Parents who take their kids out of school to go to WDW..

[mrs. magnolia]

I am taking my second grader out of school for one week to go to WDW...she hasn't missed any days this year, and we are going after her standardized test. However, her teacher has been teaching school for 38 years, and I am thinking she may not think it is a great idea. My question is do lots of people do this? I guess I am looking for a little support..he he! ::MinnieMo

[budbeerlady]

Take her out!!!! We took Dd (5) out of K and we will be doing the same with 1st grade in Dec. We took some grief from family about it but the teacher was very accomodating about it. She did have a ton of work to do that she had missed. But we got it all done and sent it back to the teacher when we got back. We will continue to do this probley untill high school. Kids learn alot on vacation and family time is just as important. I look at it this way, such a short time of their life is spent as children enjoy it while you can. Everyone will argue about it and wether it is good or bad. But do what you feel comfortable with. Have a great trip your DD will love it!!

[daisyduck123]

All I'm going to say is "I'm doing it".

We're taking DD11 (7th gd) & DS7 (2nd gd) out for a trip from Jan. 21-31.

P.S. I'm a teacher at DS's school. I have one 1st grade student who is leaving today for a week at Disney.


Have a great time!

[DisneyNutMary]

I have taken my kids out of school for one day, up to one week for family vacations.
The first time was right after 9/11, when I needed to be away from the insanity of NYC, and most recently they missed the first 2 days of school this year, and will be missing a day- possibly 2 in March.
There has been no negative impact on their school work- or school social life, and they both came back with great stories to share with their classmates, and lots of ideas for creative writing assignments.

[kdtwiss]

let's see - what essential teaching will your child miss in one week in second grade? I am guessing nothing that will have adverse effects on the rest of her life. On the other hand, I do believe spending enjoyable time together as a family when our little ones are still little is crucial! When they are little we are building the foundation of a relationship that will shape our children's entire lives. I think as long as you explain that taking a vacation during school does not mean school is not important - you are fine! Have a blast.My oldest ds is autistic, and the only time we will EVER go on vaca is OFF times. He could not handle the crowds at they typical school vacation times. I am bracing myself for years of disapproving teachers, but ultimately, this is MY family and my decision.
Bracing self now for disapproving disers............. :scared1:

[Evil Queen]

I usually take my youngest out for up to 1 week.

He is great on his grades and knowsas long as his grades stay good, this is a doable feat.

His teaher this year was impressed with his being able to keep up.

[mrs. magnolia]

I do believe spending enjoyable time together as a family when our little ones are still little is crucial! When they are little we are building the foundation of a relationship that will shape our children's entire lives. .... :scared1:

That quote speaks to me...thanks to all for the support I was looking for!

[katiesmom2]

I taught 1st grade and 5th grade for 10 years. I'd say at least one family a year pulled their child out for vacation. I don't see anything wrong with it, as long as the child makes up the work they are mising when they are gone. Good thinking to wait until after standardized testing! Our school district in CA required us to do a very detailed sheet documenting what the child was to work on, objectives, etc. They had to have something to do daily in each of the subject areas. It made me crazy! In 1st grade for example, I wouldn't have expected a child to do math, reading, spelling, social studies, science, writing every day of vacation, but I was told I had to require that.

My parents used to pull us out a few times a year for family vacation and it didn't affect me one bit. Of course, my mom worked with me on my school work - I can stil remember sitting in our Florida condo working at the table. As long as parents are willing to do this, I don't see a concern.

Family time is important! Enjoy your vacation!

[Stacerita]

I would take her out. You said she hasn't missed any school and she is only in second grade. Ive taken the sweetpea out many times and it hasn't caused any problems. And trust me, she will remember that we went somewhere over what went on in math that week. Spending time with the family is more valuable than what she can do in one week of class. Do try to arange to get her work so she wont have to worry about being behind. But I would do it.

[isla bonita]

I take my kids out every year for our family vacation. I talk to the teacher at the first conference and inform them that we will be doing so. I do not ask permission. I feel this way there is nothing more inportant then our family. School is important but not as. Families in Europe have approx. 35 days vaca a year. We wonder why we have so much divorce and problems with our family units. I think we do not have enough time to be one. I know in our family my husband has no vaca because he is in a union that usually gets laid off. He dosn't so he has to just not work one week. My children do not see him all summer when it is ideal for them to do so . We make up for thet by our vaca's

[MinnieGirl33]

Nobody has the right to tell me how to parent. As long as I am not breaking any rules (ex., total days unexcused absence) then they need to mind their own business.

DS11 is in 6th grade this year. This is the first time that any teacher has commented about taking him out. Mind you they never said not to, she is just very passive aggressive & made a comment.

Schools need to promote & celebrate "family time". Particularly in this day & age when we are all always running off in opposite directions to one activity/job/etc. or another.

No flames. Just my opinion.

::MinnieMo

[meggamo]

I'm not a parent, so I can't take that perspective, but I'm only 20, so it wasn't THAT long ago that I was just a child. I can remember numerous occasions that my friends' parents would take them out of school for vacation. The only reason my family did not do this is because my parents both work at a school, and they had limited vacation days and summers off, so summer vacation was the norm for us. But you should definitely do it. I agree with the person that said schools should promote family time.

