Sutherland Secondary
North Vancouver School District
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Absence Reporting

​​​​​​CLICK TO REPORT AN ABSENCE​

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Guidelines for Reporting Absences

  • You may report an absence anytime that day up to 3:00 p.m., in advance of a future date, or within 2 weeks of a previous date that was missed.
  • ​Only emails from parents and legal guardians are accepted.​
  • Students who are late should go directly to their class NOT to the office. ​​​

Email Format for Reporting an Absence

  • Email address:  sutherland_attendance@sd44.ca
  • Please ensure the word “absence” or "attendance" appears in the subject line.  
  • First Name of Student
  • Last Name of Student
  • Date of Absence (whole day or specify the portion of the day)
  • Explanation for Absence (e.g., “excused”, “ill”, “appointment”, “vacation”). It is critical that student absence explanations are specific to ensure accurate reporting to the School District. 
  • Your Name & Relation to the Student (Only messages from parents and legal guardians are accepted.)​

When emailing is not possible, may also leave ​a message at 604-903-3500 to report a student absence, late arrival or early dismissal. Students cannot call in their own absence. Only messages from parents and legal guardians are accepted.  ​

Excused absences will be entered into the school attendance system so teachers will see that the absence is excused. Parents/Guardians are urged to try to schedule appointments for students outside of school time whenever possible. Students are encouraged to contact their teachers directly via MS Teams to view any missed assignments. Additionally, students can meet with teachers during Tutorial most mornings. Please view the Teacher Tutorial/Flex Schedule - Sutherland Secondary. ​​

What to do when you receive a phone call stating your child was absent from a class: 

​If your child says they were in c​lass, they must speak with the teacher who marked them away.  Only the classroom teacher can verify and change the attendance. 

Leaving the school once classes have begun: 

If a student is leaving the school for any reason, parental permission is required and they must sign out at the office.  This is extremely important in case of an emergency.

Student Extended Absences for non-medical reasons:

The school policy on extended (five or ​more school days) absences for family holidays or for other non-medical reasons is that:
  • The school does not give approval for or recommend such absences.
  • The responsibility for the decision to take a student out of school and the resulting consequences rest with the student and the parent.
  • The school and teaching staff are not expected to make special arrangements for students to make up missed work, learning, or assessments.
  • The parent/guardian must communicate any extended absences to the school – in addition to completing the Sutherland Student Extended Absence Form. Hardcopies of this form can also be picked up in the office. 

Attendance Matters!

There is a direct relationship between attendance and academic success in school. Students absent from class are missing out on key learning opportunities and chances to work cooperatively with peers and teachers. Therefore, every attempt should be made by students and their families to minimize the amount of time absent from school. ​​​​​​It is the responsibility of the students, with the support of their parents, to attend and be on time for all their classes.​​

Please take a look at the AttendanceMatters flyer, and feel free to contact the grade counsellor if you have any questions.​​​

Student Drop Off and Pick Up:

Sutherland Secondary strongly encourages students to walk, ride or take transit to school. If you must drop-off your child, please do so before 9:00 am.  

In addition, dropping off your child just before 9:15 a.m. causes your child to be late for class which disrupts teachers' lessons and interferes with other students’ education. Classes start at 9:15 a.m. and we expect that all students will be sitting in class before the 9:15 a.m. bell sounds.

A reminder that our parking lots are designed for one-way traffic movement only.

When travel by car is necessary, we ask parents to make use of designated drop off areas. To ensure flow, please do not stop in the middle of the parking lot or crosswalk for drop off.​