Attendance and Absences

When a student is absent from school, parents are asked to email their child’s homeroom teacher and the Grade level Educational Assistant by 8:15 a.m. If we have not heard from you, the Educational Assistant will call home. When the child is absent because of an illness, please specify symptoms including details such as exact temperature (if they had a fever), vomiting episodes, sore throat, cough and/or rashes. If the child visits the doctor, the nurse should be notified of any diagnosis from the doctor. A doctor’s note is required following an absence of four or more consecutive school days due to a major illness, communicable disease, or injury. The doctor’s note should state that the student may return to class and note if there are any physical restrictions. For excused absences, teachers will make arrangements to provide students with missed work, to the degree possible. Excused absences are for illness, family emergencies or significant personal reasons. We ask that parents not extend school holidays for their children’s sake as well as that of their classmates.Students are expected to be on time for school and for class.

Will attendance affect my child's report card?

Attendance is essential both for students' individual learning and for the class as a whole, therefore;

Students must be in attendance for 85% of the school days within each semester.After 10 days absent within a semester, parents will be informed by the Upper Primary Administration to understand the reason for the absence, and to closely monitor days absent from school.If attendance falls below 85%, parents will be contacted and teachers may give the following semester report card grade: “Not Applicable” (NA) – Student was not present in class long enough to be graded.Extended absences throughout the year can have a significant impact on a child’s learning and may affect their placement in the following year’s grade.Attendance will be recorded on the report card.

Placement decisions for the following school year will be determined by the Upper Primary Administration.

Student Attendance (Policy 3150, available on DragonNet)

HKIS believes that daily school attendance is critical if students are to receive the maximum benefits from the opportunities offered at the school for learning and growth. Absences, for any reason, are disruptive to the learning process and to the achievement of the student. Being on time for school and for class is also important for the individual student and the class as a whole. The absent or tardy student misses valuable interactive classroom experiences and immediate feedback from teacher and peers.The school is committed to working with parents to ensure consistent attendance for all students. Parents should not permit students to miss school for reasons other than illness, family emergencies, or significant personal reasons, such as religious observances or external exams. Parents are also asked to respect the school’s calendar especially at parent conference times and not to take their child out of school for travel or vacations during regularly scheduled school days. If a student is absent for reasons other than illness, family emergencies or significant personal reasons, parents should note that the school does not require teachers to provide make-up work. Absences or non-attendance at concerts or other performances may also affect a student’s grade. Excessive absences for any reason may have an impact on student progress and achievement.Any absence, tardy or early dismissal must be accounted for. Parents should notify the school early in the school day if their child will be absent due to illness, or as early as possible in advance for other absences.Each principal will annually publish the official start and end of the school day, and will also outline the specific procedures for late arrival at school, early dismissal and divisional policies related to making up any work missed.All students are expected to be on school grounds from the official start to the end of the school day. Permission for students to leave their school campus during school hours can only be granted by the Principal of the school or his/her designee.

Withdrawal Procedures

Students who are officially withdrawing from HKIS must inform the Admissions team by emailing admissions@hkis.edu.hk. Report cards will be sent by email on the last day of the semester.At the end of the school year students are expected to return all library books, textbooks or other educational materials that have been loaned to them for the year. Students who have lost materials or books will be expected to pay replacement costs before progress reports are issued.

Report Cards, Confidential Reference Requests and Proctoring Assessments

When applying to a new school, parents are often asked to provide school references and recommendations. Upper Primary faculty and administration will complete confidential recommendations upon request. Completed confidential recommendations are sent directly by HKIS to the new school. Parents can request a maximum of five confidential recommendations per student per year from each teacher/counselor/administrator. We ask that parents allow at least TWO weeks advance notice to submit confidential recommendations. As is best practice in most leading international schools, we do not write open letters of reference for students.Parents may need support with proctoring assessments for their child's future school. Parents are invited to reach out to the Admissions Office through admissions@ hkis.edu.hk should they require support for proctoring assessments/testing.

Report Cards and Assessment Requests from Parents

Student reports and MAP assessments are available for parents to access through Power School. HKIS recognizes that on occasion, parents may need certified copies of report cards or MAP Assessment from their division when applying for schools. In an effort to facilitate these requests, without placing an excessive burden on school personnel and resources, HKIS requests FIVE WORKING DAYS (5) advance notice from families for these types of requests. Requests should be submitted via email or in person through the respective divisional offices.