To all school age parents

[disneysailor]

One thing to take into consideration as far as requesting work ahead of time, is the burden it puts on the teacher. If you want work ahead, the teacher has to be sure the lesson plans are complete ahead of time, spend the time to write out all of the assignments for your child, copy off all the worksheets, etc. ahead of time, and then possibly spend time with your child after vacation for make up tests. It is easy for your child to not be in the same place as the rest of the class even having the work ahead of time because often the teacher can only tell on a day to day basis what the class will actually complete and where they will be ahead or behind for the next day. Some areas end up needing extra clarification or sometimes Johnny or Susie bring in birthday cupcakes so things don't get finished. Anyway, if a teacher has muliple students vacationing outside of the scheduled days off, you can see where this could be a real burden on the teacher. Just something to think about.

Travel is definately a form of personal growth for a child and a family as a whole. I have taken my children out when they were younger, but now that they are further along in school feel that it is not in their best interest, although obviously it puts a bigger financial strain on the vacation budget. Also, our school system really frowns on the practice and sends home a "nasty" note when you do pull your children out.

 

[videoman]

When reflecting on life I think these vacations are what would bring a smile to my face and a warmth to my heart; a cherished memory with my DD's and DH......taking them out of school to have this????? Not a big deal in my book! Only regret is that I can't afford to do it more!

 

[DSNY FN]

We request the work about a month in advance we do not expect to get it until the week we leave or the day we are to go. Our teachers get 3.5 hours out of the day to work on lesson plans and grade papers. Most of them only teach class for about 4 hours out of the day we are also not funded on students attendance in Canada most of our teachers are thrilled that we go on vacation to Disney every year and wish they could join us and not once have we had an issue with them. Well almost we had to keep asking for the work from DD's teacher this year her reason was she was to unorganized and couldn't remember what she had done with it. She had her do a trip journal and present it to the class when she returned. We drive to Florida when we go so DD gets to see lots of different things along the way which is educational and fun.

 

[Pixie Mom 3]

WE HOME SCHOOL............

I am soooo glad we home school we can vacation when ever....

However when the kids were in school I had no prob with the school or my concience taking them out for vac...

Only draw back for us is if we vac with fam during the scool year the hubby can not come because he is a SCHOOL TEACHER...

We LOVE home schooling you all should consider it...

 

[graygables]

Pixie Mom 3,
We homeschool, too, but with a virtual charter school, so our taxes still pay the tab *and* I get to direct $2100 per year per student in spending...take vacations when we want...love it!

 

[courtney]

We took 2 kids, 9 and 13, on a 7 day land/sea vacation last month, which worked out well... from Thursday to Thursday, with them only missing school on the first Thursday and Friday.

Next year, we're on the 14 day repositioning cruise CA to FL, and it may overlap the beginning of the school year (they don't announce the school calendar till the preceding March)... is it a bad thing if they miss the first day or two of school of a new year?

 

[goofygal1975]

My ds has missed school due to some medical problems and hospital and tests. Yet, when we are able to...i do take weekend trips (fri,sat, sun) and he will miss a day of school. When we cruise next year, he will be finishing 4th grade. He will miss the last 2-3 days of school. From past years, at this elementary age, i do not feel he will be missing anything other than watching movies and turning in his school books. I plan to talk to his teachers about it the begining of next school year to get it out in the open from the begining!!

 

[mbw12]

Originally posted by crisi
By the way, I just looked up the law for my home state, Minnesota. At seven unexcused absences in a year a school may report the child (and parent) to the family court system. They don't appear to be obligated to, although it appears different districts have different policies (some do automatically at seven unexcused absences).

Family vacations are great - and we intend on pulling our kids out (at least while they are little), but they aren't worth dealing with the family court system.

Its worth looking up the law for your state before you pull your kids. In some states, it appears to be as short as five days

wow....I didn't know that some states regulate this. It seem sa littel sad becasue, some people due to work circumstances can't take vacation time during school breaks.

Well, to be selfish...thank god our school district considers family vacations excused absences. I really don't know what I would do if they weren't....move maybe? (just kidding) But serioulsy, it makes you wonder where the line is drawn over who can and can't tell you what to do, ya know?

 

[mbw12]

Originally posted by CarolAnnC
Everyone has to decide for their own family what is the correct thing to do.

Very well said! In the end, that is what matters the most!

 

[MisterBubbles]

These posts have been so interesting to read. I have to make a few comments.

I am a school social worker in North Carolina. Let me emphasize that I am employed with the public school system, not CPS. Part of my job among many things is to work with families around attendance issues. It is state law in NC that all children between the ages of 7 and 16 attend school on a regular basis. More than 10 unexcused days from school is considered a violation of this law and is punishable by fine or jail time.

Now, while it seems harsh, there is a very good reason for that law to be there. Many people have said that parents should make their own decisions for their children. I agree with that completely. We also know as parents that we have great responsibility and that there are laws all around us that guide us in our every day lives. Is school any diferent? When I am working with families I am usually addressing so many more things than a Disney cruise that a family took. The schools deal with families who are homeless, dealing with substance abuse, domestic violence, etc. (Sorry for bumming people out here, but it is the reality). I don't know what the other states are doing, but in this state and in my department we take great care with the families we work with and are not just looking at having CPS take kids away. In fact, CPS doesn't even take cases because of poor attendance. They have more serious issues to tend to.

