SENIOR SCHOOL STUDENT - PARENT HANDBOOK

Every reasonable allowance is made for students who are absent for good
reason (see 1 below). However, absence for other reasons (e.g. extended
vacations and family trips during school time) is against German law and is
strongly discouraged.
Attendance is ultimately the decision of the student and his family, but
responsibility for work missed, and reduction in academic achievement which
may result, falls on the student alone.
Parents will be kept informed if their student’s attendance falls below
requirements. Parents may check their children’s daily homeroom
attendance i.e. attendance recorded in homeroom (08.40 - 08.50), in the
eportal.
1. ABSENCES
Parents/Guardians should contact the relevant school office (see below) by
telephone or email if a student will be absent from school on a given day.
G6-8: Mrs. Walther, 0211 9406 704, walther@isdedu.de
G9-12: Mrs. Scattergood. 0211 9406 715, scattergood@isdedu.de
If a student is absent or late because of a medical appointment, (s)he should
bring a medical certificate (Bescheinigung) from the doctor or dentist.
Absences are “excused” or “unexcused”. An absence is EXCUSED if it is due
to:
illness which is explained in a note or phone call to the office by the
parent/guardian (a doctor’s note is required for an illness lasting more than
three consecutive days);
a significant family occasion, such as a wedding or funeral, or religious
observance, of which prior notice has been provided to the school;
school-sponsored or –sanctioned activity such as a field trip, IB
examination preparation, or university-entrance interviews or exams. or
unavoidable circumstances such as bad weather or impassable roads.
All other absences are UNEXCUSED.
Students returning to school after any absence should arrange a time limit
(normally no more than two weeks) by which missed work should be made
up.
2. CLASS SKIP
A student is deemed to have skipped a class if the parent/guardian or school
is unaware of reasons for the absence beforehand. After the first skip a letter
will be sent home and one disciplinary point will be deducted. A second skip
30