Attendance

Students are expected to attend school regularly and to be on time in order to receive maximum benefit from the instructional program and to develop habits of self-management, self-discipline and responsibility. Parents should make a commitment to have their child attend school each day except when he/she is ill. There is a direct relationship between good attendance and school success. Students who have good attendance generally achieve better and enjoy school more.

In this regard, we encourage all families to match family vacations with the school holidays. Extended absences due to traveling are discouraged and some activities may not be able to be made-up. 

Absences

• All absences are recorded in Powerschool.

• Absences are documented on the report card.

• If a student is absent from school, please email the homeroom teacher and ES Office.

• When the child returns from an extended absence, please provide a note of explanation. 

• Students who are present for less than twenty days in a semester may receive an N/A on the report card. 

• Students who are absent for more than thirty days during the school year may not be promoted to the next grade level.

Tardiness

It is essential for all students to be ready to begin learning at 8.30am. Students who arrive late may not settle into their lessons easily and may cause disruption to others. We therefore ask that you support all students by ensuring your child can arrive on time and be in their class by 8:30am. 

Students arriving from 8:30am are marked as tardy in Powerschool. Any student arriving after 8:50am must check into the ES Office before proceeding to class, even if they are escorted by a parent onto campus.

Repeated tardiness will be referred to the ES principals and a parent conference may be scheduled if students continue to be tardy regularly.

Arrival & Dismissal

The school campus opens for elementary school students beginning at 8:10 am each day.  The elementary school faculty and staff provide supervision in play spaces from 8:10-8:25 am each morning.  

The bell rings at 08:25 and students then transition to their homeroom for Morning Meeting.

Morning Meeting begins promptly at 8:30 am in their classrooms.  All students are expected to be present in their homeroom at this time.  

Parents are welcome to escort their child(ren) onto campus in the morning.  We ask, however, that parents depart from the learning spaces at 8:30 when Morning Meeting begins.  

Afternoon transportation must arrive no later than:

• 1:15pm for Early Years dismissal 

• 3:30pm for KG2 through Grade 5 dismissal 

• 4:30 for After School Activities dismissal  

It is the responsibility of each family to arrange transportation for their child to and from school.  Parents, drivers, and/or nannies should wait for their child(ren) at the designated dismissal areas.

Parents must contact the homeroom teacher and the ES Office when their child’s transportation arrangements change.

For families that arrange after school playdates, all respective teachers and the ES Office must be notified the day before. Confirmation is needed by all participating students’ parents. Please understand that changes in end of day routines are complex; teachers and administrative staff need adequate time to ensure the changes to routine have been communicated and that all students will depart the campus safely. Unless there is an emergency, we will not be able to accommodate changes to routine unless this is communicated the day before.

Students must be a resident of Al Bustan in order to exit campus through AIS-R’s Al Bustan gate.

School hours change for Ramadan. Ramadan hours will be communicated with all AIS-R families in a timely manner.

Guardianship

For emergency purposes, the AIS-R ES Guardianship FORM must be completed prior to parents traveling or being away from home. The form allows the parent(s) to grant temporary guardianship to another adult when the parent(s) is out of the city and/or country.  Parents must complete this form to ensure that the ES Office and teachers are properly informed of an alternative caretaker.  The appointed guardian must sign the form and submit it to the ES Office before the date of travel.