WESTLOCK — SafeArrival is now in use at Westlock Elementary School (WES) and helping parents and staff ensure children’s absences are reported in a timely way.
The new pilot program at WES began Feb. 20 and was implemented for the remainder of the school year. It is one of two PHSD schools piloting the app in 2023-2024, with Barrhead Elementary School the other institution piloting the program since the fall.
SafeArrival is a new absence-reporting and notification system that allows parents to pre-report their child’s absences at any time, night or day. It also uses the SchoolMessenger automated notification system to contact parents when their child is absent and their absence has not been reported.
“SafeArrival is an extension of a system already used in the division to communicate with parents (School Messenger). It is a tool intended to provide more methods, available 24-7 for parents to pre-report their child’s absences,” said assistant communications coordinator Jan Carswell.
The new system also serves as a way for parents to explain absences that haven't been reported to the school through automatic notifications and it helps streamline the attendance process for school staff.
At the moment, most parents report absences through direct emails or phone calls to the school, added Carswell.
There are three ways that parents can use the SafeArrival system — through the School Messenger app, through the SafeArrival website (https://home.schoolmessenger.ca) or by reporting an absence by calling the toll-free number available 1-833-568-2538 and using the automated phone system.
“It is a tool that enhances our existing attendance procedures at our school, especially in terms of parent reporting methods and automated notifications to parents for unexplained absences,” said Carswell.
Carswell noted that while the two largest elementary schools in the division are currently piloting SafeArrival, both WES and Barrhead Elementary School, they will move ahead with plans to fully implement the app at most, if not all schools by the end of this school year.
“It made sense to add this tool to support effective communication with parents,” Carswell concluded.