[MandM521]

My son isn't in school yet, but I remember when I was in 3rd grade my parents took me out for a week. My teacher was very accomodating, even adjusting some homework assignments. I think my parents still have my "Disney journal" that my teacher required me to write. There are so many different ways to teach and learn that I don't think missing 1 week of school is going to be detrimental. Go and have fun!

[janice1234]

i have taken my kids to disney 3 times in early december. december 04 was our last disney december trip. my kids teachers were always very helpful in giving homework assignments. our last family december trip was awesome, but unfortunately my son did not make up all of his assignments(freshman h.s.) so needless to say we vacation now in august. i would recommend early december the parks are beautiful, and i am sure you will have a magical vacation. good luck in your decision.

[mommyceratops]

Do it! The best time to go to Disney is when school is in session. (less crowded!) We are taking my son out for a week in a couple weeks to go. His teacher didn't mind. He has to talk about his trip but he will do that anyway!

[MBW]

Eldest DD homeschools, but DS1 is 7 (2nd gr) and DS2 is in K. Because the boys have autism, I won't take them during the busiest times, as it would be a great deal harder for them with the crowds and long waits (even with a GAC.) So we go when it's less busy, generally in the fall. Unfortunately, we were moving the week we were scheduled to go in early December, so I just rescheduled for the week after President's week and before March vacations. Hopefully, it won't be too bad.

It really is so much more enjoyable when the attendance is low - last time we were there as a family was 9/13/01 - 9/19/01, and the park was nearly empty - even walked onto Dumbo. I don't imagine it will ever be that empty again, barring another major disaster (knock on wood.)

[pawsitivemom]

I'm taking my DS (14) out of school for at least a week and a day ....baybe 2 days. He is in gr 9....first year high school. My Nephew is coming too. He's in grade 7.

[javamom]

Well, I think that I am going to take all three of mine out of school. But I figure since we are planning to go the week before their Christmas vacation anyway, they can get any work they need to do (if any) and can do it when we get back home for Disney the next week when they are off anyhow.

[3kidsmommy]

I just had to respond to this post...although I would have NO problem at all taking my 3 out for vacation, their school really makes a point of tellign you that it will not be tolerated. My kids are not able to make up work if they are out for an unexcused abscense. This is a public school system in KY. A vacation is an unexcused abscense according to them. NOW...like other posters I have a son with autism. It would be so much easier on him to go during off times. However, because I would have to pull my 5th grader and 1st grader along with him, I can't chance it. So, we have to go during the first week of April---the kids spring break!

[Mommy Poppins]

I'm taking mine out from April 21 - May 6. They will miss 10 days of school. My DH has been deployed since October, 2004 and will return in the next few weeks. Our school district has a policy of five excused days for family vacation. So, my 4th grader and my 1st grader will each have 5 days of unexcused absences. We will get a nasty letter from the school district. I talked with the principal of the school and he said "GO!" The kids' teachers all say "GO!" They will have the kids make up only the work that is mandatory. They all believe that the kids need this time with their dad (we are also renewing our wedding vows on this trip).

Take your kids out of school and go on vacation. Bottom line is that they are YOUR kids. As someone who has been missing a big part of their family for a long time, family time is important and you never know when it might be taken away from you. Building a close relationship with your children when they are young, leads to better relationships as they get older.

Have a great time!

[Holly]

Nobody has the right to tell me how to parent. As long as I am not breaking any rules (ex., total days unexcused absence) then they need to mind their own business.

DS11 is in 6th grade this year. This is the first time that any teacher has commented about taking him out. Mind you they never said not to, she is just very passive aggressive & made a comment.

Schools need to promote & celebrate "family time". Particularly in this day & age when we are all always running off in opposite directions to one activity/job/etc. or another.No flames. Just my opinion.

::MinnieMo
I couldn't have said it better. ::yes::

[chop456]

I teach first grade and realize that parents need to do family activities at a time that is right for them. All I ask is that they let me know 2 weeks prior to leaving, so I can get some work for them to do.

My problem is that I have students who are out for 20-25 days - visiting family in Mexico. My 2nd student this year is leaving next week for a 25 day absence!

[Tinkerbellmom33]

That's too long! :rotfl:

We do it! I'll be doing it again in May. We make sure there's no state testing etc. and plan around that if we need to. We've been lucky so far and the teacher's haven't complained. They're both great students and make up all of their work when we get home. Education is important but so is the time that you spend with your family!! One of the other posters said it better than I am... :goodvibes

[TomD]

We tookour 2 girls out this past December and they had no problems catching up. My oldest had to do a paper and speech about what she did. We have her project hanging up since it has all the parks maps on it....lol

[cyndibelle]

this is my second time this year i am taking mine out and to go to disney again !!!! they have missed 6 days already for our last trip..but no other absences...this time they will miss three..i am waiting for the nasty note...got one the last time..and our school allows 5 missed days for vacation..now the rest will be unexcused...what does that mean unexcused...how does that reflect for them ?? they dont get to make up that school work or what ??? anyone know the answer to that ??

