One of our greatest priorities is ensuring that all students arrive safely to school every day. To improve our safe arrival process, Limestone District School Board has made some changes to our SafeArrival absence reporting management system. The most significant of which is the addition to report half day absences.
Parents/caregivers now have two new options for the type of half day absence being reported:
• Late Arrivals - If your elementary or secondary student will be away for the morning, report a Late Arrival, with the arrival time being the expected time the student will arrive at the school.
• Early Departures - If the secondary student will be picked up early before school dismissal, report an Early Departure, with the departure time being when the student should be signing out of the office. This option is only available for secondary student absences.
Please note, each student signing in or out of the school will still need to do so from the main attendance office.
Updated Weather/Transportation options:
All parents/guardians are asked to report their student’s absence regardless of the reason, including during bus cancellations. Often, bused students find alternative ways to school and we want to ensure we know the whereabouts of every student to ensure their safety and well-being. Knowing who is supposed to be at school will allow school office staff to best ensure all students are accounted for. Students are asked to ensure they report to their first period class for attendance.
The reporting tool has two options regarding transportation:
• Inclement Weather (all transportation types and walkers) for any inclement weather days when your student will not be attending school.
• Transportation (not weather-related) for any non-weather-related transportation reason when your student will not be attending school (e.g., when a bus is cancelled due to a driver shortage).
We recognize this is a change in practice but one we are making to ensure student safety and well-being. Thank you for your support and understanding.
If your student is marked absent and the absence hasn’t been reported in advance, the SafeArrival system will attempt to reach the student’s priority contact by telephone to confirm the absence. If you receive a call regarding your student’s absence, you can enter the reason for the absence during this call. If the system is unable to reach the designated contacts, school office staff will follow-up.
Updated Vacation vs. Extended Approved Absence:
We have removed the vacation option from the absence selections. We wanted to provide families with the broader option of "Absence/Late approved by parent/guardian." A family taking an extended March Break, for example, would most likely report the absence under the "Absence/Late approved by parent/guardian."
The "Extended Approved Absence" option is used when families have made a formal request for the student(s) to be away from school for an extended length of time and a learning program would be provided by the school for the student(s). These approved extended absences are not considered an “Absent” and do not get recorded under the total number of absences for the school year for that student(s).
How to report an absence:
In some instances, students may need to be away from school for illness, appointments or other events. Parents/caregivers can use the SafeArrival system to report a full day absence, an extended student absence and also a late arrival to school. When reporting an absence for a secondary student parents/caregivers will also be able to select an early departure. To report an absence, use one the following methods:
School Messenger App
1. Use the email address you provided to the school.
2. Use your mobile device to download and install the free SchoolMessenger blue
app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store, the SchoolMessenger website portal, or
from within the LDSB mobile app.
2. Tap Sign Up to create your account. Please ensure you use the same email address your student’s school has on file. If you
do not use that same email address, you will not be able to create an account, or may not be able to see the "Attendance" option. You may have already created an account when we introduced the
Communicate broadcast system.
3. Select Attendance from the menu, then select Report an Absence and follow the prompts.
SchoolMessenger SafeArrival Website Portal
1. Use the email address you provided to the school.
2. Go to the website SchoolMessenger website portal.
3. Click Sign Up to create your
account. Please ensure you use the same email address your
student’s school has on file. If you do not use that same email address, you
will not be able to create an account, or may not be able to see the "Attendance" option. You may have already created an account when
we introduced the Communicate broadcast system.
4. Select Attendance from the menu, then select Report
an Absence.
Interactive Toll-free Telephone
1. Call 1-855-257-9349 toll-free to report an absence using the automated phone system.
2. Follow the instructions to report an absence.
These options are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For any school day in the school term up to the cut-off time on the day of the absence. Future absences can be reported at any time using any one of these methods.
Please do not call the school directly to report your student's absence.
Reporting Lates: New for the 2023-2024 school year, parents/caregivers are instructed to report late arrivals using the new Late Arrival option, including the expected arrival time to school. When a student arrives, they are expected to sign in at office and staff make the amendment in our student information system. When a student leaves early, again they are expected to sign out (with parental permission) and again the amendment is made in our system. This method allows us to best track student attendance to ensure safety.
The SafeArrival system makes it easier for you to report your student’s absence, reduces the time it takes for our school staff to verify student attendance, and responds to unexpected or unplanned student absences. This time savings makes it faster and more efficient to account for all students and their safety.