One of the things I have never really gotten a handle on is making sure I have the work set aside for a student who is absent. We switch classes a couple times a day, so I can't just let work gather on a student's desk, and, of course I may have different students absent from different classes. Do you have a system that works?
Our school has assignment folders that are large envelopes with a basic form on the front. If I have an absent student, I take one and clip it to the board, and then all the work can go right in there.
I have a letter with missed assignments written on it. (I write the assignments on it daily so I don't forget.) The letter states that according to our school rules the child has 2 days for every missed day to complete the assignments.
I have a mailbox for each student in my room. As papers are being passed out, I usually assign a buddy for each missing student. That buddy writes the absent student's name on the assignments and then puts them in the student's mailbox. At the end of the day, I check back and highlight which side students are to do, add any notes I might want to send home and pull books that need sent home. Unfortunately we often don't find out until the end of the day that homework is to be sent home with another student or that a parent is coming to get it. That can make things more difficult.
