Safe Arrival (Student Absence Reporting): 604-713-5159 (voicemail#47) 

Reporting Student Absences:

Student safety is of paramount importance at the Vancouver School District.  Ensuring student safety is a shared responsibility.  In order to assist schools, we ask parents to notify schools of student absences. If your child will be absent from school, please phone the school to report this absence as early as possible. Parents should leave a message on a dedicated answering service by calling 604-713 5159. This will prompt you to enter our school’s 2-digit extension number which is #47. Messages will be received before the office is open. School offices are busy places: consistently notifying the school in advance of your child’s absence will significantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Safe Arrival Morning Routine.

To Report Your Child's Absence – Please Call above number prior to 9 am on the first day of the absence. 

The school will let you know if there are any changes to this new system.

Student Sign Out Procedure

When you pick up your child during the school day, please ensure that you sign them out at the school office. If you do not sign out your child, they will be unaccounted for, and the school will identify your child as a ‘missing’ student and will commence a search of school grounds. If the school staff do not locate the child, and are unable to reach a parent promptly, the school will call the Vancouver Police Department. Therefore, clear communication is essential for ensuring the safety of your child and to prevent unnecessary searches.

Thank you for helping us keep your children safe.

Attendance

We ask that families and students please arrive at school on time. All students should be at school for the warning bell (8:55 am) and ready to start their day at 9:00 am. Having students arrive late can be very disruptive to student learning.

In addition, regular school attendance supports student engagement and achievement. We understand that some absences are necessary and unavoidable. Please be aware that although extended vacations and/or vacations during school time are a parental decision, extended absences are disruptive to a student’s educational programming. Teachers are not expected to provide extra work or give extra time for assignments missed due to vacation. Common activities children can do while they are away is to keep a journal of the sites they are visiting and read 30 minutes daily.  A Long-Term Absence Notification form must be completed and returned to the office for all extended student absences. Families should also be aware that unauthorized absences of prolonged duration could result in forfeiture of their child’s space at school.