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:
handsworth_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.
WHEN reporting Absences:
- You may report an absence anytime that day up to 3:00 p.m., in advance for a future date if you know ahead of time, or for previous dates that were missed.
- Only emails from parents and legal guardians are accepted.
FORMAT when reporting an absence:
- First name of student
- Last name of student
- Date of absence (whole day or state the portion of the day)
- Explanation for absence (“excused”, “ill”, “appointment”, “vacation”). It is critical that student absence explanations are specific to ensure accurate reporting to the School District and Public Health Unit.
- Your name & relation to the student. (Only emails from parents and legal guardians are accepted.)
Parents/Guardians may also leave a message at 604-903-3600 ext 2 to report a student absence, late arrival or early dismissal if they do not have access to email. 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.
When reporting your child's absence to the Main Office, please provide the following information:
- 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 do not record "may be in later" "will be in if he/she feels better".
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 and to the grade counsellor – in addition to completing this form.
Student Extended Absence Form.pdfWhat to do if you receive a phone call home?
The automated call system 'Secondary Attendance' reports the class or classes your child was marked 'absent'. You are encouraged to log into your My Education account to view your child's attendance. My Education Log In
More information on how to log into your My Education account is available here My Education Resources.
Please talk with your child to help determine the class.
If your child says they were in class, they must speak with the teacher who marked them 'absent' as only that teacher can verify and change the attendance.
In general, parents and students are reminded of the following:
- Parents and/or guardians are expected to contact the school when their child will be absent.
- Students who are absent from class or school without a valid reason will be considered truant and subject to school discipline which may involve detentions, suspensions and/or, in chronic cases referral to the District Counsellor.
- Teachers have the responsibility to report poor attendance and punctuality to parents, either by telephone and/or letter. The Administration, in the absence of exceptional circumstances, will suspend or withdraw a student who refuses to comply.
- Parents electing to take students out of school for extended periods for reasons other than illness, such as vacations, do so at the risk of affecting the student's achievement. Teachers are not required to provide tutoring services, materials, or tests for such absences.
NOTE: When a student registers at Handsworth they are in fact making a commitment to abide by the rules and expectations of the school.
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 Attendance Matters flyer below, and feel free to contact the grade counsellor if you have any questions.
AttendanceMatters PDF.pdf
Severe Weather Information
As winter weather approaches, we want to remind parents/guardians, students, and staff of the North Vancouver School District's winter weather procedures and announcements. North Vancouver School District Severe Weather Information
All schools in the North Vancouver School District will remain OPEN, if at all possible during winter weather, including snowfalls. Any District-wide closure will be decided by 6:30 a.m. at the latest and will be announced through the media. If weather conditions are questionable, announcements will also be made to say that schools are open.
Information about any District-wide closures will be sent to Metro Vancouver radio and television stations. Please check the following stations for school closure information:
Announcements of school closures or delayed openings will be posted on the homepage of the School District’s website at http://www.sd44.ca. The North Vancouver School District will use the School Messenger system to contact parents in the event of an Emergency Release of students during the school day. Individual school closures due to unique circumstances (e.g., power outages) will be announced as early as possible through School Messenger.
Student safety is our first priority and a shared responsibility. Parents/guardians are responsible for their child’s safe travel to school. If for any reason, a parent/guardian feels that a child cannot travel safely to school, then they should make other arrangements for their child. Students will not be penalized for absences due to weather conditions. The decision to attend school is the responsibility of each family.
Parents/guardians are encouraged to establish an emergency plan for their children in the event that schools are closed, the school’s start time is delayed, or students are dismissed early. This is a reminder that all students need to dress warmly and appropriately for winter weather conditions.
At this time, we encourage you to review your own preparations for winter weather and ensure that you are familiar with your municipality’s snow and ice response procedures. We request that you strictly adhere to parking restrictions in and around all North Vancouver schools. Your child’s school will contact you about any changes to driving routes (one way) that may be put into effect on streets adjacent to the school.
With your cooperation and adherence to winter weather procedures, we can help achieve safe conditions for students travelling to and from school. Please put safety first.
