Attendance Line: 403-777-7400 ext. 1.
If you have to be absent or late, your parents are asked to contact the school at the number above to record your absence or late. Our office is open at 7:45 a.m., and voicemail is available 24 hours a day. We make every effort to contact parents/legal guardians should an absence or late not be accompanied by a phone call. It is the responsibility of parents and students to make sure all absences and lates are explained.
If you are absent without permission, you will be required to make up the time after class. If these absences continue, an attendance improvement plan will be started, and ultimately contact with a CBE Attendance Officer may be required. Parents will be asked to come to the school in order to work out a solution to the problem. If poor habits develop, they are often difficult to break.
When you miss several consecutive days of school, the results are disruptive to learning. An Extended Absence Request must be obtained from the office and completed / signed by teachers. Students will be responsible for making up any missed assignments by checking the information posted on D2L shells. As much of our learning is experiential, it is increasingly difficult to provide equivalent ‘makeup’ assignments when students are away. Students are responsible for all work missed due to absence.
Late Policy Sign In
Students are expected to arrive at school on time. The morning entry bell rings at 8:20, and the late bell rings at 8:25. Students must be in classrooms by 8:25 for attendance, morning announcements and the start of Period 1. Arriving late to class disrupts the teaching and learning environment. Being late due to medical or dental appointments etc. must be accompanied by a note or phone call from parents.
Students arriving late to school must always report to the school office, where the office staff will sign the student in prior to proceeding to their classroom. This will assist with accurate attendance reporting. We understand that occasionally traffic will cause an unforeseen late, but for the most part we expect students to arrive to school with enough time to organize materials, go to their locker and report to class. We appreciate your support in assisting your child to set a routine that promotes punctuality and regular attendance, and that values their class time.
Early Pick-Up
If you need to leave the school for an appointment, a parent or guardian must send a written note or email (senatorpatrickburns@cbe.ab.ca) to the school. Students must show this note to their classroom teacher to allow them to leave class and report to the main office at the agreed-upon time. Following this procedure will lower the volume of phone calls the main office receives, will reduce wait times for parents, and will reduce telephone interruptions to classrooms. Parents of Grade 6 students are required to enter the school and sign out their child with the main office staff. Students in Grades 7-9 may sign out themselves in the Sign Out binder, if we have the required note or email from their parents.
School Attendance on Friday
Friday is one of the most important days of the week to attend school, because of the interactive nature of learning, excursions, and assemblies. Friday is a time to connect with your homeroom teacher and to catch up on dates and assignment deadlines. Compensating for lost learning on Friday is challenging – avoid being absent.
