All faculty must complete the official “Request for Leave or Reporting an Absence” form when they are absent for any reason. Please do so with 24-48 hours. Teachers should also email their Principal to inform them directly of the absence.
ATTENDANCE OBLIGATIONS
All Teachers are expected to be in the school building from 7:45am to 4:45pm (including lunch break), Monday through Friday. The expectation is 8 working hours per day. This includes teachers who do not have a class during the first or last periods. If you are responsible for an ASA, you maybe required to stay later. Teachers are encouraged to eat lunch in the cafeteria with students but may return to their apartments for the lunch period if so desired. The completion of particular tasks and special events may mean that teachers must on occasion work outside of the normal hours – teachers will receive prior notice whenever possible when such circumstances arise. Special events are generally posted on the official school calendar at the start of the academic year. Faculty meetings will be held on Wednesday afternoons once per month and may run until approximately 4:00pm.
The ISNS Charity Event, which will fall on a weekend, will be compulsory for all staff. The Head of School will determine if any staff member is exempt based on travel for school events such as MUN, sports, or other competitions.
Staff supervising an extra-curricular activity should remain on campus until past the published finish time of the activity to ensure all students have left safely.
SICK AND PERSONAL LEAVE
It is expected that all employees are in attendance for full number of contractual days and any additional days as required by the job.
Teachers are entitled to take up to six leave days per year – this total includes both sick and personal leave. All teachers must submit the online leave form before taking any type of leave. Teachers should give as much notice as possible before taking leave. If a teacher is requesting leave less than 24 hours from the time of absence, he or she should call their respective principal in addition to completing the leave form.
If a teacher is sick for more than two consecutive days, ISNS may require a valid certificate of sickness from an approved medical practitioner. If such evidence is not provided, the absence from employment may be counted as unpaid leave. Additional leave beyond six days must receive special approval from the Head of School and will be without pay. The option for Unpaid leave should be not be used without prior approval.
Teachers may leave campus for up to two hours without utilizing sick or personal leave if they do not need a substitute for the time away. This should not be a regular occurrence, but for the purpose of running special errands or taking care of business that must be done during working hours. The division principal should be informed whenever a teacher leaves campus so that the whereabouts of everyone is know and we have the assistance of all staff in the event of an emergency. During the school day, our focus is on learning and all efforts should be made to minimize the amount of time spent off campus.
Personal leave dates must be approved by the Head of School. Teachers should not use personal leave to extend holidays. Personal leave, if granted, must be taken at a time convenient for the school (not when there are field trips, examinations nor when a number of teachers are already absent). Personal leave is for circumstances whereby an employee needs time to attend to personal business matters, i.e. passport renewal, new passport pages, legal issues, or other matters deemed necessary by the Head of School.
A period of five working days for marriage leave may be granted. The dates of leave must be pre-approved by the Head of School to ensure the leave does not greatly disrupt student learning. A certificate must be on file with HR. The leave must be used within one year of the certificate date. This leave will not count towards their sick/personal leave and cannot be used to extend holidays.
As a professional group, teachers should be aware of the difficulties imposed upon their colleagues and the students for whom they are responsible as a result of their absence. Consequently, teachers should be absent from school or request leave in circumstances of an essential nature only.
MATERNITY AND PATERNITY LEAVE
Maternity and Paternity Leave – Following Employment Insurance from Canada (C Contracts Only)
Expecting mothers with the enhanced benefits package (Category C) may be granted up to twelve full months for maternity leave upon the birth of their child. The maternity leave period may be started earlier during pregnancy if needed, but will not be extended beyond twelve months from a mutually agreed upon start date. The leave period is 50 weeks, referenced from 15 weeks for birth, and 35 weeks for parental benefits. AKD will top up the amount to 52 weeks to make it a full calendar year. Please note that the Canadian government changes basic salary every January 1, so we have to keep checking the updated policy when the staff requires the maternity benefits. Upon contract renewal, those on C contracts will be moved to B, IB, or D, at the discretion of the Head of School.
Changes to Maternity Leave Beginning August 2025 – Following Local Law. (B, IB and D, Contracts)
- Beginning August 2025 – the terms for maternity and paternity leave will follow the local law as outlined:
- Prenatal Checkup Leave: pregnant 1 -7 months, 1 day per month for prenatal check leave; pregnant 8-9 months, 2 days per month for prenatal check leave.
- Maternity leave: (biological mother) ：total 178 days （basic leave 98 days + encourage leave 80 days, can take this leave no more than 15 days before the due date).
- C section give extra 30 days；
- Multiple birth, twins give extra 15 days, triplets give extra 30 days, etc.
- Lactation Time：before the baby turns 1 year old, 1 hour per day per baby. Based on the standard 8 working hours work day. Arrangements must be approved by your principal and Head of School.
Fathers may be granted paternity leave of up to fifteen consecutive days, including weekends and holidays, upon the birth of their child. New fathers will be paid their regular salary during paternity leave.
Upon prior approval, maternity leave may be transferred to the father (and paternity leave to the mother), but it cannot be split between the father and mother.
PARENTAL CHILD CARE LEAVE (Chinese Nationals Only)
Parents of children aged three and below may take up to ten days of leave each calendar year in order to care for their children. The leave can be split into two segments if needed (each of the two segments may be of any length as long as they add up to ten days total). The leave for each segment is consecutive and will include weekends and holidays if it extends over them. Child Care Leave is in addition to maternity and paternity leave. If a parent has more than one child, they are only allowed ten days in total – they are not allowed ten days per child. Once the child (or youngest of all children) turns four years old, parents are no longer eligible for the leave.
BEREAVEMENT LEAVE
Should a member of the faculty suffer the loss of a family member, the employee may be granted leave with full pay and benefits in order to attend the funeral or to be with family. If the loss was that of an immediate family member, such as a child, parent, spouse or sibling, a period of five days will be granted. If the loss was that of an extended family member or close friend, the Head of School will determine appropriate leave. The faculty member should consult the Head of School if special circumstances arise and addition leave is required.
SUBSTITUTION
ISNS does not employ full-time substitute teachers and therefore the covering of classes in the event of an absence is done by colleagues or a few on-call spouses of employees. Teacher should always ensure that their lesson plans are up-to-date and accessible in case of an unexpected absence. Substitute lesson plans and class instructions should be emailed to the respective Administrator and copied to the respective Head of Department or Grade Level Leader so they can be distributed to the substitute teacher. For absences that are known in advance, teachers are expected to arrange a coverage for any duties that will be missed.
Teachers are generally responsible for arranging their own substitute coverage. In the case of an unexpected absence where the teacher is incapacitated or out of contact, the Principals, Grade Level Leads and Heads of Departments will assist in organizing coverage for lessons. As much as possible, substitute teachers who are qualified and capable of teaching the given grade level and subject should be utilized. Teachers should always try to minimize their absences in order to provide consistent support for students.
ISNS FACULTY 