How to choose when to go...

[daisy2jae]

I'm sure this has been talked about numerous times....
We're going to WDW in 2011 with my DH's family (parents and his brothers family w/2 kids). We start school the end of August 2011. Semester tests start the second week in December. I need to get an apx time figured out so the rest of the family can start planning. We can't figure out when to go. We want low crowds so we can enjoy. We also would like it to be nice weather so we're not soaked with sweat. We'll have 6 adults, 11, 9,6,5,4. I wanted to go the week after Thanksgiving. However my DD 11 struggles with school. During that time is when the quarter is coming to an end and it's beginning of semester tests. My DH's aunt is the principle at our middle school. She said she understands we need to go during a time we can save money. However she'd like to see us go at a safer time for our daughter with school. She doesn't think it's a good idea to pull kids out ever but she does understand we have to consider the costs. She said September would be the best time to go since the first 4-6 weeks are review of the previous year. We want to go for 10-14 days so they'll miss a lot of school. (Something I usually don't do...1 or 2 days but this is a lot) Summer is hot and crowded. January/February I won't have the money ready year. The earliest I could be ready would be May.
Has anyone been in a similar situation? Teacher opinions? Anyone taken a trip during school and how did you pick the dates?
I know it's too early to book a trip or know the prices but I have to figure out a time frame to give to family.

[Racknack]

The only way I would advise taking kids out of school to visit WDW is if I felt like the school was doing a very poor job of teaching, and that they would learn more at Disney World.

Karnak

[wmharley]

why not January 2012?

[Praying Colonel]

Originally Posted by daisy2jae

I'm sure this has been talked about numerous times....
We're going to WDW in 2011 with my DH's family (parents and his brothers family w/2 kids). We start school the end of August 2011. Semester tests start the second week in December. I need to get an apx time figured out so the rest of the family can start planning. We can't figure out when to go. We want low crowds so we can enjoy. We also would like it to be nice weather so we're not soaked with sweat. We'll have 6 adults, 11, 9,6,5,4. I wanted to go the week after Thanksgiving. However my DD 11 struggles with school. During that time is when the quarter is coming to an end and it's beginning of semester tests. My DH's aunt is the principle at our middle school. She said she understands we need to go during a time we can save money. However she'd like to see us go at a safer time for our daughter with school. She doesn't think it's a good idea to pull kids out ever but she does understand we have to consider the costs. She said September would be the best time to go since the first 4-6 weeks are review of the previous year. We want to go for 10-14 days so they'll miss a lot of school. (Something I usually don't do...1 or 2 days but this is a lot) Summer is hot and crowded. January/February I won't have the money ready year. The earliest I could be ready would be May.
Has anyone been in a similar situation? Teacher opinions? Anyone taken a trip during school and how did you pick the dates?
I know it's too early to book a trip or know the prices but I have to figure out a time frame to give to family.

Um, yep, this has been kicked around once or twice.

We're taking a trip Thanksgiving week, which means DD and DS will miss 2 days of classes. It's not going to impact their coursework or their grades, and their teachers know ahead of time and are fine with it. If either of the kids were struggling as you say your daughter is, we wouldn't do it.

[daisy2jae]

We have a great school. We're just trying to figure out a time we could go with low heat, low crowds, and least costs involved. My brother in law has CF and can't walk much. He is very ill and this is our last possible trip before he passes. If he makes it till then. He's not doing well as of right now. That's another reason we need to go at a low heat/low crowd time. My DH has leukemia and doesn't do well with heat either. I know Orlando is always warm but there are better times than others to go.

[jb01]

I said yes. Just make sure you get some the the work she will miss from her teacher and set aside some time during you stay to do the work.

[avic77]

We homeschool now so it is not an issue for us any more BUT last visit we picked the week of a local holiday (Mardi Gras) and the kids only missed 2 official school days. Maybe you can find a teacher workday that will fit in the schedual so that they will miss LESS school then they would otherwise.