I have had several families who have taken trips to Disneyworld. It is state law that the schools inform the parent by mail if the student has been absent for more than 3 unexcused days, again at 6 unexcused days and at 10 unexcused days. After 6 days the case is given to me to discuss why the student is absent and if any special assistance is needed. We look at the child's academic success, possible end of grade tests (which are HIGHLY emphasized now thanks to No Child Left Behind) and any other issues impacting the student's functioning in school. If the kid is doing great and they are going to Florida for a week we ask that they notify the principal in advance and we will work to make some of the days excused if they can explain how it will be an educational trip. The school is very willing to work with families, but there is a limit and there really has to be.

Many, many families get very upset with the schools when their child fails, doesn'st pass an end of grade test and is below grade average. The schools, teachers and principals are held accountable for every child's education (as well as lots of other things too!). Trust me, we hear it when a child is not passing. Educating children is our job and we take it seriously.

I am in court tomorrow with families who have violated the school attendance law. Usually I am with them as their advocate. The judge tries hard to look at all that is going on with the student and often orders services to get the families the help they need. I am not out there chasing down people who have gone out on a week long cruise. Many of my court cases have 30, 40 , 50 unexcused days from school in addition to an equal number of excused absences.

Know that at least in this part of my state we value a child's education and we are working with families. We are not trying to take kids away from parents, we are not just making sure we are getting our state and federal funding or just trying to aggrivate parents. We work with each child's case individually and do what we can to make sure that child will be successful in school. This may seem like a harsh law, but we have to remember that laws are written for everyone and oftentimes it applies to people with circumstances that are different than our own.

 

[*Huey*]

I am a single mom and my DD8 is a special needs child. She has ADHD and receives special classroom accommodations to help her out. I recently booked a 7 day eastern for 4/30/05. For financial reasons, I needed to book atleast a year out, but decided that three weeks before school ended would be better for her than right after school began (when she wouldn't have gotten into the "groove" of what her class entails - it takes her a little time to adjust) With the Magic relocating that only left me the last eastern before it "shipped off" to CA.

Granted, I am worried about how she will react to all of the make up work, but because she already receives accommodations, I will definitely seek guidance from the teacher.

The way I look at the experience... One on one, stress-free Mommy time on the cruise. With travel time taking her to school and my work hours, we are away from home atleast 12 hours a day. Everyday life is stressfull for both of us. What we NEED is a FAMILY vacation (even if it is only the two of us!)

Plus it is a big surprise for her... a trip of a lifetime!

 

[Yankee914]

Sorry guys - I am a teacher and I think that it is NOT okay to pull your older kids out of school (say grades 6 and above). You would not believe how far behind my students fall when they are pulled out of school for a vacation. Some students even take the week AFTER another vacation week! After they return, it takes them a few days to settle in again -- it can really affect their performance in school. There are so many vacations during the school year (and summer vacations) that you can take advantage of. We used to take out kids out of school when they were in elementary school, but once they hit the middle school, forget it! We take them out a day here or there for long weekends, but that is rare.

 

[cotomom]

Here's a ??? for you...

Would you take your kids (grades K and 2) out for 2 weeks of school about a month before school is out

OR

Would you take your kids (now grades 1 and 3) out of the first week of school?

This is the hard one I'm grappling with.

I like the 1 week out vs. 2 weeks but the 1 week most likely is first week of school

(Just like courtney, we won't know for a while when school truly begins in 2005)

Any teachers have a preference of the above?

 

[PizzieDuster]

Here is my view - I have a a DD in preschool, a DS in 5th grade and a DS in 8th grade. We sailed last year a couple weeks after Easter vacation.... which messed up my DS13's 7th grade second trimesters grades. Mental Note to Self: Never take a vacation at the end of a trimester. When transcripts get sent to schools - the transcripts don't come with a tape stating "this grade isn't my real grade......because I went on vacation and then I took a make up test and I made all of the homework up......." So we rebooked at the beginning of the third trimester (cheaper fare) easier for him to keep up his grade point average......acceptance letters already out ....... and this is 8th grade! Did you say your daughter was in kindergarden? Take the vacation now and have a great fantastic time making wonderful family memories!

This is the last year our family will be taking a vacation during the school year.

I have no problem pulling my elementary children out - at the end of the year as long as their grades are above average and kept up with their grade point average all year - no disciplinary problems. They work so hard during the entire year - as do us parents in helping them achieve their goals. If they were struggling, I'd cancel. The reason we took trips during the school year - cheaper.

But now we can't afford to be cheap.

