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Arrival Check

Parents and guardians are responsible for their children’s safety. A safe-arrival program is a mechanism that parents and schools use to account for a student’s unexplained absence from school.

Responsibilities of parents and guardians:

• to communicate planned absences or lateness to the school.
• to provide the school with complete and current emergency information to enable the school to make any necessary contacts.

Responsibilities of the school:

• to contact the home to find out the reason for absence, leave a message if there is no answer.
• to contact a parent/guardian at their business phone if a number is on file.
• contact the emergency numbers when all other attempts to contact the parent/guardian have been unsuccessful.

As of April 2019, HWDSB uses the Safe Arrivals attendance system for our students. This reporting system makes it very easy for you to report absences, late arrivals and early dismissals for your child(ren). It also allows school staff to respond quickly and thoroughly to all unexplained absences. Our goal is to continue to have all absences explained and all students accounted for each day, knowing that they are all safe.

One School Messenger account will house all your HWDSB students. You will need to have your child’s OEN and that can be found on their report card. Please take a few minutes to open an account using one of the following options:

1. Visit the SafeArrivals website at https://go.schoolmessenger.ca/#/home
2. Download the School Messenger Mobile Phone App for free, available for Apple and Android phones
3. Call 1-844-506-4350

In addition, we use the SchoolMessenger Communicate Automated Notification System to contact parents/guardians whose child is absent when the absence was not reported in advance. The automated notification system will attempt to contact parents/guardians multiple times until parents confirm and explain the absence. If this system cannot reach the designated contacts, office staff will follow up.

If you report your child’s absence in advance using either the Safe Arrival website, mobile app or toll-free number, you will NOT receive these notifications.

Included below is the SafeArrival Family FAQ document for your assistance. Alternately,  please contact office staff at the school for assistance.

SafeArrival Family FAQ

We ask that parents send a note with their child if the student is to be excused from school during the day, or if you have given your son/daughter permission to go out for lunch. Students are issued an “excuse:” slip, and that slip is given to the appropriate teacher/supervisor.

Parent signatures are on file in a number of places, and it is much easier for staff to confirm the note is from a parent, than a voice over the telephone. When you call in to have your child excused, we must interrupt the entire class to call your child to the office for the message.

Advisors will ask for a parental note for any absences where the school has not been informed of the reason for absence or the school has been unable to contact home.