missing a week of school

[spedtchr]

I was wondering if your children were excused for one week of travel? Should I expect DD,6 to have to make up a bunch of work when we return?

 

[crisi]

Its really going to depend on your state, your district and your teacher. Tell them you are going. Ask if there is anything you can do to make it easier for the teacher and your DD - maybe she can do some worksheets or something during your travel time. Be prepared for the possibility that they don't have to excuse the absense and in some states can't excuse it for vacation.

 

[tiggersthebest]

It depends on state laws, travel is not excused where I teach, it is an unexcused absence. I would speak to the teacher AHEAD of time, having to make up work and do new work is harder than having to sit down for a couple hours before vacation and just get it done. With your daughter's age you need to find out if important new skills, letters, words are being introduced. Your child's teacher is the best resource (I teach 8th grade by the way and students that don't make up missed work from anything get zeros on that work, not sure about the younger grades but it's a good example to let your child know that their school work is always important even on vacation) Have a great vacation!

 

[tikkipoo]

We are allowed here. We have a form we have to submit to the principal and they sign and return it. I'm sure it is more difficult the higher the grade to play catch up. I intend on writing to the teacher and asking for her assignments ahead of time.

 

[jrjac]

I am not sure of the offical laws where we live, yet the teachers and principal and other staff were fabulous when we took our son out for a week last May to go on a cruise. I(He was in 2nd grade) In their opinion, the opportunity to travel is an incredible education in itself! We did have him read (he is a bookworm, anyway) and brought along a journal for him to write in each day. (To be honest, he was too tired most days to write!) Our teachers actually had the classes track our voyage. Very cool teachers & staff! Hope anyone taking their kids out of school for vacation will get the same response we got!

 

[*Fantasia*]

Because my children goes to a Catholic school, I know that they will be excused. The school they attend understands the value of "family time." But since my son will now be in 3rd grade and daugther 1st grade. I don't think I will be taking them out of school.. I took them out before, but that was only for 2 or 3 days and never a whole week.

They don't let the children make up during the vacation. The make up work is when you get back from vacation. My son told me to not ever take him out again during school days. He doesn't like piled up assignments. I don't blame him cause I know he get a little lost because he missed some class time.

Because they are in that level... I will not take them out again during school days. And because I am paying for their education, I don't want them to skip any school time. I want my money's worth.

 

[fgms]

We are going Nov. 23-27. I would have liked to have gone the beginning of November when it would have cost us less for airfare, but my children have also stated that they do not want to be taken out of school. My oldest has had perfect attendance for 3 years now. He makes straight A's, so I don't think it would harm him academically. I guess because we have put such a high value on schooling he has picked up the same attitude. Even though I could make it a less crowded and less costly trip I would never use that as justification for having them miss school unecessarily.

 

[MomofKatie]

DD was in 1st grade last year, and we pulled her out for 4 days for a combo Disney/family wedding trip. We had no problems with her teachers or principal. We got some of her work ahead of time to do, and she had some to do when she got back. She was also asked to make a journal of her vacation, which she did.

We are taking her out for 5 days this October for another Disnay trip- I have no problem with doing so. She is an excellent student, and I feel that time with family on vacation can be just as valuable as school.

DD will now pick out some smilies for your enjoyment:

 

[Nik's Mom]

We pulled our oldest ds out of school for one week, but he's only in kindergarten. He's autistic, so for us it is so important to go when it's not crowded. I told the school district at the beginning of the school year, and we did a vacation journal during our trip. I wrote down what we did for the day, and any educational aspects to the trip, and included pictures of ds doing things educational. Hands on learning is very important for him. His teachers were so impressed with the journal that they passed it around during a special ed teachers meeting. You wouldn't believe how many of them came up and asked about how they can go to WDW and if I could give details on our trip planning!
Fantasia, I always read on your signature that you did a cruise to honor what would be your 10th anniversary. You inspired me and dh to do our first ever cruise for our 10th anniversary in August 06.

