Absence from School
Students are expected to be onsite at 8:50am to attend the College each day of the term for scheduled lessons and activities. The College aims at a 95% attendance rate for students and seeks the support of parents and carers to ensure students attend on all days unless ill or there is a genuine reason for non-attendance. Every day of an absence is a day lost to learning.
If your child will be absent from the College for a genuine reason, you must inform the College’s Attendance Team as soon as possible. Please follow the steps below to submit an absence notification to the College.
Please do not email teaching staff directly to advise of student absences, including medical reasons for absence.
SMS Absence Notifications
If a student has not arrived at the College by 8:50am to be marked present in their Pastoral Care class, they will be marked as Absent-Unexplained, and parents/carers will receive an auto-generated SMS from the College at 9:3am requesting they explain this absence.
We ask that parents/carers use the link within the SMS to provide details of their child's absence. Families may also email our Attendance Team at xcc-absences@lism.catholic.edu.au to explain their child’s absence.
Whole Day Absences
If your child will be absent for a full school day, please enter this via Compass, along with a reason for the absence. Alternatively, you can advise the Attendance Team via xcc-absences@lism.catholic.edu.au if you are unable to notify the College using the Compass App.
Partial Absences
If your child will be absent for part of the College day (e.g. late arrival or early departure), please email xcc-absences@lism.catholic.edu.au or phone the College on 6618 0180. Please aim to advise us as early as possible.
Students should only be late to the College or leave early for genuine reasons.
Late Arrival:
If your child arrives late to the College, they must sign in via College Reception. A parent/carer must provide the College with a reason for the late arrival as soon as possible, either by phoning the College on 02 6618 0180 or emailing the Attendance Team at xcc-absences@lism.catholic.edu.au.
Early Departure:
If your child will be leaving the College early, please advise the Attendance Team as early as possible by phoning the College on 02 6618 0180 or via email at xcc-absences@lism.catholic.edu.au. This allows the Attendance Team to provide your child with an Exit Pass in advance, advise teaching staff of your child's early departure, and minimise disruptions to classes and the learning environment for other students.
We ask that your child be collected from the College Reception.
Students Driving
If a senior student needs to depart the College early for any reason and will be driving, parents/carers must notify the attendance team by email in advance at xcc-absences@lism.catholic.edu.au
Please be advised that we cannot allow a student to depart the College unless we receive an email from a parent/carer advising of the early departure and indicating that your child will be driving.
Student departure from the College during assessment/examination blocks should be avoided if possible.
Extended Travel During the School Term
Travel outside of the scheduled College holiday periods for family vacations, etc., is not encouraged as this can impact students' learning progression. If this travel is necessary, it will be counted as an absence for statistical purposes.
Where a student will be absent from the College during term time for a period of less than 10 days (3-9 days), families will need to email the College Attendance Officer in advance of the requested leave period at xcc-absences@lism.catholic.edu.au. The requested leave period will then be forwarded to the College Principal, who will respond to the family and notify teaching staff. Please do not email teaching staff directly about the requested leave.
Where a student is requesting an absence from the College during term time for a period of 10 days or greater, parents/carers, as a legal requirement, must complete the Form 01 (Extended Leave Notification: Travel/Other Greater Than 10 Days) application and return it to the College’s Attendance Officer before the intended leave period at xcc-absences@lism.catholic.edu.au. The College Principal will then review the requested leave form, and a response will be issued.
Please note that travel within a College term is recorded as an absence for statistical purposes.
Exceptional Circumstances
In exceptional circumstances, extended leave may be in the best educational interests of the student. This may include an exemption from attendance to compete/train in an elite sporting event at a national or state level. In these instances, please contact the College Attendance Officer for any additional information or required documentation by emailing xcc-absences@lism.catholic.edu.au.
Please note that the leave outcome will be determined at the discretion of the College Principal, and a response will be provided.