Illness

• Most subjects have 2 x 1 hour 50 minute lessons per week.
• To miss one lesson is the equivalent of missing half a week of work for that subject.
• While every subject will have resources available electronically, and you also have access to teachers between classes to support your learning, attendance to lessons is where the real learning happens.
• We understand, from time to time, a student may have a genuine illness which prevents them from attending their regular lessons. Often, as is the case with contagious illnesses, it is also appreciated that students may avoid coming to school to prevent spreading their illness to other students and staff.
• Students should be in contact with their teachers and keep up with their learning while they are absent - in most cases this can be facilitated by following the learning program and resources on Daymap.

Students are encouraged to be discerning about when they are feeling unwell and to try to limit their absences to times when they are genuinely too unwell to attend school, and students are encouraged to visit a doctor and receive a medical certificate to cover their absences where possible.

There are important steps to follow if you are feeling unwell at school and if you wish to go home early due to illness.

Going home and missing lessons should not be your first instinct...

FEELING SICK AT SCHOOL | USING THE SICK ROOM

If you are feeling unwell, you should use the Sick Room on the Ground Floor to take some time out or receive some First Aid which may see you becoming well enough to stay on for the rest of your lessons.

Report to the Ground Floor and speak to the Reception staff about how you are feeling so they can help you in the first instance.

If you do miss lessons as a result of your illness, even if you are in the Sick Room, the Reception staff will be able to alert your teachers and update your attendance on Daymap.

This is an important and critical step which communicates with all of your teachers, ensures accuracy of your attendance record, and in terms of the College's duty of care for your wellbeing and safety at school.

FEELING SICK AT SCHOOL | GOING HOME

If you are feeling unwell at the end of a lesson and you have no further lessons for the day, you are welcome to go home and recover as your school day is finished.

If you are feeling unwell during a lesson, or you still have lessons to attend later in the day, and you wish to go home, you MUST report to Reception on the Ground Floor.

We have a legal responsibility to inform your parents of your illness and to clarify your means for getting home before we can let you go while you are still required to be at school.

The Reception staff will also be able to update your attendance in Daymap to inform your teachers that you have gone home sick.

You should not text or call your parent or caregiver to make these arrangements yourself without first reporting to Reception and having the school make this contact home.

Your Responsibilities

• If you need to go home sick, you must report to Reception on the Ground Floor and one of the staff will call your parent or caregiver for permission for you to go home.
• It is the College’s duty of care to inform your parent or caregiver if you are leaving during your scheduled school day.
• Let your class teachers know that you have gone home sick and that the school has contacted your parent/caregiver.
• Find out from your teacher what you can do in your absence to keep up with the classwork, including how to access any electronic and online resources that may be necessary - in most cases, this will involve keeping up with your learning via your Class Page on Daymap.
• Make an appointment to meet with your teachers as soon as possible when you return to check over your work, preferably before your next lesson.
• You should also consult the Assessment Policy for information about the implications for being absent on the day of a test, in-class assessment or when an assessment task is due.

If you are in the Sick Room for a lesson, your attendance on Daymap will be updated with the code 'S' indicating you were in the sick room.

If you go home sick or miss lessons due to illness, this will be reflected in your Attendance Rate and record.

Students, parents, teachers and mentors can easily track attendance through Daymap. Look for the Attendance Tracking Indicator below your photograph when you open Daymap. This gives a percentage of your attendance in a coloured dot which will stay green when your attendance is above 90%.

There are VISA implications for International Students in situations where absences are significant.

A pattern of attendance is closely monitored by Student Services and by the Associate Principal, as well as Mentors, teachers and other key support and leadership staff.

A patterns of absences are the first indication that there are issues with learning and engagement. You should seek to resolve these with the range of supports available before your absences become problematic.

The Associate Principal, along with the Principal, Counsellor, International Student Coordinator, Learning Support Manager and Mentors also monitor patterns of absences or lateness on a weekly basis and will initiate conversations with students and/or parents in situations where absences are becoming significant.

You should also consult the Assessment Policy for information about the implications for being absent on the day of a test, in-class assessment or when an assessment task is due.

After clicking on My Portfolio, click on This Week to see your attendance recorded against each lesson in your timetable in real time.

Click on Attendance to see your attendance map for the whole year.