I have a h.s. freshman next year, and know that - I have enjoyed the cheaper fares while it lasted.... which makes this upcoming May 8, 2004 cruise much more relaxing. I don't know when the next special, long family vacation may be. Maybe we never can work it in the calendar to all be together at the same time. So we look at this trip like, "lets just enjoy this time right now" - my freshman will have so much work ahead of him, let him have fun and miss school now, because - he can. (But he signed a homework contract which he received from one of his classes tonight and already started on it!) He got into his college prep high school - with distinction (honors) which took a lot of hard work. They required 7th grade and 8th grade transcripts! (Yes, as you moms can understand, I am so proud of him.) He deserves this vacation as much as his parents do When he begins high school this upcoming fall, he can't be taking vacations during the school year the next 4 years - and the 4 years after that And the 3 years after that! Didn't you say your child was in kindergarden? My DD will be in K next fall also. So we will enjoy this kinda LAST "off season" trip. And we won't regret pulling the kids out of elementary school this last time either. Just my 2 cents.

To be honest, I've gotten more grief from the boy's baseball coaches then I did from the teachers and the school.

Now that would be a whole entire thread of it's own


Enjoy the time now, when you can take the family vacations. And remember when they get older if you plan any vacations during the school year....... pay attention to trimesters/semesters

 

[PizzieDuster]

sorry...double post!

 

[Alicia Gist]

I have two school age children. One daughter is 15 and in 9th grade. The other is in 1st grade. We had a cruise scheduled for the first week of summer vacation. The eldest has cheerleader pratice that week (8 hrs total). The prinicipal actually said she could not miss cheerleader practice without being removed from the squad. She could however miss the week of school before exams. It totally blows my mind. She will be missing a week and a day of school, but hey.... cheerleading must be more important. I wouldn't worry about what message as a parent you are sending your kids. I do worry about the message my daughter's school system is sending.

 

[val2001]

I would say o.k. for a child to miss 2 days, but an entire week seems a bit much. I seldom ever take an entire week off work--too much email and work to catch up.

 

[gottaluvdis]

Wow, this subject evokes lots of opinions and emotion. We just returned from a 3-night cruise (which was fabulous). Our daughter is 7 and in 1st grade. She only missed 1 day of school because we traveled mostly during her spring break. However, I took her out for 4 days last October as well for a vacation. She's the only grandchild of my in-laws, who live in Florida. My father in law cannot travel, so we go down there 2x/year to visit them and combine it with Disney. To our family this is extremely important, but since she's started public school this year, I've tried to time the absences to overlap school vacation periods as much as possible. NH school systems are funded on the local level primarily by property taxes. We are in the middle of a long, ongoing battle over inequity of funding (i.e., the richer towns have better school systems). Since we have no income or sales tax, the school funding has been an issue for as long as I can remember (and I've lived here over 30 years). That being said, I think we're in a different situation as far as schools not being paid for kids who are absent - it doesn't apply here. My daughter is very bright, is in 2 advanced classes in addition to her regular class, and she scored a perfect score on the recent reading assessment tests held in March. If she was struggling, I would not take her out of school. Each time she's been out, her teacher has sent home all the work books that they did while she was away, with the pages marked that she needed to complete. We make sure she promptly completes the work and returns it to school immediately. I also have friends who say that taking kids out of school from 9th -12th grade is nearly impossible and causes more problems than it's worth. I plan to take advantage of traveling with my daughter during pseudo "off-peak" times while she's elementary age and while my in-laws are around and able to enjoy her.

 

[jrabbit]

OK this is going to be a bit off topic and I'll be on my soapbox, but o well!!

Just reading these posts there seem to be at lest two constants...........1) We all seem to like to vacation together.......as a family. Basic "family value" 2) They all seem to be good "kids" and get good grades.........hmmmmm do you think that that is a coincidence?

As I've stated before, I believe that most teacher work hard at teaching our kids (and loving and caring for them too). BUT the teachers can't be sucessful teachers UNLESS the childrens parents are involved and make learning a priority (gotta be doing good in school in order to play sports or chearlead!). Teachers and schools are being penalized for poor student performance in local, state and federal standardized test because a lot of parents don't give a rip. Most of us on these boards seem to care an awful lot about our kids, and therefore will stress that they work at their schooling.

The feds, state and local school boards don't really care about my oldest son. He receives top marks in the standardized testing (once got an "acceptable" score in one area of one of the tests and was devistated for weeks). Since he's a bright kid, the regular curriculum doesn't keep him challenged, the teachers are working their butts off trying to keep the failing kids from failing. So the bulk of our school funding (and you can't cut it) for the "future" of the country is being spent on the low kids and the leaders of tomorrow are having to go it on their own.

Bottom line - before high school, taking the kids out of school shouldn't be an issue - Just Do It. WIth High school aged kids you will need to look closely at what and how they are doing, and NEVER let your vacation disrupt there sports practices/games or there'll be heck to pay.

 

[jrabbit]

NH school systems are funded on the local level primarily by property taxes. We are in the middle of a long, ongoing battle over inequity of funding (i.e., the richer towns have better school systems). Since we have no income or sales tax, the school funding has been an issue for as long as I can remember

DON'T WORK TOWARDS "EQUITABLE FUNDING"!! THE STATE TAKES CONTROL AND YOU AT THE LOCAL LEVEL WILL LOOSE CONTROL. IT'S BETTER TO HAVE LESS FUNDING AND A SAY IN HOW IT'S SPENT.