[2tinkersmom]

We're taking our two daughters (6th grader and 1st grader) out in Feb. and they will miss a total of five days of school. In our district, they are allowed five days for a family vacation, any time over that is considered an unexcused absence. They did already miss three days in the fall when we took a trip over Thanksgiving to see relatives we only see once every year or two. I don't know if we will get a letter for going over the unexcused days or not but as someone else says I am not looking for permission to plan our family time.

I couldn't agree more with the other posters about the time you spend with your family being even more important than missing a few days of school. There are way too many families that are totally falling apart right now because they see each other way too little.

We do not de-emphasize the importance of school to our girls by any means. We always contact teachers in advance and they will both be doing any work the teachers require of them. They are both good students and they love school. But my feeling is in 20 years what are they going to remember more.....five days in school or a wonderful vacation of memories with their family?

[HappyLawyer]

there is so much going on in the world right now we have no idea nor are we certain of anything. We go to fl every other year, i take my daughter out, and i don't care what anyone says, i taught school before and while we are on vacation i make sure she does work, families need to vacation and it is not always possible to go when school is out, if my life worked out that way fine, but it does not,

[WeLubDeeDub]

Personally, I teach kindergarten and I really see nothing wrong with a family vacation during the school year. I also know that teachers appreciate being told ahead of time so they can prep for your child's absence. There is nothing worse than being told that the child is out of state for a funeral and then they come back and spill the beans that they were really on vacation at WDW! ::MickeyMo The only homework that I require while the child is gone is that they have a good time and keep a trip journal that they can share with the class when they return. This way the kids have a good time and are still "working" on something while they are gone. Great project for a plane flight.
Also we are taking my DD out of Kinder next October for MNSSHP and I'm taking personal days so...maybe I'm a little biased. You don't have many years to do these things as a family.
I think all of those school districts that are taking a hard line on attendance are doing it because they have experienced family vacations that were 3 months long... totally different story! I've had this happen to me a few times over the last few years.
Anyhow, bottom line--I think that you should go for it.

[daisyduck123]

But my feeling is in 20 years what are they going to remember more.....five days in school or a wonderful vacation of memories with their family?


::yes::

[1of6]

I say GO, GO, GO!

We are taking our kids out in Feb. I'm not sure what our school districts policy is and frankly I don't care. My 3 kids all have perfect attendance for the year. My ds9 was mad when I told him the dates of our Disney trip. He doesn't want to miss school. :teeth:

I taught before my kids were born and I never had a problem with it. I never sent work with students other than spelling words. I wanted them to enjoy their time.

[Dina]

I think you should do it. I'm really on the fence. I used to teach high school, and I had kids that were taken out for Disney all of the time, and I never had any trouble with it-- at all. They were fine, made up the work-- no problem. I don't think there is anything wrong with it. I'm just afraid (and my oldest son is a little bit of a worrier-- like I am) that he'll worry about what he'll be missing and he won't have as good of a time as he might in the summer. Only because of his personality, I'm worried. But, you know your kids, and if you feel comfortable with it... you shoud definitely do it. Family time is so important. My other problem is my school district said absence for a vacation is an illegal absence (not even unexcused-- "illegal" is their wordking). I'm not sure if that's wording in their literature that is just meant to intimidate parents, or do you think we could really get into trouble. I would just take them out for 3 or 4 days. Well, it doesnt' sound like you have our troubles.... Do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mum4jenn]

When dd was in pre-k, kindergarten and 1st grade we took her out for a day or two only right before scheduled breaks just so we could get a head start. Last year when dd saw a couple of kids get awards for perfect attendance she decided that she wanted that award too so she has not missed any time at all this year(2nd grade). Also I work in a school and I would use those days as personal days but now that I am the manager I try not to miss.

As long as she has a goal for perfect attendance then I will help her with it.She almost took a day to go with her Dad on a trip this year but since most of her tests are on Fridays she decided not to miss the tests because they are not allowed to make up tests for unexcused absenses and she is in gifted classes and did not want any zeros on her averages.

Also our school system has lots of breaks so we just work around them. We have a fall break,thanksgiving,2 weeks at Christmas,MLK,Presidents break,spring break,easter break and school ends in May so there are lots of opportunities to go during unbusy times.

[camdensmom]

Playing the role of Devil's Advocate:

I have been a teacher (grades K, 1 and 2) for 8 years (though I am currently taking a yearlong maternity leave). While I value family and family time it can be very annoying when kids are pulled from school to go to Disney.

