Attendance Policy
School Office Hours Email:
7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. TNS Registrar: registrar@truenorth.edu.vn
Principal Office: principal.office@truenorth.edu.vn
[Hotline] Principals & Principals’ Assistant: link
TNS Hotline 2024 | |
| Head of School | 0913531058 |
| Elementary School Principal, Bilingual Track | 0913832158 |
| Middle and High School Principal, Bilingual Track | 0913852758 |
| Elementary School Principal, International Track | 0913852758 |
| Middle School & High School Vice Principal, International Track | 0913531058 |
| Family Advocacy for Vietnamese | 0388387899 |
| Family Advocacy for Expats | 0913952158 |
Overview
At True North International School, regular attendance and active class participation are an integral part of our students' learning experiences; together, they play pivotal roles in determining student success and drive home our Academic Rigor pillar. We are committed to cultivating exemplary attendance habits among our students. Those who attend school regularly demonstrate higher levels of success, and connectedness, and develop invaluable life-long healthy habits.
Class Attendance
Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes unless they have been excused due to illness, an excused absence, a school-sponsored activity, or a family emergency. All excuses must be documented following the school’s approval procedures and coordinated through the Principal’s Office. Students are considered present if they are in class at the start of the period.
Full Day & Period Absences
To ensure that we are able to record accurate attendance, please contact our Family Advocacy Team whenever a student is absent. Types of absences include:
+ Full-Day Absence - refers to a student's absence for the entire duration of the school day.
+ Period Absence - refers to a student’s absence for half of the school day (morning or afternoon). Two half absences will be recorded as a Full-Day Absence.
+ Tardies - refers to a student arriving in class after the official start of the period.
Late Arrival to School
1. Parents will need to either notify the Family Advocacy Team or fill in the Student Absent & Time Off Request Form to provide an explanation for their child's late arrival.
2. Upon receiving the request, the Family Advocacy Team will notify all faculty and related staff members.
3. Upon arriving late to school, students must immediately proceed to the Head of Student Affairs office located in Room O.103.
4. At the Head of Student Affairs office, students are required to check-in with the staff present and provide a valid reason for their tardiness.
5. The staff will verify the legitimacy of the reason provided and assess the late arrival circumstance.
a. If the reason for tardiness is deemed appropriate, the staff will issue a re-admittance slip to the student. Below are the criterias can be considered appropriate:
+ Validity:
- Traffic issues (e.g., bus delays, traffic jams due to bad weather)
- Appointments (e.g., medical, visa), family emergencies
- Health issues
- Other unavoidable circumstances beyond the student's control.
+ Supporting documents or evidence available: a note/message from parents/Family Advocacy team, a doctor's/VISA appointment slip, or other official documents confirming the circumstances that caused the late arrival.
+ Patterns of tardiness
b. If the reason for tardiness is deemed inappropriate, the staff will counsel the student accordingly and explain why their reason is unacceptable. The inappropriate tardiness will be marked on the attendance tracker as "L" (late).
6. Students must obtain the re-admittance slip before proceeding to their classes.
7. With the re-admittance slip in hand, students are then permitted to enter their classes, acknowledging their late arrival with permission.
8. If the student is late without appropriate reasons for more than 3 times per month:
a. The student will be sent to The Cooler Detention Center.
b. Parents will be notified of the student's repeated tardiness.
c. Documentation: All instances of tardiness and any resulting disciplinary actions will be documented by the school administration for record-keeping purposes. This documentation may be used for future reference in assessing a student's behavior and academic progress.
9.In case of any questions or concerns regarding late arrival, students should direct them to the Head of Student Affairs for further assistance.
Please note that this procedure excludes late arrivals for students arriving due to late school buses.
Excused Absences
At True North International School, the following absences may be classified as an excused absence upon submission of a parent’s note and, supported documentations, if required
+ Illness of the student (a doctor’s note is required for a student absent five or more consecutive days);
+ Official school-endorsed activities;
+ College visits for students in grades 11 and 12, for up to 3 cumulative days per school year (proof of college visitation must be submitted to the Principal’s Office within 48 hours upon completion of the visit);
+ Family emergencies.
If a parent anticipates a student absence not covered by the excused absences listed above or expects to accrue ongoing absences related to a specific condition or circumstance, they may submit a request for an excused absence due to a special circumstance to the Principal’s Office. The Principal shall consult with the Head of School before determining whether to grant the excused absence request. Any absence that does not meet the criteria of an excused absence or fails to satisfy the documentation requirement of an excused absence within the allowable time frame will be classified as an unexcused absence.
Parents need to notify the school about planned and excused absences as early as possible. The notification period must be no later than 2 weeks before the planned absence (4 weeks prior to college visits) to receive necessary approval from the Principal’s Office. If parents are unable to meet this notification period timeline, the school will not approve the absence, and it will be recorded as unexcused.
Personal/Unexcused Absences
All absences for which a formal excuse has not been noted are considered unexcused, and will result in disciplinary consequences. In addition, students should expect that material missed on the day of the unexcused absence will not be re-taught or covered by the teacher, and that in-class graded work (i.e. tests, quizzes, written assignments) missed on the day of the unexcused absence will receive a failing grade.
Excessive Absence Policy
a. Any student who records 5 unexcused absences in a given semester is subject to loss of class credit on their transcripts due to excessive absences. As a result, the student will have to re-take this course in the next academic year and it will have a negative impact on their graduation requirements and timeline.
b. Students may not have more than 5 consecutive days of planned absences in the academic year. This is to ensure that students are committed to cultivating exemplary attendance habits. The Principal’s Office will review the circumstances surrounding the student’s absence and render a decision about credit loss with the Head of School as the final decision making authority.
c. Students may not have more than 10 total absences in the academic year. This is to ensure that students are committed to cultivating exemplary attendance habits. The Principal’s Office will review the circumstances surrounding the student’s absence and render a decision about credit loss with the Head of School as the final decision making authority.
Missing Instruction & Make-Up Work
Regular attendance is a critical part of academic success and wellness. Classroom instruction cannot be replicated after an absence, so attending class consistently is the best way for a student to succeed. Given the difficulty in making up missed work, we highly recommend avoiding unnecessary absences and for students and parents to always prioritize classroom attendance over other activities. Missing labs, presentations and exams can cause sincere anxiety for students. After an absence, please remember:
+ Students will be given a reasonable amount of time to make-up missed work after an excused absence.
+ Make-up work for unexcused absences may not be provided and in-class graded work (e.g. tests, quizzes, written assignments) missed on the day of the unexcused absence may receive a failing grade. It is the responsibility of student(s) to proactively catch up on missed work, and request a make-up test if possible.
+ If absences become excessive (whether excused or unexcused) students will need to meet with their counselor and administrator to discuss interventions and support.
Attendance Discrepancies
If you believe your student was marked absent by error, please communicate with the Registrar office to notify them of the discrepancy within 48 hours of its posting. If it was made in error by a teacher, please have your student contact the teacher who will need to issue a correction to the Registrar office via email.
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