I love this tip from Doc Running at the Everything Education Blog.
Managing absences is really time consuming, so I started absence buddies. Assign absence buddies to be responsible for information for absent students. Each student is responsible for collecting materials and reviewing information from the missed days for their absent buddy.
This strategy is particularly effective because it empowers students to work with each other as well as to review the material they have been learning. Students get tons out of being responsible for each other, and it is one less thing that I need to manage.