It is important for your child to attend school regularly. The School Education Act requires absences to be explained within three days.
Absence
From August 20, our school will change the way we send messages about student attendance. We will now use Compass SMS to tell you if your child is away from school.
You will get a text message from Compass. This message asks you to add an attendance note for your child’s absence and includes a one-time link for you to tell us why your child is away.
The link in the SMS is safe to use. It is part of our school’s official system.
How to submit an Attendance Note for your child’s absence:
- Click the link in the Compass SMS
- The Compass webpage opens in your browser
- Choose a reason for the absence from the drop-down menu
- Provide details of the absence and relevant comments in the box below.
- Make sure your message is at least 10 characters long (or it will not be submitted).
- Submit the form.
You are still welcome to contact the school directly to notify us of your child’s absence by:
- Calling – 9631 4400
- Emailing – dowerin.dhs.office@education.wa.edu.au
Late
If your child arrives for school after 8:55am, they will need to provide a note when signing in at the office.
Leaving Early
If your child needs to leave early during the day:
- Office/teacher to be advised of time student is being picked up.
- Early Childhood-Parent to sign out at office then collect student.
- Primary-Parent to meet student in office and sign student out.
- Secondary- Can sign out themselves with prior permission provided from parent (written or verbal) to the office with explanation.
While at school, we are responsible for the students’ welfare and safety at all times. Students are not to leave the school grounds without permission from the Principal or a Deputy Principal. If parents wish their child to leave the school at any time of the day for any reason, a written note or email to the class teacher or administration must be submitted in advance.
Did you know, It’s NOT OK to stay away!
The following chart highlights the impact of non-attendance over time. Viewed in this context, the implications of regular absenteeism are startling. The chart shows the cumulative effect of persistent non-attendance over the period from Pre Primary to Year 12.
| Days absent | Total Days | Number of Terms | Number of Years missed |
| 1 day fortnight | 226 | 4.5 | 1 year ½ term |
| 1.5 days per week | 676.5 | 13.5 | 3 years 1.5 terms |
| 2 days per week | 902 | 18 | 4 years 2 terms |
| 3 days per week | 1353 | 27 | 6 years 3 terms |
| 5 weeks per term | 1127.5 | 22 | 5 years 2 terms |
| Average 5 days per term | 220 | 5.5 | 1 year 1.5 terms |
| Average 10 days per term | 440 | 11 | 2 years 2 terms |
- There is a direct correlation between attendance and achievement. Children who on average miss one day of school each fortnight are deemed to be academically at risk.
- Frequent absences make it difficult for teachers who have to continually re-teach information and skills.
- Patterns of attendance/absence are set up in the early years of schooling.
- Poor attendance makes it difficult for students to form positive relationships with their peers.
- Research shows that students who are often absent from school are likely to earn less than their peers as adults.