I personally put A LOT into my planning. Lessons spiral off of each other. Most lessons involve cooperative activity that involves peer interaction, classroom materials and manipulatives. To ask me to "put together a packet" of what a child will miss is both insulting and impossible. To say that "it's only a week" or that "missing a week of 1st/2nd/etc. grade won't have any effect" is not true. Sure when you look at the big picture of a child's academic career then one week in 2nd grade is not a big component, but missing a week can make for a VERY challenging marking period for that child. Anytime a child is absent it is a lot of extra work for the teacher. I will bend over backwards if a child is sick, has a death in the family or an emergency. However, if a child is pulled for a week for a vacation that could be taken at another time of the year then I simply compile the assignments that I can as we do them and the child is responsible for them when he/she returns. It's unfair to expect a teacher to conference with a parent to go over "missed work" that didn't need to be missed. It also teaches children that school is not valued as much as not having to wait in line for Space Mountain.

I had a student last year who was out for over a week for a trip to FL. The mother wrote me a note saying he would not be going to any theme parks and that the trip would be educational. He returned to school with an elaborate report on alligators that I didn't assign. While I applaud the attempt to make the trip educational this child missed a key portion of the math curriculum and his grade dropped from a B to a C that marking period because he wasn't able to catch up.

I just thought I would share a 'behind the scenes' look from the other side. FWIW, my parents pulled me out for a week each year. While I have fond memories of that family time, I would have had the same memories had we gone on a school vacation week. School is in session less than half a calendar year, if it is possible to plan accordingly it may be beneficial to do so.

[Pryncess'mom]

and we leave on Wednesday, Feb 15. Not only are youngest DD (2nd gr, missing 3 days) and oldest DS (freshman college, missing 2 days) coming, but I am taking 2 personal days. Family time is important, and school vacations do not always fit into DH work schedule.

Although I do agree with camdensmom, planning does take alot of time, and yes lessons are spiraled (current buzzword!! ;) ), I give work for the parents to do with the children that will cover the same topic. Yes, I know, I only teach Kindergarten, but learning is learning. I remember my first trip to the world in 1977, sitting each night in the hotel room doing my work. I was a freshman in high school and yes, I hated missing school, but it was DISNEY for pete's sake!! :teeth:

I say GO! Several years ago, our attendance officer's son was pulled out by his father for a trip to Disney. She had to document the time as unexcused. Oh well!

You are the one making the decisions for your children. Do not let the school scare you. Policies are there for the benefit and safety of the children, but you are your child's main teacher.

Have a great time!! I know we will!!

deb ::MinnieMo

[Amirah95]

I've done it many times. My DDs school and teachers didn't complain, told us to have a good time.

[Good Deeds]

We are taking are girls (7&11) out for a week. Luckily one of the days is a teacher in service day. Both the Elementary and Middle school teachers have been very supportive and have given me work ahead to complete with my girls. :) They just asked that we go over the lessons with the girls and help them if they need it.

This is a new school and I was very nervous about asking, but they have been very supportive and wished us a wonderful time. :flower3:

I think it has a lot to do with the relationship one has with the school...I'm "in there" all the time!!! ;)

[Margie]

Boy, do I understand how you feel!! This is the first time for us going to DW as a family. We have DS 15 and DD 11. My DH can't take off work from April untill late November as he is a project manager for construction. Up north, companies have to take advantage of the "construction season". We were going to do this last year, then fretted too much about taking them out of school. I felt horrible about doing it...BAD MOM and so on. This year we decided to pull the plug and just GO! It will be right after finals for DS, and DD has already done the standardized testing. DD is getting her advance homework done during recess at school. The school did send me a letter about absense/truancy and so on. It made me a little angry. DD was out of school the three days before Christmas because she DISLOCATED her kneecap!
To heck with it...JUST GO AND HAVE FUN.
Margie :earsgirl:

[cheerbop]

We took our 2nd grade son out for a week and the teacher was fine with it...she also has been teaching for over 30 years.

My hubby doesn't get vacations when school is off, EVER...so,
it is eiter take him out eery now and then or NEVER take a vacation.

Have a great trip :flower:

[cheerbop]

Playing the role of Devil's Advocate:

I have been a teacher (grades K, 1 and 2) for 8 years (though I am currently taking a yearlong maternity leave). While I value family and family time it can be very annoying when kids are pulled from school to go to Disney.

I personally put A LOT into my planning. Lessons spiral off of each other. Most lessons involve cooperative activity that involves peer interaction, classroom materials and manipulatives. To ask me to "put together a packet" of what a child will miss is both insulting and impossible. To say that "it's only a week" or that "missing a week of 1st/2nd/etc. grade won't have any effect" is not true. Sure when you look at the big picture of a child's academic career then one week in 2nd grade is not a big component, but missing a week can make for a VERY challenging marking period for that child. Anytime a child is absent it is a lot of extra work for the teacher. I will bend over backwards if a child is sick, has a death in the family or an emergency. However, if a child is pulled for a week for a vacation that could be taken at another time of the year then I simply compile the assignments that I can as we do them and the child is responsible for them when he/she returns. It's unfair to expect a teacher to conference with a parent to go over "missed work" that didn't need to be missed. It also teaches children that school is not valued as much as not having to wait in line for Space Mountain.

