Assistant Principal's Report

It’s Not OK To Be Away, Even Just For “A Little While”.

Attending school every day is arguably the single most important part of your child’s education; we can’t teach them unless they’re here! Students are always learning new things and extending on prior knowledge every single day they are at school. Missing school will put them behind. From Prep to Grade 6, your child will learn the skills necessary for the next stage of their education, secondary school. They will learn skills such as to read, to write, to speak, to listen, to add, to subtract and develop social skills that we use every day as adults. If students have a high absence rate, including just a little bit here and there, it adds up, their engagement in the learning is severely reduced.  They may feel social isolation and feel insecure at school and will have gaps in their learning. 

The Department of Education have a focus on absenteeism with the key message that needs to be embraced by schools, parents, and the wider community that “It’s Not OK to be Away”. We acknowledge that there are times when students are ill or when emergency family trips must be taken during the school term, but we are focussing on all absence including being late, early pick up or even popping out during the day. The benefits of attending school regularly and as much as possible, including the development of academic skills but also attitudes such as self-discipline, punctuality and being organised are highly beneficial for your child. Regular attendance leads to making friends and learning how to maintain relationships over a length of time. 

To keep this simple, to break down the impact absences can make over time:

Therefore,

Remember, every day counts. Openly communicating with your child’s classroom teacher about all absences is a good way to prevent attendance issues being escalated to a School Attendance Officer. A School Attendance Officer is a Department of Education and Training Regional Director who has authority to follow up attendance issues. Chronic or ongoing attendance issues that are escalated can lead to an Infringement Notice being issued to parent/s.  

In summary, Courtenay Gardens Primary School want to work in partnership with parents. Act early if you have any concerns by contacting your child’s classroom teacher and asking for advice and support. Each day a student misses puts them behind and can affect their educational outcomes and their social connectedness. Talk positively about school and the importance of attending every day to set them up for success in life.  Please seek help from staff at CGPS if you are concerned about your child’s attendance and wellbeing.