Attendance Line: 403-256-8140 (ext 1)

At Centennial High School we know that regular and punctual attendance is essential to the pursuit and achievement of excellence. Poor attendance limits opportunities for learning and negatively impacts achievement for students. The focus of the attendance policy is to support student behaviours that promote achievement and success.

Parents are reminded that up-to-date attendance records are available through MyCBE / PowerSchool. More information about this can be obtained at the Main Office.

The Attendance Policy at Centennial is based on the following principles:

1. Regular attendance is the responsibility of the student and parents/guardians.
2. The role of the teacher is to encourage full attendance and support this by maintaining an accurate record of student attendance, sharing this information with students, and parents/guardians as required and reporting student attendance concerns to Administration.
3. An excused absence does NOT excuse the student from the assigned work. It is the responsibility of the student to obtain and make up missed assignments, tests and/or quizzes due to an absence. NOTE: Arrangements to make up missed work must be coordinated with teachers prior to known absences (if possible) or immediately upon returning to school.
4. In the event that student absences are a problem, the student, teacher, parents/guardians, counsellor, and Administration will work together to re-establish regular attendance.
5. (a) Ongoing poor attendance, including frequent and significant lates for classes may result in withdrawal from course(s) and/or Centennial High School.
   (b) Our attendance lines are open 24 hours a day; therefore attendance messages may be left at any time. If the attendance record needs to be adjusted (e.g. student is “late” instead of an “absent”), it is the students’ responsibility to come to the Main Office. Changes to attendance will only be made within one week of the absence in question should an attendance record need to be adjusted.

As a school staff we know that achievement and attendance are connected and therefore will undertake the following:

1. When attendance begins to impact student achievement (missing assignments, declining grades, missed assessments), the teacher will email the parent to inform them and offer intervention strategies and supports. (D2L, Tutorial)
2. If there is no or little improvement in attendance and student achievement is furthered impacted, the teacher will refer the student to their Guidance Counselor.
3. If attendance continues to impact student achievement the teacher will refer the student to their Assistant Principal.

Students who attend regularly and are engaged in their classes have a much better chance of being successful in completing their courses and graduating on time.

Absences

Parents are expected to phone the office to explain a student’s absence using the Attendance Line (403-256-8140, ext. 1). All absences must be reported prior to 1:00pm Monday through Thursday and before 11am on Fridays, to be included for that day’s attendance report. If parent contact is not made, an electronic messaging system will contact the home to indicate the student absence.

As a matter of courtesy, it is also expected that students will provide explanations of each absence to their teachers.

Prolonged Absences

The school does not approve extended absences but does record parental intent to have the student discontinue attendance for a specified period of time. The responsibility for making up missed assignments, understanding missed content, and completing missed tests lies entirely with the student. An Extended Absence Form must be completed and submitted to the Main Office for absences of three or more days. These forms are available in the Main Office and must be submitted before the absence occurs.

Medical or family emergencies - In cases of prolonged absences from school due to medical problems or emergent situations, parents are requested to phone the school. Teachers will be notified through the Main Office and efforts will be made to assist students in keeping up with their work wherever possible. A note from a medical professional may be requested.

Prior to, during, and/or upon the student’s return, students should communicate with their teachers via phone or email to coordinate due dates for missed assignments and exams.

Vacations during the school year are strongly discouraged - Should parents wish to remove students from class for vacation, students are required to make arrangements through the Main Office to complete the Extended Absence Form well in advance of the planned absence. This will explain the absence, NOT excuse the absence. Students should attend tutorials and make arrangements so that they will not fall behind as a result of the absence. Please be aware that not all educational experiences can be replicated for students who are absent. Where possible, students should try to obtain missed work in advance.

Vacations or Extended leaves of absence should NOT be planned during the final examination period - Early vacation plans are not a legitimate excuse for missing an exam. Students will forfeit the exam and receive a mark of zero. The student may write the missed exam during the next exam session. This school policy mirrors and supports Alberta Education’s policy for the writing of diploma examinations.

Signing Out

We recommend that medical/dental appointments be made outside the regular school day. If students know they will need to leave early, their parents/guardians must either call the absence line 403-256-8140, ext.1, send the student with a note, or pick-up the student and personally sign the student out.

Alternatively, if students need to sign-out (leave school before dismissal), they must contact a parent/guardian to speak with the Main Office staff before being released from school.

Students signing-out must do so at the Main Office.

Late Arrivals

Students coming late to class lose valuable context and 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 for the world of work.

We expect all students to be in class and prepared to begin work before the late bell rings. Legitimate exceptions will occur only rarely for any student. Students who come late to class are held accountable.

Scheduled Evaluations

Students are required to complete all assessments. When a student is required to be absent on the day of a scheduled assessment, the student is required to contact the teacher prior to the exam, quiz, etc.

To preserve the integrity and security of the final exam process, students must write their final exams on the scheduled day at the scheduled time or forfeit the exam and receive a mark of zero. Not knowing when the exam is scheduled, sleeping-in, or minor illnesses are not legitimate reasons for missing an exam.

Exceptions in the magnitude of a medical emergency, major illness or serious family emergency will be considered in consultation with the teacher, parent and administration. All exceptions must be approved by Administration.

Spares

High school students on spares are expected to be in the lower cafeteria, working in the Library, or at tables designated for student learning, or off-campus.