I had a student last year who was out for over a week for a trip to FL. The mother wrote me a note saying he would not be going to any theme parks and that the trip would be educational. He returned to school with an elaborate report on alligators that I didn't assign. While I applaud the attempt to make the trip educational this child missed a key portion of the math curriculum and his grade dropped from a B to a C that marking period because he wasn't able to catch up.

I just thought I would share a 'behind the scenes' look from the other side. FWIW, my parents pulled me out for a week each year. While I have fond memories of that family time, I would have had the same memories had we gone on a school vacation week. School is in session less than half a calendar year, if it is possible to plan accordingly it may be beneficial to do so.

I totally see your point and if we had a choice as to going when school is out, we WOULD go then, but my husband never gets off then, so we have to go during school or never.

I also just wanted to tell you I love your child's name :flower:
My DS who is amost 2 is named Camden.... ::yes::

[Dina]

Camdensmom, I do see your point. When I taught (9th and 12th grade social studies) I did alot of cooperative projects, and yeah the absence for the vacations is tough. But, I have to say, the kids were ok. It made my life harder more than anything, but I didn't have any kids that really significantly had a hard time catching up because they missed 3 or 4 days. And, I also had a hard time just pulling together material for kids to make up. But, some families really can't get away in the summer. My neighbor's husband owns his own landscaping business, and she won't pull her kids out of school. He can't go on vacation in the summer, so, he doesn't go on vacation with them. I think that stinks. They can't go anywhere that's a distance-- they can only go to the shore so, at least, now and then he can spend a day and then come home (we live an hour and a half from the Jersey shore-- I understand why she does it, but that kind of stinks) My husband is in construction-- summer is his busy time, its harder for him to get away in the summer-- we can do it, and we do, but he loses double the money in the summer if he goes away then he would in the winter because of all of the overtime he gets during the summer. Winter is our slow season.. Lots of families just can't get away during school breaks.

[LynnTH]

We were planning on going over my kids spring break (end of March) until I saw how many other people were off that same time and decided I really did not want to go when it was that busy. So, we are taking my kids (pre-K and 1st grader) out of school for 6 days. They both go to a private school. My son told his teacher he was going to Disney and she told him that she would get him is assignments early so that he would have time to do them at home before he left so that he did not have to worry about doing homework while on the trip. I thought that was very nice and will be very glad not to have to bring homework along. I don't feel bad at all about taking the kids out of school - but that may change as they get older and classes get harder to miss.

[diznyfanatic]

Some school districts in our area are experimenting with a "year round" school calendar. That's really not as ominous as it sounds. It basically means kids would go to school for 9 weeks and then are off three weeks, go back for 9 weeks and then have three weeks off... all year long. They would still get their winter, spring and summer breaks too but shortened a bit.

If my kids were still in school, I'd be an advocate for this. School systems haven't done a very good job of keeping up with the changing social and economic changes that many families experience such as both parents having to work, single parent households, etc.

The schools here are all getting out later and later and going back earlier and earlier anyway, so the traditional 3 month summer vacation that I was used to getting when I was a kid is now not much more than two months anyway.

Family time is much too limited as it is these days, particularly when both parents have to work and try to juggle their few allotted vacation days.

Many companies put a cap on how many people can be on vacation during certain times such as the holidays. Many people have jobs or own businesses, like landscaping, painting etc where their busiest seasons are when people are on vacation and so are unable to take time off at all during "normal" months.

Many people simply CAN'T take their vacations when every one else thinks they should. Are they just supposed to never vacation with their children?

[agnes!]

A lot of the attendance issues these days is because in the US, Federal funding is directly tied to the # of students actually in their seats daily. *That* IMO is why there are all these various measures in place, to insure that the individual school systems keeps their full allotment of funding.

agnes!

[SnowWhite33]

Many people simply CAN'T take their vacations when every one else thinks they should. Are they just supposed to never vacation with their children?

I completely agree with this. We own a construction business and have to "make hay while the sun shines," so to speak, and that is concentrated through the summer months. We tried going in July on our 1st trip and you wouldn't believe the mess we came back to. Since then we have went Oct/Nov and pulled ds from school. He will be in 6th grade this fall and we are planning on doing it again. Ultimately, he is OUR son, not the school's and we make sure that we keep his absence within the handbook rules. BTW, our son is an honor roll student and does not miss unless he is very ill (recently, he had strep throat). As for the teachers, we've had it split-some of them have been great and other's not so great. Take your kids to Disney, they will be more than ok.

[Amirah95]

I also took my DD out of school for a week to attend my great-grandmother's funeral this past September.

[ThreeMusketeers]

I say take her out as well. As long as she is doing well in school..I think that a family vacation is VERY VERY important.

[waltdisneyworlddreamer]

As a teacher and parent, I say go for it. We took our DS, 2nd grade, out in Nov. for 3 days and I also missed work for 3 days. I want my child to value their education but I also want them to value family. Remember, a few years from now it will not matter that they missed a few days of school but the memories of a family vacation will last a lifetime!!

[the Fidge]

I have to vacation with my family when my husbands company permits, which the Summer is their busiest time so we try to get as close to it as they permit!

With that being said, after taking those standardized tests who wouldn't need a vacation, bless thier little hearts!

