Your Attendance Please!
Your Attendance Please!
 
In order to take full advantage of your education and prepare yourself for life after school, attendance is very important.

There can sometimes be unavoidable situations that may arise causing you to be away from school. Each school has different policies in place to deal with lateness, leaving school early, truancy and illness. We encourage you to become familiar with the procedures that are in place at your school. 

Absent

You should know that regardless of a school’s specific policies on being absent, the Ministry of Education requires that upon returning to school students must provide a note signed and dated by a parent explaining the absence. This note is usually provided to the main office prior to being re-admitted to class. Students over the age 18 are of legal age to sign their own note. Alternatively, parents can call in to the main office of their child's school and provide a reason for the absence.
 
Lateness

It is your responsibility to arrive on time for school and for all scheduled classes. Our schools have policies in place that assign consequences for continuous lateness.

Remember that being punctual is seen as a sign of respect and is often not tolerated in life outside of school. If you are late for a scheduled appointment or for work, there are usually consequences. Being positive and respectful right now is a good habit to get into.

Truancy
 
There are serious consequences for skipping school. The Ministry of Education says that “a child is excused from attendance in school only if the child is unable to attend school by reason of sickness or other unavoidable cause.” It is important for you to know that students with unexplained absences could be considered truant.

Your school will have a policy to deal with truancy – usually this behaviour will be dealt with by contacting parents, detention, suspension or even expulsion.