Submit your child’s absence via email: staattendance@rdcrs.ca or call our attendance line 403-346-8951 press 1. Please provide students name, class and reason for absence.
"Everyday and On-Time Attendance, Equals Academic Success"
QUICK FACTS:
Chronic Absenteeism (missing more than 10% of days enrolled for any reason) is the single strongest predictor of dropping out before graduation. Students who drop out are more likely to be poor, unemployed, have substance abuse problems, be teen parents and be involved with the law. Students who miss a month or more of kindergarten are more likely to perform poorly in 1st grade, particularly in reading.
By 6th grade, a pattern of chronic absence is a predictor of high school dropout rates. Research shows that a student's success in 9th grade is directly linked to the likelihood the student will successfully graduate high school with a diploma by 12th grade. (Statistics courtesy of The Children's Initiative
HOW CAN I HELP MY CHILD?
Let your child know that you think school is important.
Make sure your child goes to school regularly and on time.
Take an interest in your child's school work.
Set a regular bedtime schedule. Age should not be a factor.
Provide your child with plenty of time to get ready for school.
Provide regular times and a quiet, clean area for doing homework.
If your child starts to miss school, speak to the school and let your child know that he/she must attend.
Have regular communication with the school.
If your child is ill, contact the school and explain the reason for the absence.
Don't expect your older children to stay home and act as babysitters for younger children.
Set good examples and enforce rules.
Include regular exercise and a balanced diet in your child's daily activities.
Post the school calendar and notes on the refrigerator, or another prominent location.
Limit and balance extracurricular activities.
Keep open communication lines with your child.
Talking to your child, regarding the importance of attendance, is another support of being responsible. Children who miss school miss out on opportunities to learn, build lasting friendships, and develop the skills and attitudes needed to become good citizens and valued employees. There is a clear connection between student attendance and student performance in school. Data shows that higher attendance equals higher achievement for all students.
SCHOOLOGY - Teacher Reporting and Communication
● Schoology will continue to be the primary platform used for communication and sharing of information. You will use the same information to log in that you established last year if you were in attendance at STA or were in attendance at an RDCRS elementary school for 2023/24 (i.e. Holy Family, St. Elizabeth Seton, St. Martin de Porres, Father Henri, Maryview etc.)
● For students that are new to STA and RDCRS please know that we will be sending a unique (specific to your child only) QR code home which will provide you the information to sign up for Schoology.
● If you are still having difficulty setting up your Schoology account, please contact the office. We will assist you in getting everything set up.
POWERSCHOOL - Student updates
● All parents are required to have a PowerSchool account. This program allows parents to access information about attendance, and school fees and update student information in the fall & spring.
● Student Update Forms will be accessible in PowerSchool in the coming weeks.
● Once your Student Update Form is available in PowerSchool (you will receive an email notification)
Athletics
Check the Athletic Calendar on our website for your team's schedule.
We STRESS that all kids have a TRUE indoor pair of shoes to help us preserve the newly waxed floor. If kids do not have a true indoor pair, they will have to do PE in socks!
Student Fees & Forms
Access School Fees/Forms section of the PowerSchool Parent portal (Rycor) at https://rdcrs.powerschool.com/public/home.html
Payments via the portal can be made by Visa, Visa Debit, MasterCard, or MasterCard Debit. Alternatively, payment can be made at your school in the form of cash or cheque payable to The Red Deer Catholic Separate School Division. Athletic forms have to be completed online through Rycor.
School Council
Thank you to the parents who attended our September 24 Annual General Meeting. Our council is excited and ready to support our school community. Our next meeting will be November 25 at 7:00 here at the STA library. We will provide a link for those who wish to attend virtually closer to that time.
Cafeteria
Menus are available on our website. Please consider pre-ordering your child's lunch. When lunches are pre-ordered, your student's lunch will be ready for them at their lunch break.