I informed the school well in advance for them to compile a packet he would bring along. It was fun to take his picture doing his homework on the beach all the kids loved it and the teacher too!

For me vacations are the opportunties I am blessed to get to truly enjoy my family and see my son actually get to bend Dad's ear and hear them giggle! It is equally important I teach my family how to play as well as work!

Enojy your vacation and you will all be the better for it!!

[mum4jenn]

Do the schools up north EVER get time off other than summer??? Maybe if you don't you need to get a petition up with the school board for them to change the school calendar. Our school calendar is great!! For example... We begin school the first week of August.

We are off for Labor Day so that is a 3 day weekend.
We get three days off in October and with the weekend that is 5 days
We get 3 days off at Thanksgiving for a total of 5
We get a little over two weeks off at Christmas
A three day weekend for MLK
Two days off in February for a total of 4 days
A week at Spring Break(this year it is last week of March)
Two days off at Easter for a total of 4
We end the year the third week of May.

Is it because of all the snow days and such that you guys don't get time off like this??

I do understand the not being able to take certain times off though. Back in my early years of being in retail there were lots of times we were not allowed to take a vacation. And when I managed a restaurant there were other busy times we were not allowed to go either. Even when I worked at Publix they had certain times we could not go but that was when we did not have a child or she was not old enought o be in school so we took our vacations at off times and allowed the parents of school aged kids to take the prime times. Things are easier for us now since I work for the school system and have almost all the same days off as dd. My dh has to schedule his time off a year in advance so he looks at the school calendar and puts in for the time we have off. He has changed departments and it is a little harder for him to get the time off since a couple of other guys have kids in our school system but they usually work it out and take turns for the Spring break and such. Also I guess it helps that we are only 5 hours away so it is much easier to take a weekend trip.
If our dd was not trying so hard to get perfect attendance and if she was not in the gifted program we would probably miss a couple of days but since the schools do not allow make-ups for unexcused then we just go with the flow!!

[Amirah95]

My DDs school closes for Jewish holidays and for thosse horrid teacher conferences. Everytime I turn around there is no school for something. I'm up north and yes, the kids get time off (I'm speaking for Jersey).

[Mandy_in_NC]

We took our kids to WDW in Jan and they ended up missing 4 days of school and of course they were unexcused and after their 3rd day of missed school they sent out the nasty letter that our kids had 3 unexcused abscences. THere was a bunch of legal jargon in it but it basically said state law requires us to send this letter to you after the 3rd unexcused abscence and state law says that after 10 unexcused abscences they can and will turn you into the police and to the Dept of Social Services. WE knew that they were going to be unexcused but we are ok with that. My oldest dd is in the 2nd grade and my youngest dd is in the 1st grade so all they missed was some reviewing of the work that they had done up untill Christmas. The work was sent home to be done when we got back and we are working on it and will have it done and sent back this week. So I say as a parent who has taken their kids out of school to go to WDW DO IT! THe memories are priceless. And I will probably take them out again in a few years to go to WDW and I will not feel bad about it!

[1of6]

We live in Michigan and I have to say that the kids do get plenty of time off during the year. That said, it doesn't mean those days are the best for my family. For us it is more about the money that we can save going during value season. We simply can not afford to go during spring break.

We are raising 4 kids on 1 income and have never taken a family vacation that didn't involve a wedding or visiting relatives. And by visiting relatives I mean going to my in-law's house. We need a break.

I think the teachers have a very tough job. I was one, I know. But I also realize that my straight A 4th grader will be fine missing his 1st 5 days of school next month. My second grader will need more help to catch up but that is what I'll do...help her. My 4 year old will miss things that we can't make up but what he will gain from this trip will be worth it in my eyes.

I think that we as parents need to be responsible for our child's education. If our child is struggling, then missing school might not be in his/ her best interest. The bottom line is that it is a parent's decision.

For me, playing catch-up will be so worth it.

[Dina]

My DDs school closes for Jewish holidays and for thosse horrid teacher conferences. Everytime I turn around there is no school for something. I'm up north and yes, the kids get time off (I'm speaking for Jersey).

Unfortunately, Jersey isn't typical for most of the northeast. You guys get a whole week off for teachers conferences (Jersey Week)-- you're so lucky. Our school district in PA gets very very few days off, and the only instances where we have more than one consecutive day off is Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter-- and those weeks are just as busy as summer (and a little too expensive for us-- airfare is too expensive around Thanksgiving, and Christmas and Easter is Holiday season in WDW which I cant' really afford). Our school district doesn't have one day off for conferences-- they have the conferences during the second half of testing days (kids get out early)-- which the kids can't miss.

[thelionqueen]

Another vote, do it~

[Leah and Emily's mom]

My daughter is in 2nd grade. I hesitated to tell her teacher, but I told her that we were taking our DD for a Suprise Christmas vacation... She has taught for 30 years and said every child needs to go to Disney World. The teacher was very happy for us and everytime I went to school she would ask is it still a suprise. When my DD returned to school the teachers said they wanted to call us on vacation to see how excited our DD was when she found out she was going to Disney. I think regardless your teachers age- just tell her what your plans.

