Kindergarten Orientation Lakelands PS Attendance Presentation 4 11

Kindergarten Orientation Lakelands PS Attendance Presentation 4. 11. 16 Adapted by Jo Mc. Alister – Home School Liaison Officer PUBLIC SCHOOLS NSW WWW. SCHOOLS. NSW. EDU. AU

Attendance Matters! PUBLIC SCHOOLS NSW WWW. SCHOOLS. NSW. EDU. AU

Why is regular school attendance so important? • assists continuity in learning, makes learning easier and avoids gaps • helps children build and maintain friendships with other children • promotes success in life after school PUBLIC SCHOOLS NSW WWW. SCHOOLS. NSW. EDU. AU

Why is Kindy so important? Kindergarten and the early years of school is the time when we lay the foundations of our learning for the future. PUBLIC SCHOOLS NSW WWW. SCHOOLS. NSW. EDU. AU

Whose responsibility is attendance? • Schools, in partnership with parents, are responsible for promoting the regular attendance of students. • Principals (or delegates) are legally responsible for accurate roll marking at school and contacting parents if a child’s absences remain unexplained by the parent PUBLIC SCHOOLS NSW WWW. SCHOOLS. NSW. EDU. AU

Continued… • Parents are legally responsible for explaining their child’s absences to the school within 7 days of the absence/s • The explanation can be written, verbal/phone call to office staff or electronic mail to the school. A note should be dated and reason provided should be specific. Eg more than ‘sick’. PUBLIC SCHOOLS NSW WWW. SCHOOLS. NSW. EDU. AU

Why must I send my child to school? • Education in NSW is compulsory between the ages of 6 and 17 • Once enrolled, a child is required by law to attend every day the school is open for instruction PUBLIC SCHOOLS NSW WWW. SCHOOLS. NSW. EDU. AU

Educational Neglect Following changes to mandatory reporting, attendance is now reportable regarding: Neglect Education – Not Enrolled Neglect Education – Habitual Absence is defined as a minimum of 30 days absent within the past 100 school days. However, this is context/age dependent. PUBLIC SCHOOLS NSW WWW. SCHOOLS. NSW. EDU. AU

Explanations for absences…. . Justified absences: • unavoidable medical or dental appointment (preferably, these should be made after school or during holidays) • required to attend a recognised religious holiday • required to attend an exceptional or urgent family circumstance (such as attending a funeral) • sick, or has an infectious disease. PUBLIC SCHOOLS NSW Unjustified absences • slept in • running late • missed bus • haircut • shopping • minding younger siblings • birthday • working around the house • visitors WWW. SCHOOLS. NSW. EDU. AU

Learning Time Lost between Kindergarten and Year 12… PUBLIC SCHOOLS NSW WWW. SCHOOLS. NSW. EDU. AU

1 DAY A WEEK Per term Per Year 7 -10 K-12 2 weeks 40 days 160 days 3. 2 terms 440 days 2. 25 years 5 DAYS A TERM Per term Per Year 7 -10 K-12 1 week 20 days 80 days 1. 6 terms 220 days 1 year 0. 5 term PUBLIC SCHOOLS NSW WWW. SCHOOLS. NSW. EDU. AU

What does that look like? PUBLIC SCHOOLS NSW WWW. SCHOOLS. NSW. EDU. AU

What if my child is late to school or needs to leave early? • As with whole day absences, there needs to be a valid reason supplied to the school for ‘partial’ absences • When late to school or leaving early, a child must signed in/out at the front office by a parent PUBLIC SCHOOLS NSW WWW. SCHOOLS. NSW. EDU. AU

Tips For Success • BE POSITIVE – and provide lots of encouragement. (School is a great place to be) • BE FIRM – children must go to school - a birthday is not a holiday • COMMUNICATE immediately with the school about any concerns PUBLIC SCHOOLS NSW WWW. SCHOOLS. NSW. EDU. AU

Last but not least! Enjoy your child’s first years of school. . . they can be fun and rewarding for both you and your child! PUBLIC SCHOOLS NSW WWW. SCHOOLS. NSW. EDU. AU