Attendance News

How the College will communicate Absences

Absence communication to best support students and families during these difficult and challenging times.

  • At 10am the Absent text message is sent to parents/guardians for students marked ABSENT from Form Assembly or Period One or both periods.
  • At 3pm the Absent text message is sent to parents/guardians for students marked ABSENT ALL DAY.
  • EVERY Monday Unexplained absent emails are automatically generated from Compass to parents/guardians based on teacher roll marking. Please check the attached emailed letter carefully the dates and classes.

At Craigieburn Secondary College attendance and engagement takes high priority and is highly supported by Education Support & Sub-school staff, Teachers and by our multi-disciplinary health care teams. We encourage all families to contact the college to promptly explain these absences so as the college can best support your family and your child/ren during these challenging times or you may not be meeting your requirements under the Education and Training Reform Act 2006.

Students learning from home due to exceptional circumstances and have Principal Approval will be coded as ‘Remote Learning (exceptional)’. This should be where:

  • a student is learning from home, if able to do so, due to COVID-19 isolation or quarantine requirements
  • a student is learning from home due to medical advice (medical certificates required)
  • a school has closed due to medical advice for face to face learning but is delivering remote learning.

Follow one of the options to explain absences and/or request attendance & engagement support.

  • Login to the Compass APP or parent portal at https://craigieburnsc-vic.compass.education/ (enter reason, time-frame/comment reason for the absence)
  • Email: attendance@craigieburnsc.vic.edu.au (subject line: Student Name / Year Level)
  • Phone: 9308 1144 and follow the prompts to record a voice message to report absences
  • Email attendance@craigieburnsc.vic.edu.au for Attendance Participation or Engagement Support
  • Email or provide Medical/Dental/Specialist Certificates on return to school

The college is doing its best to keep attendance records as accurate and as up-to-date as possible. Attendance records are uploaded daily to the Department of Education and Training.

Students experiencing difficulties returning to school or engaging in the face to face learning will not penalised on parent/guardian contact and immediate supports will be provided.

If you have any questions about the attendance communications and coding, please contact Andrea Brislin – Attendance Officer or Sub-school staff for engagement and learning supports on 9308 1144 or email attendance at attendance@craigieburnsc.vic.edu.au.

For Interpreter Services contact the College; the College recommends using Google Translate.

For more information about attendance and missing school visit the school attendance web page.

For advice and assistance in relation to Coronavirus visit the coronavirus advice web page.

Every Day Counts – It’s Never To Late to Improve Attendance – We thank you!

Back at School Attendance

Reporting Absences

Reporting your child’s attendance; follow one of the following options:

  • Use Compass APP or Website https://craigieburnsc-vic.compass.education/ – Compass Parent Portal – Enter Attendance Note (Reason, date and time-frame and comments)
  • Email attendance@craigieburnsc.vic.edu.au – (Subject Line: Enter Student Name and Year Level – Form Group)
  • Phone 9308 1144 and follow the prompts to record a voice mail to report absences
  • Request principal approval for absence
  • Provide a written note/medical/dental/specialist certificates at the school

Attendance Summary for Families

As a college we have revised our attendance policy and procedures and have developed processes to support each family to assist their child/ren where possible reach 100% attendance.

The following document Attendance Processes for Families provides an outline of what we are implementing to account for student attendance at the college.

Families are encouraged to read the summary and contact us to discuss any issues or concerns. We welcome your feedback as the implementation of this process progresses throughout the year. Significant differences we would like to draw your attention to, include;

  1. Explained ApprovedAbsences – these are absences where the explanation is reasonable
  2. Explained UnapprovedAbsences – these are absences where the college has determined the explanation is not reasonable
  3. Amended Explained Absence– attendance record/s have been updated to an approved reason
  4. UnexplainedAbsences – these are absences where no reasons have been provide

The college wishes to ensure that all parent/guardians/carers have a clear understanding of how they can meet their legal obligations under the Education and Training Reform Act 2006. Visit Attendance Processes for Families to understand how the new attendance processes will support your child/ren and families.

Attendance Communication

Families are required to explain absences before or on the day of a student’s absence.

  • If a child/ren are absent without communication to the college, a daily SMS message is sent on the day of absence at 10.00am and 3.00pm.
  • If no communication is received to the college, an unexplained absence will be recorded.
  • Unexplained absences will initiate a ‘Pink Slip’, given to your child/ren for families to provide a valid reason for absence – (5 days to return Pink Slip).
  • Continued Unexplained Absences will initiate Attendance Unexplained chronicle letters generated by Compass.
  • Explained absence will initiate a Approved or Unapproved or Amended chronicle email generated by Compass.
  • Attendance <90% – Attendance at Risk chronicle letters generated by Compass provide help and encourage positive engagement and support to families to improve their child/ren’s attendance.

Explained Absence Processes supporting students at risk to attend school

We would like our families to feel supported through this process, and as such the letters and reminders are designed for you to gain full understanding of the circumstances behind absenteeism. This provides the basis for the college and families to work together to improve student attendance.

Regardless of the type of absence (approved or unapproved) when a student’s attendance rate reaches less than 90%, the student is considered at risk.

At this point the college will introduce attendance interventions that may include:

  • student and engagement profile
  • student support group meeting
  • individual learning plan
  • referrals to the college Allied Health Team
  • referrals to external service providers

If you have any questions about the processes and the attendance policy, please contact your child’s year level coordinator or sub-school manager on 9308 1144 or via the Compass parent portal email.

Every day counts when it comes to getting the best educational and social emotional outcomes for your child/ren! We are here to help!

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