[RobInBigKC]

We take our DS's out of school but we do try to piggyback onto a school vacation of some sort. In January 2003, we piggybacked onto MLK Jr.'s birthday and took the kids out for 3 or 4 days. In 26 days (but who's counting), we're piggybacking onto President's Day and a teacher's in-service day and taking the kids out for 2.5 days.

Our youngest in school is in 2nd grade and our oldest is in 7th grade. I'm not sure what we'll do when the kids get into 9th grade (and above) and grades really start to count (i.e., come into play for college placement, scholarship awards, job hiring, etc.).

-- Rob

[cyndibelle]

so here is what my daughters teacher did...i sent notes to school in sealed envelopes for the teachers....and so teacher opens it and proceeds to ask chloe where she is going :scared1: ??? uhhhh hello..she doesnt know..then the teacher says..oh never mind i got confused..so i had to explain all that to chloe that she must have gotten her mixed up with someone else. :scared: ...soooo..yesterday the note comes home in chloes bookbag how valuable school time is and missed time ..blah blah blah..but the point is..it came home in her backpack with all her other papers...she handed it to me and said...mommy i am not sure what this is...thank god she didnt really take the time to read it..so once again..she is sitting there asking me what is it...and so i have to explain it is nothing and that it is just a note from the school ::yes:: ...soooo the secret is still in the bag...and hopefully we will have no more mess ups from the teachers!!!

[myladyisatramp]

Your children are only young for so long, enjoy it. I took my kids out of school for DW vacations and other vacations every year. Their teachers would give them a little work, just to do on plane to keep them busy, and the lessons they will learn by being with you and traveling will be as rewarding as their school work Go......

[emma'smom]

I would definitely take my child out. If a teacher makes a comment, remind him/her how many learning standards can be met in just one trip to Disney! My only thought would be to avoid going right before any standardized testing since the teachers may be specifically focusing on preparing for the tests right before they occur. Go right after to celebrate the fact that they are over!

[ksjayhawkfan]

We're doing it and I will be telling the school exactly what we are doing. I think its way over the top for a school or a state to be able to dictate what I do with my kids. My DH works for a doctor....we dont get many chances for vacation. This year the boss is taking off in September so thats when we get to take off.

[the Fidge]

Actually Because I Notify The School Well In Advance And Request The Packet And Explain My Hubby Can Only Get Off In The Spring, His Absence Is Entered As Excused To My Surprise!!

We Drive Through Each State And I Print Out Worksheets On Each State, And He Fills In The Info About Them And I Send Them In Along With Him.

There Is Plenty They Learn About Too While They Are On Vaction About Geography, Wildlife What Kinds Of Animals And Rivers And All Sorts Of Neat Stuff!!

My Job Is To Teach Him How To Live, Laugh And Love And Isn't That A Lesson Important To Know!!

Just Think About What They Will Learn At Epcot, Animal Kingdom And When I Went 10 Years Ago To Mgm They Had The Tour Where You Could See Behind The Glass They Folks Actaully Working On New Movies And Cartoons And I Think That Was Very Neat!!! Can't Wait For Him To See That If They Still Do That!!!:earsboy:


4/22/95 Offsite
4/2003 Offsite

:car: Headed To Disney 4/24- 4/30/2006

:jumping1:
:stitch:

[Mermaid4me]

I have been a teacher for 15 years. Last year I took my three sons (ages 10, 8, 3) out of school for 2 days. I am taking them out this year for 3 days. As a teacher I don't usually have a problem with a student missing a couple days- as long as assignments are made up and if excessive abscences are not an issue. As a parent, I think in the crazy busy world we live in that a few special "family days" in Disney can be a time for everyone to truly enjoy themselves as a family unit. Hope you have fun on your trip!!

Mermaid4me

[disneyfreak74]

We take DS out. He's in the first grade. Friday afternoon when I was looking through his journal there was a note to me from his teacher that she needed to get in touch with me about Disney. I was worried about us taking Ds out. Come to find out. . .she wants me to hook her up with DISCOUNTS!!

[michygoomy]

Ah, this is the very debate I've been having with myself in my head. Good to see it somewhere else.

We took DS out of school in first grade. They gave him a TON of homework, but DH was really smart and made him do it from the time he got home from school into the night before we left the next day. It was a few hours of sheer TORTURE for the guy, but it was well worth it when he only had a couple of hours of work during the week while we were gone. My niece, however, did not do that and every night was doing a couple hours of homework, when she really wanted to be in the pool.

Last vacation we went in August so as not to hassle with school.

