Tantramar Regional High School Attendance Policy

2017-2018

Rationale

School attendance is very important, as we know there is a direct relationship between attendance and student success. It has an impact on the individual student, as well as the learning of their classmates and teacher workload.

Student attendance expectations are outlined in the Education Act, as is the parent’s role in ensuring their children are at school. Regular and prompt attendance is also an expectation of Anglophone East School District and the personnel of TRHS. When a child must be absent, parents are expected to follow the guidelines outlined below:

Parental Reporting

  • Parents should report their child’s absence by phoning the school before 8:20am to indicate why their child will not be there (364-4060, press 1 to report your child’s absence).
  • The absence will be recorded in our computer system so teachers know the student is absent and not skipping class.
  • Our Auto Dialer will call home at the end of the day to report a student’s absence from class, whether we have been informed or not. If you have reported the absence, please ignore this message. If your child was expected to be at school and you get this message, you will know that they were not.
  • Please provide a written note/e-mail to the Principal or Vice Principal prior to a planned absence of more than 3 days. The administration will co-ordinate a catch-up plan.

Reasons for Absenteeism

  • Please note that the distinction in our system between Excused vs. Unexcused absences is entered with a call or note from a parent. Teachers will see this in the system; however the Autodialer will call home, regardless of reason.
  • Acceptable reasons for being absent include:
  • Student illness
  • Medical/dental appointments that cannot be schedule outside of school hours
  • Bereavement/funerals
  • Religious reasons
  • Court Appearances
  • School-based activities
  • Disciplinary Action
  • Please note that absences for family vacations are discouraged and teachers are not obliged to extend deadlines, re-schedule tests, other assessments or re-teach material missed in this case.

Teacher Record Keeping

  • Each subject teacher takes attendance daily and enters it into a computerized system. Students will be marked Tardy if they enter the room after the bell. Students will be marked absent if they are not present or miss more than half of the class period.
  • If a child is disputing their absence, please have them speak to the subject teacher the following day.

Returning from an Absence

  • If an absence was not reported the day it occurred, the student is to bring a note (from a parent/guardian explaining the absence) to the Administration Office immediately upon their return to school.
  • This will be entered into the computer system to inform teachers that this absence was excused and will result in the type of extra help provided to your child (see Making-Up Work below).

Tardy for Class

  • Students who are late for a legitimate reason are expected to bring a written note from a parent/guardian to their teacher when they enter the class.
  • Parents dropping students off late on a regular basis is not an acceptable excuse for being tardy. Students can walk or take the bus.
  • Students are considered tardy when they enter class after the bell.
  • Subject teachers will address students who are tardy by first having a conversation about it and then issuing consequences if it continues. Chronic tardiness will be referred to the Administration.

Late for School

  • Students arriving to school late are required to obtain a late slip from the office. They will be asked to provide a note explaining why they are late. The student will give the slip to their teacher upon entering class. Late slips will be monitored by teachers and students who are chronically late to start the day will be referred to the Administration.

Leaving School Early

  • Upon occasion, students may need to leave school before the end of the day. As we are obligated to account for student attendance, students leaving during the day must sign out at the office:
  • With a signed note from a parent/guardian;
  • By the parent/guardian coming in to sign them out; or
  • By the parent calling the school office.
  • Note that grade 9 students must be picked up by a parent/guardian if leaving at lunch*

Excessive Absenteeism

  • Students will be tracked when they have reached 5, 10 and 15 absences within a semester.
  • 5 Absences- after 5 absences in any class during a semester, the teacher(s) will call home to discuss the situation. The absenteeism will be reported to the school‘s Attendance Officer.
  • The Attendance Officer may meet with the student to discuss reasons for missing class and help organize academic or non-academic supports.
  • 10 Absences- after 10 absences the student will meet with the school Guidance Counsellor to ascertain why the student is missing so much time and an action plan will be developed.
  • 15 Absences- after 15 absences, the student may be removed from class and an alternate education plan developed.
  • Note that good attendance is a criterion for participation in TRHS extra-curricular activities.

Making-Up Work

  • Students are expected to make up work due to absences or tardiness. Students are expected to discuss what was missed witha classmate and ask them for any notes they may have missed immediately upon return.
  • Students will be permitted to make up tests, labs, assignments, etc., provided their absence is excused and should be prepared to do so on the day they return. Any assignment due on the day a student is absentwith excuse is also due upon the day of return.
  • Work assigned during an absence that has not been excused will result in a mark of zero. Teachers are not obliged to extend deadlines, re-schedule tests, other assessments or provide “catch-up” help in this case.

9/16/2018