At ASA we believe that learning is a social activity. We adhere to the IB Approaches to Teaching, so that our teaching and learning strategies are:
based on inquiry
focused on developing conceptual understanding
developed in local and global contexts
focused on effective teamwork and collaboration
differentiated to meet the needs of all learners
informed by assessment (formative and summative).
When students are not in attendance they are not just missing information, they are failing to participate in the learning process. Many learning strategies are collaborative, aimed at building collective understanding through the participation of all class members. These strategies cannot be replicated outside the classroom nor repeated for absent students. Therefore, students should be absent and tardy only for necessary and important reasons, such as illness or family personal emergency. Parents must excuse their children from school for the above reasons, and should use extreme care in scheduling time away from school. We seek cooperation from parents in exercising discretion in excusing their children from school.
Absence Procedures
If a child is going to be absent then parents should contact the school office. It is important for school records that all absences are excused.
Email: attendance@asamadagascar.org
Phone: 20 22 420 39
Student lateness procedures
ASA requires all students to attend school on time and be prepared for classes. A student who is late for school or a particular class must go to reception to receive a late slip.
The homeroom teacher, advisor and counsellor will consult with parents as necessary to ensure that lateness does not affect a student’s education.
High School Attendance Policy
Graduation from ASA is based on a U.S-style credit system. If a student is frequently absent from a class, then they cannot be said to have completed that class and will not be granted credit. In order for a student to receive credit for a class, they may miss that class no more than 8 times each semester. If more than 8 classes are missed, the student will still receive a grade if enough work has been completed, but no credit will be awarded towards the ASA High School Diploma.
The allowance of 8 absences is designed to cover short-term illnesses and necessary time off for medical, personal and family reasons, as well as participation in school extra-curricular activities. Parents should take this absence limit into account when considering whether to take students out of school for extended periods.
It is expected that parents will monitor their child’s attendance and inform the school of the reason for any absences. Parents will be notified if absences are becoming a concern. If a student should miss more than 8 classes, the High School Principal will notify the student and parents of loss of credit.
High School students may also lose their place in a class if they are frequently absent. This will be particularly true of externally assessed classes, such as IB Diploma classes.
Students who arrive more than fifteen minutes late to class will have an absence recorded. This absence will count towards the absence limit for that class.
Excused and Unexcused Absences
If a student is going to be absent, parents should contact the Office by phone or email, stating a reason for the absence. The absence will then be marked as ‘excused’. Please note that both excused and unexcused absences count towards the 8 absence limit. Planned absences should be discussed with the Secondary Principal before arrangements are made, in order to ensure that the student is not in danger of going over the absence limit. A ‘Planned Absence Form’ should then be submitted.
Making up missed work
For absences that are excused, students will be given the opportunity to make up missed daily work during a period of time assigned by the teacher. For long-term assignments, the teacher has the right to adhere to a given deadline. For an extension of a long-term deadline, the teacher must be contacted before the due date. For absences that are unexcused, students will not necessarily be given the opportunity to make up missed work, or may not have the grade for that work count towards their semester grade. Please see the 'Late Assignments' section of this handbook for more detail.
Requests for a waiver
If absences have been caused by extenuating circumstances, such as extended illness or a family emergency, parents should write a letter to the High School Principal requesting a waiver. Proper documentation such as a doctor’s certificate will be required, and waiver requests will be considered on a case-to-case basis.
Related page: Illness or Injury