 

[jrjac]

We pulled our oldest ds out of school for one week, but he's only in kindergarten. He's autistic, so for us it is so important to go when it's not crowded. I told the school district at the beginning of the school year, and we did a vacation journal during our trip. I wrote down what we did for the day, and any educational aspects to the trip, and included pictures of ds doing things educational. Hands on learning is very important for him. His teachers were so impressed with the journal that they passed it around during a special ed teachers meeting. You wouldn't believe how many of them came up and asked about how they can go to WDW and if I could give details on our trip planning!
Fantasia, I always read on your signature that you did a cruise to honor what would be your 10th anniversary. You inspired me and dh to do our first ever cruise for our 10th anniversary in August 06.

That's wonderful, Nik's Mom! Thanks for sharing that. You guys should be very proud of your journal! And have a fabulous cruise!!

 

[grlpwrd]

We have 3 school-aged kids (plus 2 littler one's) and I have pulled theolder one's out of school early, but not for the whole week. Definitely research your school district policy.

Fantasia, you all look like you had a great time. Any trip report to share?

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

I pulled DS out of school last year twice for vacations. Both times his teacher gave him the work assignments to do before the trip. This year, we are going to WDW in September, so he will be pulled out again. He also goes to a Catholic school, not sure if his new teacher will give the assignments prior to the trip or not.

 

[mom22boys]

It might be easier to miss a week of kindergarten. Another question would be is DD reading? If she is in first grade, you won't want to miss out on a whole week of reading. You'll definitely want to make reading a priority while you are on vacation, and try to continue the same exercises she would be doing in school. Also, like a previous poster said, I would be more concerned about the skills your DD will be missing, rather than the actual assignments.

That being said........Having taught second grade for 6 years before becoming a stay at home mom, I can tell you I was always supportive of familys who chose to go on vacation. Speak to your DD's teacher at least 2-3 weeks prior to your vacation. Teachers always have a lot on their plate, so it is best to give them plenty of notice. Ask specifically what skills your DD's class will be working on while she is gone. You might have fun working on the exact skills at WDW. If it is graphing, she could always make a graph of the animals she saw at AK. If it is map skills, she could be the navigator with the maps at the different parks. If it is money, have her count the change each time you purchase a snack. The opportunities are endless!

Have a magical vacation!

 

[luvmy2sams]

We pulled DD6 out of kindergarten for 3 days last year, and we'll be pulling her out for 6 days in January. DD attends a private Christian school so the absences won't be an issue. She's been reading since she was 4 and is working ahead of all her classmates, so the teachers haven't had an issue with these absences. If she was at a challenging stage in her education, then I would probably not pull my DD out for a week. I agree with the above posters who've mentioned that your DD's skill level should be the determining factor. With that said...I hope that your school district is accommodating for your vacation. Good luck!

 

[Figaro's friend]

As a teacher yourself, what do you think?

 

[deltachi8]

I agonized over this earlier this year and decided to do it. My DS (8 at the time) is ADHD and in special ed and I was worried about missed class time. However< I was pleasantly suprised. We had homework each night and he had assignements given by his teacher that went along with the vacation (i did not expect the teacher to do that). These included a writing journal describing each day, a transportation journal (how you got evrywhere) and I had him write a report wehen we retured on his favorite thing. (He chose the black rhino at AK).

ASK the teacher their opinion and then do whats best for your situation. Family time is so important and sometimes, this is the only way to do it.

 

[kizmac]

Depending on your school dist. policy. It is allowed in our district, not encouraged of course, and they suggest no more than a week, but they have really been great in approving our vacations. In all the years that I have pulled my kids out in Sept. I have only had one teacher give my daughter a hard time. Most teachers, gave very little work and were very laid back about what needed to be made up. Also, you should make sure that no achievement tests or some other assesment testing isn't going on that they would miss. Our school likes to have a two week notice and a form filled out that needs to be approved.