When to tell the teacher?

[imgoingtodisney]

School starts for us Aug 29th. I am taking my 9yr son out of 4th grade Oct 5-14. He'll be missing 5 days. This is a new school for him this year. When should I tell his teacher? I was thinking the week before.

[disney09/2001]

We are going mid-Sept. and taking out DD for 5 days(2nd grade). I am planning to tell her teacher during orientation. Which is a couple of days before schools starts. That way she has plenty of time to give us "catch up work", if she chooses too.

[beattyfamily]

my DD starts Kindergarten this September 4 and I'm planning on telling her teacher about our December trip as soon as I meet her.

[BethC]

We've taken the kids out at least once every year, and I usually tell their teachers a couple of weeks in advance. Many times this has been during the school open house or a holiday celebration simply because those are the times I'm actually at the school. :)

Sometimes the teachers send work and other times they don't, but it does help to give them at least a couple of weeks notice if you can. I think if you tell them too far in advance they tend to forget, so you'll need to remind them. Also our school requires that you fill out a form if you're going to be away for any length of time - you might want to check into that.

Have fun!

[minnie mouse]

We are going in October as well. And my daughter will be in second year preschool.

I plan on telling her right when school starts just to let her know. And I'm sure I will have to remind her when the time comes closer.

[Barbruka]

School starts for us on the 28th of this month. We are going the last week of September, and I plan on telling both my son's teachers (3rd and 6th grade) at orientation a couple days before school starts. I will remind them again two weeks before. I am a little nervous about this whole thing as this is the first time I have taken them out of school for a trip to WDW.

[pentex]

The sooner the better. If orientation is on first day of school, tell her then; if not, send in a note.

Have a great time!

[Mimi Q]

The two times we took my DD out of school to go to WDW we told her teachers during orientation. They both sent work for her to do, but nothing overwhelming. I think teachers like to know as soon as possible.

[Jordan's MOM]

We are taking Ds(9) out for a week in January.We have not done this since Kindergarten and these sugestions are a big help.We started school this week and I plan to wait until the teacher sees that DS is a good student (which he is) and then bring up the subject at the 1st quarter conferene.On the same line, do you make your child do makeup work while at Disney or when they get back? Hope to get the work and do a lot before hand but don't know if this will be possible. Thanks
Jordan's Mom

[Joycemarie]

I think that you should give the teacher at least 2 weeks notice. you may want to "feel" the teacher out first since this is a new school for your son. Let him get a little orientated first , get a few weeks under his belt beforel etting the teacher know. Also the teacher has alot to do in the first few weeks and may not remember if told too soon. also notify the school before leaving that way they won't wonder about the absences.

[jlima]

For our trip in Nov 99, we told DS's kindergarten teacher 3 weeks prior. We lucked out in that we travelled the week of Veterans Day; and there was no school for Vets Day and also no school that Friday for a teacher's in-service day - so he only missed 3 days of school (& I only took 4 vacation days!).

We did have to reschedule a parent/teacher conference; but the teacher was quite flexible and just set it up for the week before. Also, the first day back she gave us the homework pack for the week he missed; and we turned it in at the end of that week with his regular homework.

Hope this helps!!

[shari2shop]

I taught second grade for 6 years before deciding to become a SAHM. My advice would be NOT to spring it in the teacher the first time you see her. More than likely she will being meeting so many people that at the end of the evening she will not remember who was going to Disney or when. Also it sends the message I can't wait to take my kid out of school. If it were me I'd ask for a short conference as soon as school starts, if you are going right after the start of school I'd do it before school starts. Tell the teacher that you know school is really important and you and your family had a hard time making the descision about whether to take your child out of school. But you and your husband decided that it was important for your family to have a family vacation (teachers love when parents are involved with their kids). YOu might want to add that you had to wait until after school started to get rates you could afford (teachers understand about being poor!). Don't act like you are asking for their permission to go. Matter of factly give them the dates and tell them that you will be more than happy to have the do the work that they miss. Then, a week or so before you go I'd send a reminder note so they have time to get work ready. If you act excited about the trip the teacher will see how important it is to you and your family.

Good luck!

[Barbruka]

Excellent advice! I plan to use every bit of it! Thanks a million!!!

Shari2shop: How is the best way to tell the teachers when your son is starting middle school and has 4-5 teachers?

[erinch]

in our school district, they allow up to 10 family vacation days per year.
But it must be accompanied by 2 weeks notice to the principal, or it is unexcused.

[shari2shop]

Barbruka ~ Telling 4 or 5 teachers is a little tougher. Instead of schedueling 5 conferences I would probably go to each teachers room one afternoon when you pick him up. On the proceeding Friday or Monday, you might send a note to the teachers saying you would like to visit with them for just a few minutes after school on Monday or Tuesday. (I would visit them on either a Monday or Tuesday because later in the week it always seems teachers are busier with meetings, next weeks lesson plans and such.)

I hope this helps
Shari

[dandelion]

Shari2Shop, love the advice, thank you.

My dd starts kindergarten on Sept. 5, she will miss 2 days in mid-October for our trip to WDW.

Do kindergarteners have make-up work? I'm half-kidding, but I really don't know. This is dd's 5th trip, and she does know she's going, just not exactly when. Maybe I shouldn't have told her so she doesn't "spill the beans" to the teacher before I get to talk to her. Our school has the parents very involved at the kdg level, so I hope to talk it over with the teacher a bit before the trip, but not on the first day or at orientation.

