Student Absences
Our school uses "School Bytes" for finance, attendance, wellbeing and events, in the hope of making things simpler for parents, teachers and administration staff.
ATTENDANCE
Teachers mark the class roll using School Bytes and we encourage parents to advise absences using the School Bytes portal. We will accept emails to the school but please know that these emails are not always seen before the teacher marks the roll for the day.
As part of the School Bytes attendance package, when your child is marked absent for the day without reason, an SMS text message will be sent to parents to advise you of this absence and a request for an explanation, if not already provided. We hope that this feature will be helpful in knowing that your child/ren have arrived at school safely as well as assisting the school to comply with attendance requirements of obtaining an explanation for absence the day of or after an absence. We do apologise if you receive this text message and have already notified the school of absence. We will do our best to minimise this.
Students are required to attend school every day, whether it’s the first or last day of the term, Mondays, Fridays, or days dedicated to sports carnivals, school excursions and incursions. Partial absences including late arrivals and early pick-up should be kept to a minimum. It is a legal requirement that students attend school for the full day.
Please help us make sure your child is achieving their best and stays ahead in their learning with regular school attendance. The more time your child attends school, the greater their opportunity to learn, make new friends and improve their wellbeing. The evidence is clear that consistent attendance is the essential first step for your child to have a positive experience at school. Together, let’s build positive attendance habits for a lifetime.
If your child is absent from school, please let us know why as soon as possible, even if it’s just a few minutes at the start or end of the school day. Of course, there will be times when your child is unable to be at school (like when they are unwell). Medical and dental appointments should take place outside school hours where possible and family holidays should be taken in term breaks.
If your child is feeling anxious about coming to school and you need support, please reach out to your child’s teacher or our office staff. All our staff are here to work with you and your child to help them attend school every day. There are also helpful resources for parents and carers on the Every Day Matters website.
HOW TO PROVIDE A REASON FOR ABSENCE VIA THE SCHOOL BYTES PORTAL
The School Bytes parent portal enables you to view all your children in one portal and provide a response for any student absences that have been recorded by the school. The parent portal also allows parents to provide details of a planned absence if the absence details are known in advance for example, a scheduled medical appointment.
Please note that you will not be required to choose the absent type as this will be up to the teacher to decide the type of leave that applies to your explanation for absence.
1. Open the parent portal link and log in to your portal.
2. Select attendance from the navigation bar.
3. Select respond for the absence.
4. Select an absence type (unexplained absence) from the available options
5. Optionally upload any supporting documentation.
6. Enter a reason for the absence in the comment field.
7. Select submit.
The absence response will now appear as pending approval.
For further information and/or visual support please see the School Bytes Parent Guides linked below or contact the school for assistance.
School Bytes Parent Guides
APPLICATIONS FOR EXTENDED LEAVE (TRAVEL OR HOLIDAY)
If you are planning extended leave during the school term that is unavoidable, please note that you must seek permission from our school principal for leave to be granted. This applies for any leave that extends beyond 5 days. Please see the link below to the application form for extended leave:
- Application for Extended Leave (travel or holiday)
Once you have completed the extended leave form, please bring it and a copy of your travel itinerary to the office for processing.
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We appreciate your support in helping us improve our school attendance by ensuring that your child attends school every day and on time.