Attendance and Student Absence Reporting

Every Minute Matters

Did you know that missing just 10 minutes of school a day means nearly 33 lost instructional hours over the course of a school year - that is the equivalent of 5 full days!  20 minutes a day would be 10 lost days.  

Coming late or leaving early means that students miss core instructional components in Literacy and Numeracy.  Leaving early from school results in missing key concepts that will be built upon the next day.  It also means that students will have work to catch up on, which may mean loss of recess/extra curricular time 

Student safety and attendance are priorities at HPEDSB schools. Although it is important for students to attend school every day, there are times when appointments or other events result in an absence. Schools being aware of planned student absences enhances communication between home and school, and assists with identifying unexplained student absences quickly and efficiently.  (from HPEDSB website)

Reporting Student Absences

At PECI (and all HPEDSB schools), we use the SafeArrival app to allow families to easily and efficiently report student absences.  

By using SafeArrival, parents/guardians can report an absence in advance, 24/7, using their choice of a mobile app, the SafeArrival website, or an interactive toll-free phone number. Future absences can be reported any time. 

How does SafeArrival work? 

If your student is marked absent and the absence hasn’t been reported in advance, the system will attempt to reach the student’s priority contact (the number you provided to the school) by email, SMS text and telephone to confirm the absence. If the system is unable to reach the designated contacts, the school office staff will call to follow up. 

To sign up for the SafeArrival app or website reporting, parents/guardians must use the primary email address associated with their student's records at their school. Families unsure of which email is their student's primary email, or who wish to change the primary email, are requested to contact their school office. No email address is required for absence reporting using the toll-free phone number.  (from HPEDSB website)

It is important that all communication regarding student absence is reported via the SafeArrival app to the main office, rather than via direct text/email to the classroom team.  Occasionally educators may be away from the school, which means that important information could be missed or not be relayed to the office, which creates a potential safety risk.  

See more information in the graphic below