This is a whole new world (school days) for us. :p

[Barbruka]

To tell you the truth, I woudn't even sweat it until they are in the older grades. I have five children, ages 8 to 23, and up until middle school, most things can be made up very easily. Some teachers won't have you make it up at all. But about 5th or 6th grade and up is a whole different ball game. Kindergarten? I wouldn't even blink.

[shari2shop]

I just had another thought to add....

I would probably CALL the school and asked about their policy on family vacations during the school year. Or look through the handbook you get at the first of the school. I would not give any details on who you were or what kind of trip you were taking. That way you can get the facts on the requirements about missing school before you go and the school will not know who is going somewhere. If you know the policy before you talk to the teacher you will have an 'upper hand' if for some reson you get a negative teacher. Once you know the schools policy you can make sure your vacation fits the policy, like giving 2 weeks written notice, when makeup work has to be complete, who to tell (teacher and/or principal) ect.

Hope it helps!
Shari:cool:

[Jordan's MOM]

Kindergarten should not be a problem at all! My DS ended up missing a lot of school in kindergarten. We did a planed 5 day trip and then he had a very unplaned surgery and bad case of the flu.Two more weeks plus the days now and then that all kids are sick. Teacher NEVER asked him to make up anything.Most kids now know most of the kindergarten skills before they even get there. The time didn't hurt DS at all. Now a 3rd grade horror roll student.
Enjoy your trip.They will only be litte once!
Jordan's mom

[dandelion]

Jordan's Mom, I'm sure you mean HONOR roll, not horror roll. Gave me a :) this morning though.

I don't think we'll have any problem. In NY they're not required to be in school until they're 6 (she'll be not quite 5 when we take this trip), so it's not like they could "fail" her for missing too many days. I like Shari's suggestion about knowing the rules before we talk to the teacher though.

This will be a great trip. DD is old enough/tall enough to go on a lot of things now, and DS at 2 1/2 is getting over his fear of characters and loud noises. We've gone to our local amusement park often this summer so we have a better idea what still freaks him out and what he loves. He'll love all the parades.

[yesdisneyfool]

When we go this February, my daughter will be missing 2 days. We read in the school handbook that we need to complete the absent form at least one week before the absence.

[Jordan's MOM]

YES I ment honor roll. Glad to make anyone smile.After getting back to the homework routine this week it might be more like the Horror roll!Wish we were at Disney!
Jordan's Mom

[akghutton]

As an 8th grade teacher, who is currently on maturnity leave, I agree with Shari2shop, 2 weeks is a good amount of time for notice of a planned absence. I would add that it is important to stress to your son the importance of staying caught up with his work before leaving. That way his teacher will feel much more comfortable with him missing 5 days of school. I personally never minded when parents took their kids away during the school year, unless a student was way behind on work or struggling to pass the course. Also, I don't know about testing in Mass., but in NY standardized testing has gotten out of hand, and 4th grade is the first grade where the kids really get hit with it. Unfortunately it has put a tremendous amount of pressure on both our 4th grade teachers and students. If the scenario is similar, you may want to address that with your son's teacher as well. Otherwise, enjoy making magical memories with your son. My parents took me out of 3rd grade for a week to go to WDW, and it didn't stunt my learning. I believe most teachers realize this. :D

[TmnsnMD]

Our DS will be in the 6th grade this year and we are going in Oct/Nov. I wanted to make sure I gave all his teachers enough notice so I wrote a letter to the school (small private school) requesting a little time with each teacher when THEY aren't very busy. I also stated that his school work was very important to us and we would do whatever was necessary to complete all missed work or test. I hope this helps smooth the way when I meet each one. :)

[catwho]

Check your student hand book. Our school district insists that all family vacations where a child will miss more than 2 days of school have to be approved beforehand by the principal. Our school started last week and I sent a note to my kids' teachers the second day explaining that we were taking a trip in January (yep, 5 months away!) We explained to the teachers why we were going in January (dh has to be available 24/7 during hurricane season) and how we look at our Disney vacations as a "learning experience" I told the teachers that I would be more than willing to work with them on scheduling missed work so they don't fall behind. We do this every year and have yet to have a problem.

I'd tell them early so that it isn't a problem and maybe the teacher can work with you in preparing the kids for their big trip. Our girls have always written letters to their classes from WDW and sent postcards. It helps make the trip seem more special and includes the class. Afterwards, the kids take the pictures in and share what they learned on their vacations.

:earsgirl:

[campingcorgi]

As a First grade teacher, I agree with all these suggestions. Let me add, though, that you may not be able to get the 'make-up' work in advance. Many schools want this work sent home after an absence, and the teacher may not always know exactly what will be covered during your child's absence. A teacher's plans often have to be flexible.

Have fun!
Barbara

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

I had been planning our trip for about a year. At the end of the school year prior to our trip I mentioned to the school secretary that we we're going to WDW in Nov., and asked about the school's policy. Students were allowed one week of "unexcused" absence, including such vacations. She gave a me a form that the school district used, detailing the days the student would be absent and the educational value of the trip. When school started in the fall, I had DD turn it in. It had to be signed by the teacher and the principal and then a copy was mailed home. Teacher conferences were the same week as when we left for the trip and I reminded the teacher that we'd be on vacation and asked his class' policy on homework while we were away. He was well aware of the type of vacation we were taking and commented on the fact that DD probably wouldn't have time for it, but he sent some papers along anyway. We attempted to get a few done, because DD was having a problem completing assignments on a regular schedule and I wanted to enforce the importance of being responsible whether we were home or on vacation in WDW.