Attendance Line: 403-777-7680 ext. 1

Parents and Guardians only: Please inform the school of your student’s absences by phoning our school attendance line at 403-777-7680, then pressing 1 when the phone is answered by the automated system. You can leave these messages throughout the day, as well as advance notification for future appointments.

We would ask that you please spell your student’s full name, slowly and clearly, as well as their grade and Homeroom letter, 7E, 9A etc. This will ensure that the system is updated correctly and your child’s late/absence is recorded correctly.

Our new School Messenger Attendance System is now up and running. To ensure you receive attendance messages regarding your child’s late/absences via email each day, please ensure your email addresses are up to date with the school. If they need to be updated, please send the new information with your child to drop off at the office. See our School Hours.

Absences

Extended

There are 12 weeks over the course of the year that are formal holidays for students in middle school. Parents/Guardians are asked to support the work of the school by booking extended absences only during these times. Full year school calendars are posted a year in advance on the CBE website.

With respect to excusable absences the Education Act, Statutes of Alberta, 2012, Chapter E-0.3, Part 1 Section 7, subsection 4 states:

A student is excused from attending school on a day on which the school is open if:

(a) the student is unable to attend by reason of sickness or other unavoidable cause,
(b) the day is recognized as a religious holiday by the religious denomination to which the student
belongs,
(c) the principal of the school has suspended the student from school and the suspension is still in effect,
(d) the student has been expelled from a school and has not yet been enrolled in another education
program.

Families who choose to take their child out of school for long periods of time must be prepared to accept the decreased achievement levels that occur as a consequence of missing school time. In the case of the TLC program, this absence may determine future enrolment in the program.

Cumulating absences may result in a student being placed on an Attendance Improvement Plan (AIP). Students arriving late to class lose valuable learning time and interfere with the learning of their classmates. We wish to promote the best conditions for learning and teaching and to foster habits that prepare students well for the world of work. If a student is late, the student will be asked to participate in community service or sit a detention.

Additional consequences for students with attendance/late issues will also include the loss of privileges until the situation improves. Privileges which students may lose could include: attending school dances, participating in intramural activities, attending school sporting events, off-site activities, trying-out for or playing on school teams, or year-end farewell. Our intention is to have students attend school on a regular basis.

Parents/guardians are required to provide a reason for lates and absences in person, by phone, note, email or fax on the same day of the late or absence. Students on an AIP need a medical note or a copy of a prescription in order for their absence to be excused. Parents/guardians can telephone the school absence line (records 24 hours a day) to explain the reason for the late or absence on the school’s messaging system. If a parent/guardian does not contact the school regarding the late or absence the student will be marked as unexcused. 

Unexcused absences will remain unexcused if 48 hours has elapsed from the time of the absence. There are natural consequences for students who accumulate unexcused lates or absences.

Homework

In the event of an absence or late the student must:

• Obtain missed notes and assignments from D2L
• Make up any work, quizzes or tests missed following the absence
• Attend one or more Work Sessions to get extra help or clarification with any work missed or
• At the discretion of the teacher complete missed assessments (formative or summative)

Success at School

Regular attendance contributes to success at school. Punctuality is a shared responsibility of students, parents/guardians, and school staff. Students are expected to attend school every day and arrive on time for each class.

The mandated Grade 6 - 9 Alberta Program of Studies as set forth by Alberta Education is extensive and rigorous. The pace of daily lessons is fast and so, it is most challenging to learners to catch up after missing lessons in middle school courses. The practice of removing a student for an extended period of time (longer than three days) for reasons other than illness or bereavement is not encouraged by the Administration of Annie Gale School or the CBE.

It is the position of Annie Gale School that consistent class attendance is a requirement of enrolment in the school. We are not set up for students to learn when they are absent for an extended period. Our teaching and learning is situational and requires the student to be at school and in class. When a student is not present in the class for an extended period of time the continuity of the program is disturbed and it is sometimes difficult to catch up and understand the material. This may be the natural consequence for being absent.

The type of school that would work for students who are absent for long periods of time is a distance learning school or an online school. That is not our school. We do not provide step-by-step notes online. Please note the school is not required to supply an educational package for a student when they are on extended leaves due to family vacations or weddings or bereavement longer than two weeks. When students are absent they miss out on class discussion which is a significant part of learning in all classes.