Attendance Line: 403-817-3360 ext. 1.

We ask that parents and guardians call the school attendance line whenever their child will be absent or late. 

In your voice message say your child’s full name, grade, homeroom and reason for absence. 

Excused vs. Unexcused Absences

CBE guidelines regarding which absences / lates are considered excused and which are considered unexcused are as follows. The school principal has the authority to determine if an absence is excused or unexcused.

Excused Absences

• Illness, mental health condition or medical/dental appointment. If these are frequent or excessive you may want to request a medical note to excuse these absences.
• Family emergency, death or illness in the family
• Public Health quarantine
• Religious or cultural observance
• Court
• Extreme weather, transportation cancellations
• An absence directly related to homeless status
• Suspension from School
• Expulsion from a school with no permission to re-enroll

Unexcused Absences

• Any absence from school for a day or a portion there of that does not meet the above criteria (please note that this includes family holidays and vacations taken during days schools are operational)

Late arrivals

If students arrive late to school they are asked to check in at the office and receive a late slip. Should a student have chronic problems with punctuality, teachers or administrators will look to develop an Attendance Improvement Plan (AIP) with those students. These plans are made in conjunction with the student, parent/guardian, and external agencies with the goal of promoting student success.

Checking Out or In During the Day – If students must leave the school due to illness, appointments or for other reasons, they are asked to check out at the office. For students in Grades 4-6, parents/guardians must pick up at the office and sign out their child in person. For students in Grades 7-9, parents/guardians need to either send a note, phone the office and speak to staff to confirm that they have permission to leave or sign their child out in person.

Extended Absences – If a student will be absent for more than three school days they are asked to complete an Extended Leave of Absence Form. This form is available from the office and should be completed and signed by all the students’ teachers a week before departure. The form should then be signed by an administrator in the office. The student is responsible to complete any missed work during the absence.

Leaving During the Day

Permission to be excused from school can only be granted by the office upon request by a parent/guardian.Under no circumstances shall a student leave the school grounds during school hours (8:25 – 11:58 and 12:45 - 2:55) without first obtaining permission from the office. Students in Grades 4, 5 & 6 are not permitted to leave the school grounds at any time except for field trips, lunchtime (if they are not registered in the lunch program and walk home for lunch) or when they are excused and accompanied by a parent. 

Parents... Did You Know?

Regular school attendance has a huge impact on a student’s academic success starting in kindergarten and continuing through high school. Even as children grow older and more independent, families play a key role in making sure students get to school safely every day and understand why attendance is so important for success in school and in life.

We realize some absences are unavoidable due to health problems or other circumstances. When students miss too much school it can cause them to fall behind academically.  Regular school attendance is an important life skill on the path to graduation and future employment.

Did you know?

• By grade 3, students with regular attendance are more likely to read at grade level. 
• By grade 6, regular attendance is a predictor of high school completion. 
• By grade 9, regular attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than test scores.    

Please ensure that your child attends school every day and arrives on time.   Here are a few practical tips to help support regular attendance:

• Listen and show an interest in your child’s day.
• Encourage your child to do well in school and praise their success.
• Help your child maintain daily routines such as, eating breakfast, turning off electronics two hours before bedtime and going to bed early.
• If possible try to schedule dental and medical appointments after school hours or on days off from school.
• Send your child to school unless sick.
• It may be a concern if your child is often sick, complains about going to school and/or struggles with school work.
• Move all technology and other distractions from your child’s bedroom at night
• Ask for help from the school before the problem gets too big. No problem is too small.

Let us know how we can best support you and your child so they can attend school regularly and punctually.