If notifying the school of an impending absence a brief, written explanation from a parent/guardian should be forwarded to the school. Parents may find it more convenient to phone the school office on the school absentee line on 4945 0160 with notification of a student’s absence, or use the SZapp absences tab on their device.
If students are going away on holiday, outside of normal vacation periods, the school should be notified before the event. Parents can apply for an exemption from participation when their child cannot attend, or it would be unreasonable in all the circumstances for their child to attend school, or participate in an eligible option for a period of more than 10 consecutive school days. Situations where an application for an exemption may be made include: illness, family reasons (holidays) and cultural or religious reasons. Also, notes with legitimate reasons for absence are very important for those students receiving Youth Allowance. If no previous notification has been received, the parent/guardian will automatically be sent a text message via their mobile phone on the day of absence, for an explanation.
Senior School extensions & assessment absences
Extensions for assignments are one of the many support provisions a student can apply for under AARA (Access Arrangements & Reasonable Adjustments). A student may apply for an extension on the grounds of:
- a disability, impairment and/or medical conditions; or
- an illness or misadventure (unforeseen
circumstances).
Eligibility for illness or misadventure will be determined using the
following principles:
- the illness or event is unforeseen and beyond the
student’s control; - an adverse effect must be demonstrated;
- the situation cannot be of the student’s own choosing or that of their parents/carers, such as a family holiday.
Students are responsible for initiating an application for an extension using the AARA Application form. To be considered, the application must be submitted as soon as practical to the Head of Department at a minimum of five (5) school days before the due date unless the student has been adversely affected by an unexpected emergent event. The application must also include supporting documentation to substantiate an illness or misadventure has occurred. Supporting documentation may take the form of a medical certificate/statement from a medical practitioner such as a doctor, a physiotherapist, a pharmacist,
etc. or for non-medical claims, written evidence from a relevant independent professional or other independent third party, such as a police report, social worker, member of the clergy, policy officer, solicitor or funeral director.
The AARA application form, policy and further related documents are on the
Senior Schooling page of this website.