This trip I was seriously considering taking them out again just to hit the less crowded times. After much debate (with myself!), I've decided not to. Reasons:
1.) We want to go 10 days, and that's a bit much to miss school, even working in weekends.
2.) My DS (7th grade) is now in a school that is not in our district, and only got in because his grades, standardized test scores and attendence was good enough. I love this school, and don't want to jepordize his place in it for a vacation.
3.) We need to start thinking about high school, and the best school in town has tough admission requirements. Just another reason not to place a risk on his grades or attendence records.
4.) My DD (4th grade) LOVES school! What kind of meanie would I be to take her out of something she loves so much! Last year, my youngest was very sick and we had to put her in a hospital 2 1/2 hours away for a week. My ILs kept the kids and wanted to bring them down to see the baby one day, and my DD put up a fuss because she didn't want to miss ONE DAY of school to visit her sick baby sister.
5.) I don't want the kids' vacation tainted by having to do any kind of school work at all while we are on vacation, not even for a few hours.

Enjoy it, whatever you do!

[mrs. magnolia]

Tks for all of the advice! I can't believe this thread has become so many pages. We are taking her out. I think I will let her teacher know a few weeks in advance. The good part is, we are leaving on a Monday. We come home on a Sunday. Sooo...my dd (8) will have all weekend before we leave to complete her assignments. Although I feel fine about my decision, I am a "peacemaker" and do dread telling the teacher..oh well! :)

[blessedby3]

We have taken our 3 kids out of school each time we go. DD15 is in 10th grade (public school), DS10 is in 5th (private Christian) and DD7 is in 1st (private Christian). Our oldest was also in the private school last time we went and I must say they are very aggreable to family time/vacations. Since she entered public school this was our first time taking her out and we had no problems except from her Honors English teacher. I just put it straight out to her, though. This is our DD, an honor student, she will make up the work and Im sorry if it is an inconvience to her (the teacher). She changed her tune and all went well. She made it seem like the world would come to an end if she missed a week, but I reassured her that things would be fine and DD would have everything to her that she would be missing. For our famliy it works better and is less stressful and more enjoyable to travel to Disney during an off time. We went the week after Thanksgiving this past Nov./Dec. so the kids got a very long vacation. Their regular Thanksgiving and another whole week. Things at Disney were VERY slow. This is our new favorite time to go. Do what is right for you family and things will fall back into place at school when you return if you decide to take them out. My 2 youngest had all their work done and turned in to the teacher before we even left. They just fell right back into their routine.

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Tks for all of the advice! I can't believe this thread has become so many pages. We are taking her out. I think I will let her teacher know a few weeks in advance. The good part is, we are leaving on a Monday. We come home on a Sunday. Sooo...my dd (8) will have all weekend before we leave to complete her assignments. Although I feel fine about my decision, I am a "peacemaker" and do dread telling the teacher..oh well! :)

I understand. But try not to dread talking to her... try to talk to her at a time that you actually have a few moments to speak and be sure to address the issue of any missed work- can she do it ahead of time? catch up when she gets back? See which the teacher prefers. Ask her if there is anything she'd like your DD to do while on the trip- journal? Or just write a paper about what she did to share with the class when she gets back? Or nothing? The teacher will probably be fine with it if you're leaving things up to her where she can suggest how she would prefer classwork to be handled or anything she'd like her to do since she's missing the days.

We've taken our kids out before. Years ago my oldest (the younger two not in school yet) missed 5 days at the beginning of school. Not a problem for her or her teachers. Then 2yrs ago my oldest two missed a week near Thanksgiving- again not a problem. Each teacher handled it differently and I left it up to them. My son in K the teacher just said go... he's ahead anyway and he needs to do nothing to keep up. My DD was in 4th grade and her teacher let her do the work ahead of time, and asked that she keep a journal during her trip so she could share with the class about her trip on her return (oh and she asked if we'd take her in our luggage as a stowaway :rotfl2: ). They both did journals (son just felt he had to do it too LOL) and they also brought their stuff from epcot/etc.

Now I will say it's up to the child and the school/etc. on taking kids out of school. For instance we had our cruise set for Feb 2005 and we postponed it to May 2006 (even though that meant waiting 3 yrs total for the cruise from the first time it was booked) because it was originally scheduled around a week break they had in FEb- but then they changed the school schedule to NO days off in feb. My oldest was in 5th grade (intermediate school) and now had a bazillion teachers (only a slight exaggeration LOL) and I just didn't want to deal with each teacher. The way it is here- it's up to the teacher. If even ONE didn't want to let her make up the work- she'd have zeros in that teacher's class and her grades would have suffered. She's a straight A student... didn't want to do that to her. HOWEVER, the new cruise is set for may 27th and we simply dreaded the idea of a cruise with a couple days at the park AFTERWARDS... so we're doing it before and leaving on the 25th. Now all 3 will miss the last 2 days of school- and we all know how little they do the last few days of school. LOL So I know they aren't missing anything.

Said all that just to say that each child, what grade they are in/etc, their teachers and the school district (primarily how they handle missing school like this) --are all different and you just have to take all that into consideration before deciding to take your child out for a vacation. As our children grow older- we feel less inclined to take them out of school for vacations. Just our personal choice. :)

[the Fidge]

DOn't think I could put it better myself, I am pretty sure you and your children will not have eraser duty or principle office time!!

Thank goodness schools have a much more understanding today than years gone by!!

God Bless and enjoy!!