in early years, parents assume responsibility for developing and nurturing this habit

• Parents, teachers, school office staff and administrators all have a role to play in supporting students in maintaining regular attendance.

Parents and students should advise teachers in advance of any planned absence, e.g.: family trip, medical appointment.

To the extent possible, parents are urged to arrange appointments for students or family vacations on the days when the school is closed. Should an extended period of absence be planned, parents are asked to contact their child’s teacher in advance.

Multiple absences or late arrivals to class seriously interfere with a student’s learning, and can often cause the student to achieve at a lower level, or begin to experience failure. In addition, late arrivals are disruptive to the class. Students are expected to make up missed work, but because participation in class cannot be made up, a student can never fully capture the learning that was missed.