Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s),
We are delighted to welcome your daughter back to St. Mary's for the new school year. We look forward to a productive year where all girls can reach their full potential.
Please see below our procedures in relation to students leaving school for reasons of illness and appointments during the school day. These procedures are underpinned by:
a. Our duty of care for the health, safety, and wellbeing of all St. Mary's students, and
b. our desire to enable all St. Mary's students to reach their full potential in school by avoiding unnecessary absences.
We are asking for your cooperation in the implementation of these procedures.
1. Students who become sick during the school day
If a student becomes ill, parents/guardians will be informed by telephone. The student must be collected and signed out of the school by a parent/guardian or designated adult.
2. Students who have an appointment
We encourage that appointments are scheduled outside of school time. Where this is not possible, a signed, written consent note must be supplied to the Year Head and/or Deputy Principal first thing in the morning in the school journal. The note should state if the student will leave the school unaccompanied. This allows our system to be updated to reflect the planned absence.
3. Casual withdrawal during the school day.
We discourage the casual withdrawal of students during the school day due to the impact of lost class time on student learning. In instances where the school has not been notified by writing in advance, students must be collected from school by a parent/guardian or designated adult who can validate the required absence.
We thank you for your co-operation in implementing these procedures.
4. VSware
Parents have access to VSware to input reasons for student absences or appointments. Once they have been submitted they will be approved by the school and attendance records will be updated.