Thamer International Schools put high priority on student attendance. It is important for students to be in school in a consistent routine of study and participation in school activities. This is the best way to build a strong academic record and to establish the reputation of involvement and responsibility.

Students who are absent for more than two consecutive days are expected to bring a written excuse from a parent or guardian upon their return to school. Students give these excuses to their Head of School so that the letter is kept in their file. In all cases, parents will be contacted by supervisors when their children are absent to check out the reason for their absence and to arrange a way to send their agenda if applicable. If the absence occurs repeatedly with no valid reason that is accepted by the administration, disciplinary action will be taken.

Students

Each student is expected to put his/her best effort into every task he/she attempts. Students are expected to participate in all school/class activities. In terms of academic requirement, students are expected to complete all tasks and sit for all examinations. They are responsible for completing work that was missed as a result of a partial or whole day absence.

Parents

Parents are responsible for:

• Ensuring that their children attend school regularly.

• Ensuring that their children arrive at school before lessons commence and they are ready to learn (with all necessary items).

• Explaining the absences of their children from school.

• Taking measures to resolve attendance issues involving their children.

Parents are asked to make holiday travel arrangements which ensure that their children not only attend each school day, but also are rested and ready to learn upon their return. T.I.S. does not support the practice of parents arranging holidays for their children that result in their absence from school. At least 90% attendance throughout the school year is obligatory. The satisfactory completion of a term's academic work requires regular attendance to classes. Making up written work is only a partial substitution for class attendance. A well-planned class provides a learning opportunity for the students every day. If a student is absent, he/she is losing educational benefits, and it is impossible to make up for the missed experience and to gain from this learning experience to the same degree that the student would through the group involvement in the regular class. Participation in class activities cannot be made up. Furthermore, the absence of any student affects not only his/her progress, but also negatively impacts the process of the group. 

Attendance Procedure

1. It is expected that the students will attend classes on a daily basis. All teachers will take roll and keep a record of absences and tardiness.

2. An absence includes the following: illness, doctor visits, travel, vacations, etc.

3. Primary and middle school students who are absent for more than 20 school days during an academic year will be asked to withdraw from school the coming academic year. The final decision will rest solely with the concerned head of school & the academic director.

4. If a senior school student’s absence exceeds 10 classes of the time allocated to a subject per term, the student and the parent will be notified that the student is placed on an "Academic Probation" period. If the student meets the following requirements, while on probation, he/she can maintain the grade :

• Attendance must be excellent.

• Punctuality must be excellent.

• Demonstrate commitment to the academic work.

• Demonstrate cooperation with the teacher. For absences cases beyond 10 classes, all evaluated work (i.e. tests, projects, assignments, etc.) of that subject will be worth a maximum of 85% of the score.

5. A student and his/her parents should work closely with the teacher or supervisor to ensure that any missed work due to an absence is made up as soon as possible. Students are responsible for making up any missed work.

Prior Arrangements/Early Leave :

T.I.S. strongly discourages students from taking extended vacations during a term or leaving school prior to the normal closing date. (Students missing classes lose essential instruction and place increased demands on classroom teachers in the areas of record-keeping, administering make-up work, etc). During the process of planning for an extended absence, parents and students should understand that teachers cannot possibly, in all cases, re-teach the lesson nor provide make-up assignments to cover all the materials that will be missed. Since a student presumably needs to attend the full term to receive proper learning, it is reasonable to expect that the extended absences will usually result in a lower grade. However, occasions may arise where an extended absence is necessary. When this is the case, the school will make every reasonable attempt to reduce the damage to student's educational program.

Students are expected to be in class on time. Students' late arrival to class causes disruption and interruption to the learning process. Many times, students will miss important information that is impossible to make-up. A student is considered late if he/she enters the room after the class has begun but within the first 5 minutes. Students arriving after 10 minutes will be recorded as absent. Teachers are not allowed to admit late students if they missed more than 10 minutes of the period. 

• All students who arrive late to the first period must receive a permission slip from the Head of School’s Office.

• All students who are late for any period must have their names registered by the teachers on the disciplinary sheet.

• Continued tardiness will result in office referrals with increasingly severe consequences.

• If a student arrives late to school more than once a week, the parents will be contacted. If the student is late twice a week, the parents will be asked to attend a meeting with the head of school to discuss the matter. Parents will sign a form that they are aware of this continuous lateness of their child and this form will be kept in the student’s file for future use.

Medical Appointments and Absences:

• If a student has a medical appointment during school time parents must send the head of school a written notification at least one day prior to the appointment and arrange for their child to be collected from school. However, parents are asked to do everything they can to ensure that their child has full attendance at school. Whenever possible, please make medical and dental appointments after school hours.

End of  term early checkout (Upper School Students)

• When it becomes necessary for a student to leave school prior to the end of term exams, parents are asked to notify the school to make appropriate and necessary arrangements. If a student does not complete all requirements of a grade level, including the final examination, a grade of 5/20 will be given to any missing exam. The school does not make provisions for early final examinations.

ABSENCE FROM WEEKLY / FINAL EXAMS (UPPER SCHOOL STUDENTS)

• Weekly Exam: If a student is absent from a weekly exam for a valid reason, a make-up exam will be assigned on the Thursday after school of the second week. However, if the reason is not seen as valid, the student will not be entitled for a make-up exam and he/she will be granted 5/20 in the concerned subject. The decision whether a student is entitled for a make-up exam will rest solely with the concerned Head of School.

• Final Exam: If a student is absent from a final exam a grade of 5/20 will be given and no make-up exam will be assigned. Under no circumstances will a final exam be administered before the scheduled date of the exam.