At Burnaby South, attendance is recorded during each class and tutorial. For all absences (or lates) to be excused, there are TWO steps:

1. the school office requires a telephone call the day of the absence.
2. A note will also be required the day the student returns to class, and the note is to be signed by each applicable teacher. The student will then submit the note to the office for attendance management.

Unexcused absences will result in parents receiving an automated phone call to notify them of their child’s attendance problem.

*If your child is on a field trip, you should not receive a phone call. However, sometimes the field trip attendance is not processed until the day after the field trip. If you do receive a phone call, ask your child to check with the teacher who organised the field trip to verify the attendance record in the office.

If your child is unexpectedly absent (up to a week)

• You may call the office (604-296-6880) or email all your child’s teachers to notify the school that your child is ill; however, the absence will be UNEXCUSED until he or she brings a note.
  • NOTE:  Phoning the office will NOT notify individual teachers.  If a student will miss a major assignment/project/test that day, they should contact the teacher directly.  If they will miss a pre-arranged group meeting, they should also contact the members of their group with as much notice as possible.
• In his or her first day back at school, send a note which includes:
  • • Your child’s first and last name
    • Your child’s student number
    • Why he or she was away (illness, doctor’s appointment, attending a funeral, etc.)
    • Which date(s) he or she was away
    • Your signature
  • It is your child’s responsibility to show the note to each of his or her teachers to be signed and to find out what work he or she missed.
  • Once the note has been signed by all the required teachers, your child must bring the note to the main office.
  • Once the office processes the note, the absence will be changed to EXCUSED.

If your child will be absent (due to illness) for longer than a week

If your child will be absent for longer than a week, please contact their counsellor so that we can notify all their teachers and collect the work your child is missing. Teachers will either email or phone you directly with homework instructions or will send it to the office so you can pick it up from a central location.

In the case of illnesses (e.g. broken limb, clinical depression, concussion, severe anxiety, surgical recovery) that require either a long absence from school to recuperate during treatment OR adjustments to school schedules and/or expectations, please contact their counsellor as soon as possible so that the school can determine how best to help them meet their educational goals during treatment and to ease the transition when they return.

If you are in doubt as to how a health condition may affect your child’s schooling, it is best to contact the counsellors as they have lots of experience assisting students through health crises.  While some students require only temporary adaptations to due dates/workload or their daily schedule, counsellors can also help determine whether transitioning to on of the out-of-school programs (e.g. Online, homebound) would best serve your child’s learning and treatment plan.

A Note about Planning Appointments for Your Child:

Please schedule appointments (e.g. doctor, dentist) outside school hours whenever possible. If you must take your child out of class to attend an appointment, please inform the affected teacher(s) at least one day in advance if at all possible. In order for your child to leave school early, he or she must bring a note from you to school stating when and why they must leave. The note must be shown to the affected teacher, then brought to the main office so that they can sign-out for the absence to be recorded correctly.

A Note about Extended Absences (not illness):

If your child will miss school for vacation, sport competition, etc. (not for illness), you must complete the “Extended Absence” form (available from the main office). Please read the absence policies on the form carefully. Your child should present the completed form to each of their teachers BEFORE the absence with as must notice as possible.