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 cannot 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.pdf
What 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
Early Dismissal/Late Arrival
When students must miss a class during the day for such things as a doctor appointment, orthodontic appointment etc. parents/guardians must inform the Main Office by email (preferred), phone message or a written note. Only parents or legal guardians can excuse a student.
When a student arrives back at school they should go directly to class unless they are later than originally reported.
If a student is leaving early for an appointment, there is no need for them to check out in the office.
School-based Activities: For students who have an early dismissal for a school-based activity, their name will be submitted by their teacher sponsor to the Main Office, there is no need for a parents/guardians to report these absences.
Student Drop Off and Pick Up
Handsworth 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. Handsworth and Edgewood Roads experience considerable congestion during drop off and pick up, which has led to safety issues in the front and the back of the school.
In addition, dropping off your child just before 9:10 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 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 located on the north side of the building, To ensure flow, please do not stop in the middle of the parking lot, crosswalk or on the street for drop off.
Note: the West parking lot is NOT a student pick up or drop off zone. We want to ensure this lot is available and SAFE for students and visitors with accessibility needs.
Please ensure only those cars with a wheelchair decal are using our accessible parking spots. We have a number of students and families who require the use of these spots for drop off and pick up.
