12/16/06 10-day holiday cruise Part 3

[3pirates]

Apparently parents weren't as brilliant as child--couldn't remember appointment!

Now see, I never tried that angle. My son has felt like he didn't need to do his homework since 3rd grade --we kept showing him what it did to his grades, but he still often decided it was worth it--even the subsequent grounding. I never thought about telling the teacher she shouldn't be giving it....hmmmmm....I'm thinking changing all teachers might be easier. JK No matter how brilliant, adorable and perfect he is, sometimes he just has to do what he is supposed to.

And as for taking him out for three weeks, I'd be working with the authorities. Because some areas of Georgia have such awful rankings, there are laws about these things. We have to provide notes from the doctor when we take them to an appointment! (Can't trust us parents, you know.) Our area has great schools, but the laws are set for the lowest common denominator so creates a lot of busywork for the rest of us! The people that want to take extended vacation have to home school (and plenty do.)

 

[magiroux]

Good Morning oops, Afternoon

Bad parent checking in...I am taking Julia out for a full week of school for this trip

 

[3pirates]

Good Morning oops, Afternoon

Bad parent checking in...I am taking Julia out for a full week of school for this trip

I've heard (from friends that live there) that it isn't such a big deal in Mass. I've taken mine out for most of a week twice--both when they were younger. The Georgia laws have gotten tougher, and as the kids get older the impact of a test they can't make up is a bigger deal. AND, the big stick when they go get their driver's license they have to have a thing from the school saying their attendance is up to par. I don't know if a week out would deny the license, but three definitely would! Our doctor said he had a mother try to get him to falsify a long term illness so she could have her child out of school for a few weeks with no consequence.

 

["Got Disney"]

Howdy all,
I will be taking my boys out also for 1 week. Not concerned about Elementary but hate taking my 7th grader out. With 6 teachers and 6 different subjects there is a lot to miss.
I have talked to the teachers and they said that because it is the week before christmas things slow down.
I love all the teachers we have except one..the new math teacher. She taught 4th grade last year and is know teaching a 7th grade GATE(gifted and Talented education) class. All straight "A" students that are struggling with her.
The whole class has been moved up into Algebra(not pre Algebara) they did pre last year...and she is having trouble with the text book she said.
The kids are so boared . I call or e-mail her and get no response and so many other things...long story. I like her but she has lost the students.

Like any job there are good teachers and not so good ones. Love all the other ones he has...they are great!!!!

 

[Thistle]

I'm a bad parent too. She'll be missing 4 days of school. But I've kept her missing down for frivilous things so far. The "I just don't feel like going to school" isn't happening this year. If it wasn't happening right before a 3 week holiday I doubt I would do it.

We have the same rules here, they don't accept anything for an excuse except a note from a dr. Once I found that out I stopped writing notes. They never ask where the child has been anyway. Seems not a good way to kept track of kids with all of the awful things going on.

 

[magiroux]

I've heard (from friends that live there) that it isn't such a big deal in Mass. I've taken mine out for most of a week twice--both when they were younger. The Georgia laws have gotten tougher, and as the kids get older the impact of a test they can't make up is a bigger deal. AND, the big stick when they go get their driver's license they have to have a thing from the school saying their attendance is up to par. I don't know if a week out would deny the license, but three definitely would! Our doctor said he had a mother try to get him to falsify a long term illness so she could have her child out of school for a few weeks with no consequence.

It varies from community to comminuty. They are getting more strict here because of the test scores. We are allowed 7 non-excused absenses. I have a meeting Nov 2nd and I plan on feeling the teacher out then. She has an "old-school" teacher this year so it's hard to say how it will go over. Fact is, the week before Christmas has always been a pretty laid back week - little or no homework, no testing..stuff like that. I do think this is the last year I will take her out of school for vactions though. Honestly, we toyed around with cancelling this year because of the lousy dates. In fact, I don't think this cruise is sold out and I think the odd dates has something to do with it.

 

[Thistle]

It varies from community to comminuty. They are getting more strict here because of the test scores. We are allowed 7 non-excused absenses.

Wow, we must be lax, we get a whole 9 absenses.

 

[magiroux]

Wow, we must be lax, we get a whole 9 absenses.

Actually, in 2004 for the 10 cruise, she also missed a week. Well, with all the sick days she took she did end up with 9 days out. Towards the end of the school year I ended up getting a nasty warning letter that I was in violation of state law. Got a little nervous, but nothing ever came of it.

So far this year she has not gotten sick. My rule is - no fever, no vomiting - get your butt on the bus

 

["Got Disney"]

If not going to WDW week before cruise my kids would miss 1 day of school...off December 15 till January 3. Tryed to go to WDW after cruise so not to miss any school but could not get a flight back...except unless wanted to pay like 900.00 a person or took a 10 or more hr flight. Hard after christmas or New Years to get flight.