[Melissa<3Disney]

Hi!! We are going in Sept. 2010. We are working it out so we go labor day weekend until the weekend following. My brother who will be 13 at the time will miss 4 days of school. We went back and fourth and decided that it would be the best time for the other 10 of us to go. School starts late August for them as well. We figured it better that he miss school more towards the start of school than at a crucial time. With that being said, my brother is a very good student and in all the AP classes offered. And we are the homework nazis so he def. won't be slacking with his work when he comes back! Only you can decide what is best for your kids. I would say try and schedule around a holiday.. although it might be busier, they will miss less school this way...We are spending 9 days at Disney and my brother is only missing 4 days!! I hope this helps!! Good luck and have fun!!!

[Micca]

I have defended taking kids out of school for WDW trips many times here. In this case I don't think I can do that. 10-14 days is a long trip, and with your DD already struggling that sounds like a recipe for trouble.

Any chance you could go for 3-4 days?

[ajpa]

We take the kids out of school. But they only so far miss at the most 1 week. (Last time it was only 3 days because we went during parent-teacher conferences).
I tell the teachers ahead of time and ask for makeup work to bring with us. However, both my kids do very well in school, so the teachers never express any anxiety about them missing a week.
If they were struggling I would probably not, and definitely not 2 weeks.

If you go in Sept like your Aunt-in-law suggests you will probably be able to get free dining, which will save even more money. It will be hot though.

ETA -- just saw your post about your BIL & DH's health. How about after the school tests in Dec?

[BLTtinkerbell]

I did let my children miss 3 days of school for a WDW trip once because other family members were going & it was a mini family reunion. I did contact the schools first to make sure it would be ok. My children do well in school & don't miss many days. At the time, two of my children were in middle school & had to make up all the missed work within a short period of time when we returned. We did have a great time, nice weather, low crowds, all you could really ask for, however, my older children said they never want to miss school again for a trip. They felt it was too much work.

You mentioned your DD struggles with school, so I'm not sure how easy it would be for her to miss so much school. Would she be able to get the work ahead of time?

Is there a time when your school is closed for a few days? When we took them out of school for 3 days, they had 2 days off that week. Sometimes we have a Friday & Monday off.

Good luck.

[GovieMom]

There's no way I'd pull stellar kids out of school for that long, let alone one who's struggling. I'd suggest going as soon as school lets out; the heat then shouldn't be quite as bad as it is in September.

[itchin2go]

We have taken our daughter out of school for the past couple of years. Of note: It's usually for only 4 or 5 days, and my daughter isn't having any academic problems.

The school has had ZERO problems with it so far. I always ask the teacher how she would like us to handle the make-up work. Last year, the teacher let us "make-up" the work in advance, so my daughter didn't have to do any catch-up at all when we returned. It went off without a hitch.

We always go in January because of the temperate weather, low crowds and low prices. It gives us something to look forward to after the holidays. We go around MLK day or some other day that my daughter's school is out, so we minimize the time she's out of school.

[Pixiedust34]

Originally Posted by Micca

I have defended taking kids out of school for WDW trips many times here. In this case I don't think I can do that. 10-14 days is a long trip, and with your DD already struggling that sounds like a recipe for trouble.

Any chance you could go for 3-4 days?

I agree. That sounds like a lot of school days being missed, and with an older struggling student (in middle school?) I'd hesitate to go during the school year. JMHO.

[drp4video]

I also think that 10-14 days of missed school is a lot. When my daughter was younger, second grade, we took her out for a week to go to the Grand Canyon and got all of her work.

I would suggest checking the school calendar and see if you can find some days when the kids don't have school that aren't around a holiday and taking them out then. Perhaps labor day weekend leaving the friday before labor day, which would be a little crowded), but then staying the week, and if you tack on the weekend after you get 10 days and your daughter only misses 4 or 5 days of school, depending when she goes back after summer.

Or like was said, look for a time when she has a friday or monday off of school, and then go that week, and the weekend before and after. Then she only misses 4 days. I think the weather is better in October, March, April (watch out for Easter) or May. Kids usually get a day or two off during those months for something. I remember when mine was in public school, it seems she was aways off for something!