"You've got this"
This is the message I gave to Year 12 students today at the beginning of their Careers lesson. With only 23 days of their secondary education remaining, though, there is plenty still happening in this last term and it will be their busiest. There is assessment to submit, final house meetings and chapel to prepare for, formals to attend, and tertiary applications to consider and arrange. It is at this time that attending classes may seem like less of a priority. Our policy and procedure for attendance at school is outlined in the Senior Student and Parent Handbook for 2015.
Absence from and Attendance at School
If a student is to be absent from school, a parent or guardian should contact School Reception on 6202 6430 before 8.30am and 6202 6400 after 8.30am to inform the School of the absence. Upon returning from an absence, please send a note to Reception, or send an email, or phone Reception to explain the absence. The email address for absences is SSReception@cggs.act.edu.au If the email is sent from a home address then a follow up note the next day is still required, however, if the email is sent from an identifiable work place no note is required.
Any request for an extended absence (more than one day) should be directed in writing to the Head of Senior School as far as possible in advance of the relevant dates. The form necessary for this is called “Application for Leave”…
If a student needs to leave the School during the day for an appointment, a note must be presented at Reception before the student leaves the School grounds. The student is required to sign out before leaving the School grounds and sign in on her return. Parents or carers who are picking up a student from school should present themselves to Reception when the student signs out.
Electronic rolls are marked each period by the teacher.
In relation to Year 11 and 12 students, the school must also hold them accountable to the attendance policies of the Board of Senior Secondary Studies. The BSSS requires that students attend and participate in all scheduled classes, contact time, and structured learning activities for the units in which they are enrolled. Any student whose attendance falls below 90% of the scheduled contact hours for a unit or who fails to participate in 90% of its required learning activities without both due cause and adequate documentary evidence will be deemed to have voided that unit. Documentary evidence must come in the form of a medical certificate, written explanation from the office of a professional with which a student has an appointment, or an Approved Leave form from the school.
All of our Year 11 and 12 students are familiar with BSSS policy, but perhaps do not fully appreciate its consequences. Without documentary evidence, missing a class for any reason will be considered an absence and count towards a Void grade. A V-grade can potentially break a Major, jeopardising a student receiving her Senior Secondary Certificate and impacting on her ATAR. The following are examples of absences which are not considered ‘due cause’:
- Choosing to work on assessment instead of attending a lesson
- Sleeping in, misreading a timetable, or otherwise forgetting a lesson
- Driving instruction - Family holidays, or extended visits interstate or overseas, without school approval
- Failure to provide documentation of an absence upon return to school
Absences from scheduled classes during the school day must be accompanied by evidence of an appointment or a written explanation from a parent to substantiate the reason for the absence. While a telephone call or quick email is necessary to alert us to a student not being at school, it does not meet the BSSS requirements for an explained absence.
Our senior students are to be congratulated for making it to this point in their secondary studies. As we move towards the halfway mark for Year 11 and the final days for Year 12, however, it is vital that the girls not jeopardise their many months of hard work by failing to put in the necessary hours and effort as the year comes to a close.
We look forward to working with students in the final weeks of 2015 and in celebrating a successful school year.
Tara Dunstall
Director of Studies