Sutherland Secondary
North Vancouver School District
Absence Reporting

​​​​It is the responsibility of the students, with the support of their parents, to attend and be on time for all their classes.​

NEW! Attendance Reporting Procedures:​

Please report student absences (including late arrival or an early dismissal) by email: sutherland_attendance@sd44.ca. Please ensure the word “absence” or "attendance" appears in the subject line. 

Students who are late should go directly to their class NOT to the office. ​

Guidelines for Reporting Absences:

  • You may report an absence anytime that day up to 3:00 p.m., in advance of a future date, or within 2 weeks of a previous date that was missed.
  • Only emails from parents and legal guardians are accepted.​
Format for Reporting an Absence:
  • First Name of Student
  • Last Name of Student
  • Date of Absence (whole day or specify the portion of the day)
  • Explanation for Absence (e.g., “excused”, “ill”, “appointment”, “vacation”). It is critical that student absence explanations are specific to ensure accurate reporting to the School District. 
  • Your Name & Relation to the Student (Only emails from parents and legal guardians are accepted.)​

Parents may also leave ​a message at 604-903-3500 to report a student absence, late arrival or early dismissal. Students cannot call in their own absence. Only messages from parents and legal guardians are accepted.  We prefer you to email this information to the school whenever possible. 

  • ​Last name of the student (please spell slowly and clearly)
  • First name of the student
  • Grade
  • Date of absence
  • The time the student will be absent. For example "1st class of the day", "last class of the day", "all day"
  • Reason: Excused, Appointment, Illness, Vacation etc.
  • NOTE:   We cannot record "may be in later" "will be in if he/she feels better".​

Excused absences will be entered into the school attendance system so teachers will see that the absence is excused. Parents/Guardians are urged to try to schedule appointments for students outside of school time whenever possible. Students are encouraged to contact their teachers directly via MS Teams to view any missed assignments. Additionally, students can meet with teachers during Tutorial most mornings. Please view the Teacher Tutorial/Flex Schedule - Sutherland Secondary. ​

What to do when you receive a phone call stating your child was absent from a class: 

​If your child says they were in c​lass, they must speak with the teacher who marked them away.  Only the classroom teacher can verify and change the attendance. 

Leaving the school once classes have begun: 

If a student is leaving the school for any reason, parental permission is required and they must sign out at the office.  This is extremely important in case of an emergency.

Student Extended Absences for non-medical reasons:

The school policy on extended (five or ​more school days) absences for family holidays or for other non-medical reasons is that:
  • The school does not give approval for or recommend such absences.
  • The responsibility for the decision to take a student out of school and the resulting consequences rest with the student and the parent.
  • The school and teaching staff are not expected to make special arrangements for students to make up missed work, learning, or assessments.
  • The parent/guardian must communicate any extended absences to the school – in addition to completing the Student planned absence form. Hardcopies of this form can also be picked up in the office. 

Attendance Matters!

There is a direct relationship between attendance and academic success in school. Students absent from class are missing out on key learning opportunities and chances to work cooperatively with peers and teachers. Therefore, every attempt should be made by students and their families to minimize the amount of time absent from school.

Please take a look at the AttendanceMatters flyer, and feel free to contact the grade counsellor if you have any questions.​​

Student Drop Off and Pick Up:

Sutherland Secondary strongly encourages students to walk, ride or take transit to school. If you must drop-off your child, please do so before 9:00 am.  

In addition, dropping off your child just before 9:10 a.m. causes your child to be late for class which disrupts teachers' lessons and interferes with other students’ education. Classes start at 9:10 a.m. and we expect that all students will be sitting in class before the 9:10 a.m. bell sounds.

A reminder that our parking lots are designed for one-way traffic movement only.

When travel by car is necessary, we ask parents to make use of designated drop off areas. To ensure flow, please do not stop in the middle of the parking lot or crosswalk for drop off.​



 

Logo

Sutherland Secondary

1860 Sutherland Ave, North Vancouver, BC, V7L 4C2 | 604.903.3500 604.903.3501 | Sutherland@sd44.ca