During winter, school attendance often drops due to the increase of coughs and colds. Over the past eighteen months, this has been further exemplified due to the request for students to stay home if they present with even the slightest cold and flu symptoms. Given this, it is timely to share our school Attendance Policy.

The Attendance Policy sets out the obligations and processes for managing student attendance and absences, including:
• Recording and encouraging attendance
• Exemptions and extended leave, and
• Responding to absenteeism.

It applies to all Catholic Education Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn (CECG) Primary and Secondary schools in NSW and the ACT.

Students’ responsibilities
2.1 Under ACT and NSW law, students must attend the school they are enrolled in for the times required by that school unless the student’s absence is approved by the Principal or their delegate.
2.2 Any student departing school early must be signed out by a parent/guardian or receive a leave pass from the school.
2.3 A leave pass may be issued by the school if the student’s departure is pre-approved in writing by a parent. 

Parents’ responsibilities
2.4 Parents/carers must ensure children of mandatory school age are enrolled in school or an approved alternative education program.
2.5 Parents/carers must ensure that enrolled students attend every day of school, and every activity or event the school requires the student to attend, during the required times. This is known as the ‘full-time participation’ requirement.
2.6 Parents/carers must provide an explanation to the school for any absence, ideally on or before the day of absence, and no more than five school days after the absence occurs. Parents/carers may be liable under the ACT or NSW Education Acts if students fail to attend school without a reasonable excuse.
2.7 Parents/carers must notify the school of planned absences of up to 25 school days in a 12-month period (including 25 part days) in writing, including the reason for the absence.
2.8 Planned absences of more than 25 days in a 12-month period, other than sick leave, have additional requirements and parents/carers must apply in advance for extended leave or exemption.
2.9 Parents/carers should understand that schools are required to record any absence as an unapproved or unjustified absence unless they receive and accept a reasonable explanation before the attendance register is finalised.

Principals’ responsibilities
2.10 Principals must ensure a daily attendance register is kept in line with this policy for all enrolled students for each day the school is open including school events like sporting carnivals.
2.11 Principals must ensure the school has an effective process for managing late arrivals and early departures to/from the school and recording the time of arrival and departure.
2.12 Principals must make the attendance register available to any authorised person when requested during school hours. Principals may be required to provide additional information about unsatisfactory attendance of compulsory school-age children upon request by State officials.

At St Mary's there are many ways that you can notify us of your child's absence. This can be done through the Szapp Absentee Form, by emailing or calling the school office or by sending in a written note upon your child's return. 

Last Semester our attendance rate was 91.08%, which places us in the 'Regular Attendance 90%-94.9%' category (e.g. 2.6 to 5 days absence in a term or 10 to 20 absences in a year). It would be wonderful to move back into the 'Excellent Attendance 95% and above' category (e.g. 2.5 days absence or less in a term or 10
absences over a year), although I do understand this could be a challenge given our current restrictions.  

A copy of the Catholic Education Attendance Policy is attached here if you would like to read in further detail: Attendance_Policy.pdf

Our CatholicCare provider, Sharyn Lynch, will continue at St Mary's each Monday this term.

Counselling sessions are a wonderful chance for you or your child/ren to be able to discuss concerns or worries and to gain strategies to assist with the management of these.

If you would like to make an appointment please use the referral portal via https://catholiccare.force.com/housing/s/school-referral-form

Due to the ongoing restrictions, the decision has been made to move Sharyn's parent workshop on Emotional Regulation to Monday 6 September.