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Dear Parents/Guardians,

Ensuring students arrive safely at school each day is one of our top priorities.

Beginning this school year, all elementary schools at the North Vancouver School District will be using SafeArrival, a student absence reporting system, to enhance our existing absence-checking procedures. SafeArrival, which is part of the SchoolMessenger platform, will make it easier for you to report your child's absence (e.g. illness, vacation, appointment), reduce the time it takes school staff to verify student attendance, and make it more efficient for staff to respond to unreported student absences.

With SafeArrival, you will be able to report your child's absence in advance using any of these three options, which are available to you 24 hours/day, 7 days a week:

·       SchoolMessenger app. Use your mobile device to download the SchoolMessenger app, available at the Apple App Store, the Google Play Store or go.schoolmessenger.ca.

·     The first time you use the app, select Sign Up to create your account. Important: Use the same email address your school has on record.

·     Select Attendance, then Report an Absence.

·       SchoolMessenger website. Open your browser and go to go.schoolmessenger.ca.

·     The first time you use the website, select Sign Up to create your account. Important: Use the same email address your school has on record.

·     Select Attendance, then Report an Absence.

·       Automated phone system. Call the toll-free number 1-833-259-7295 and follow the prompts to report an absence.

SafeArrival Resources

Video. Click HERE to watch a short video that demonstrates how to use SafeArrival to report your child's absence.

Guide. Click HERE to download the Using the SchoolMessenger App for SafeArrival guide. The guide explains how to sign up, log in, report and modify an absence, and how to manage PIN settings.

SchoolMessenger Communicate

In addition to SafeArrival, schools will use SchoolMessenger Communicate, an automated notification system, also part of the SchoolMessenger platform, to contact you when your child is absent and the absence was not reported in advance. The automated notification system will attempt to contact you at multiple contact points until a reason for the absence is submitted. If our system is unable to reach the designated contacts, school staff will follow up.

The contact points for automated notification for unreported absences are:

·       Email/push notifications (SchoolMessenger app). Upon receipt of an email/push notification, you will have five minutes to respond using SafeArrival (app, website or toll-free number).

·       SMS text message*. If five minutes pass with no response, a SMS text message will be sent. You will have five minutes upon receipt of the SMS text message to respond using SafeArrival (app, website or toll-free number).

·       Phone call. If five minutes pass with no response, an automated phone call will be made. Automated phone calls will be sent up to four times and you will be able to respond using SafeArrival (app, website or toll-free number).

Once the automated notification cycle above is complete, you will be unable to respond using SafeArrival, and must contact the school directly regarding the unreported absence.

Please note:

·       If you report your child's absence in advance using SafeArrival (app, website or toll-free number), you will NOT receive automated notifications for an unreported absence.

·       You can determine the type(s) of notifications you would like to receive by setting your preferences using the app or website.

·       *You must opt in to receive SMS text message notifications (regardless of preference settings). Instructions on how to opt in can be found HERE.

·       As an additional layer of security, you may choose to require a 4-digit PIN be entered before an absence can be reported or explained when using the SafeArrival phone system. Refer to page 9 of the Using the SchoolMessenger App for SafeArrival guide for more information.

Next Steps

Starting Monday, September 27, 2021, absences should be reported in advance using SafeArrival instead of contacting the school. School staff will use SchoolMessenger Communicate to let you know if your child is absent (when the absence has not been reported in advance).

Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we implement this new system for elementary schools across the North Vancouver School District. Should you have any questions or require assistance, please contact the school directly at rossroad@sd44.ca or 604-903-3750.

Sincerely,

Kate Lechleiter, Principal                                Bridget O'Brien-Kopacek, Vice Principal

​SafeArrival Parent Letter.pdf