The four attendance statuses
- Do it on
- Computer or phone
- Time needed
- 2 minutes
- Before you start
- Nothing
- When you finish
- The whole catechism board records the same way
| Status | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Present | The child arrived and was marked on time |
| Late | The child arrived late but did attend the session |
| Absent | The child did not come and has no leave request |
| Excused | The child did not come but has an approved leave request |
The convention worth agreeing on as a parish
- An approved leave request → always Excused, never Absent
- No request but a parent sent a message → up to your parish rules; asking for a request is better, because it leaves a record
- How many minutes late counts as Late — pick one threshold, say 10 minutes, and tell the children clearly
Why Absent and Excused must not be mixed up
At the end of the year, the number of Absent sessions is often used to decide progression or readiness for a sacrament. Mixing the two categories punishes children who had a genuine reason.
How this relates to leave requests
Leave requests and attendance are two separate things: approving a request does not automatically change an attendance status. Whoever takes attendance still has to choose Excused for that child. See Student leave requests.
You are done when
- The catechism board uses one shared threshold for Late
- Every child with an approved request is recorded as Excused