But life cant always be about work or school either...you never know what could happen and if you did not take that family vacation you could turn around and say"Why did we not take it". We lost another friend to Cancer and they did many family vacations even taking there kids out of school and know they have all those wonderfull memories and ther kids are just fine in there education even after miising may days a year to cruise disney.

They did anywhere to 2 -3 Disney cruises a year. Wonderful pictures all over the house,makes me smile when I see them.

 

[yargrnhoj]

Fact is, the week before Christmas has always been a pretty laid back week - little or no homework, no testing..stuff like that. I do think this is the last year I will take her out of school for vactions though. Honestly, we toyed around with cancelling this year because of the lousy dates. In fact, I don't think this cruise is sold out and I think the odd dates has something to do with it.

We considered cancelling when we saw the school schedule too. Not sure how our kids' teachers will handle them missing a week. But I decided that since the SD chose to have the kids be off the entire first week of January, messing with my work schedule, they'll have to deal with the kids missing a week of school.

This will be the first time we've pulled them out of school in a long time and probably the last. It is getting harder for them to make it up and with 'no child left behind', schools are getting stricter. (Of course, they are not making sure the kids are learning any better, just making sure they advance...)

 

[magiroux]

J.R. - How old are your kids?

 

["Got Disney"]

Actually, in 2004 for the 10 cruise, she also missed a week. Well, with all the sick days she took she did end up with 9 days out. Towards the end of the school year I ended up getting a nasty warning letter that I was in violation of state law. Got a little nervous, but nothing ever came of it.

So far this year she has not gotten sick. My rule is - no fever, no vomiting - get your butt on the bus

WOW...we took our kids out for 2 weeks for the Panama Canal cruise and we just had to bring homework with us... both were in Elementary school at the time. Same with this time they will need to bring there homework with us and other studies. The Teachers give that out so they will be fair.
We do as much as we can on the plane there,our return flight and finish up when we get home on the 26th.
Branden missed 5 days last year due to an injury..never got sick and was not late once.
Michael was late 3 times and missed no school.

 

[KSDTink]

I don't have a problem with one week, it is the three weeks I was commenting on! And it does depend on the system. Around here they gripe if you miss too many days without a doctor's note too. Fortunately the 15th is the last day of school before the holidays so Samantha isn't going to miss any but if we were in the next town over she would have to go for another week! Silly, isn't it? You'd think they'd make it uniform or something.

There are a LOT of people around her who homeschool, though I think mostly it is for religious reasons. The Church of God is big in one of the nearby communities and they are very strong on homeschooling.

 

["Got Disney"]

"No thank you" for home schooling, I love my kids but I also like them gone for the day!!

I stay on top of there education though by staying so involved with the schools and there teachers and staying ontop of the kids and what is requiered of them.

 

[yargrnhoj]

J.R. - How old are your kids?

almost-13, 10, 4

 

[magiroux]

And now for something completely different.......

I think now I have seen it all - I was reading the "Families Forum" and someone came on to tell the story how she had gotten busted lifting Alien Green Mickey Head samples from HD . You, know - meant to be a light hearted, funny kind of story. Don't you know, people come along telling her she's stealing, bad example for her kids, what if some comes looking for a sample to paint their room and it ain't there 'cause you stole them all, blah, blah, blah. Are ya kidding me????? Man, some people are just wound too tight .

Guess I'm getting the bad parent award - AGAIN (she says in her Forest Gump impression), since I have swiped an Alien Green Mickey once or twice myself.

 

[tink&cinderella]

I am taking my kids out from Dec 5 onward and they will be missing 2 weeks of school - actually a little more. DD teacher is letting her practice and write her spelling tests ahead of time - one on Friday with the rest of the class and one on Monday to work ahead, so she won't be behind. Doing some of the same stuff for math etc.

Teachers and the principal have been very supportive and encouraging about our trip. They have only voiced concern that I won't be in the school to help with the Christmas activities etc.

I would hate to have the pressure of having to deal with the issue of school when it comes to a trip like this one.

Hope you are all well.

Denise

 

[magiroux]

almost-13, 10, 4

Yep, the older ones are at that tough age to pull them out.

 

[xsjackson]

okay - I openned a can of worms . In elementary school I think vacations with family are extremely important. I even took my kids out of school last year from thanksgiving cruise 3 day and 10 days at WDW family reunion. My high schooler was panicked and really had to bust her butt to mantain her 4.0 (In fact she could not but only semester counted). She faxed homework to school everyday from POrt Orleans and picked up on the computer all assignmetns. Teachers would not take them late. Teachers here are really strict in high school.

My then 7th grader's teachers didn't let him make up anything and would not give him work ahead of time. I got so frustraed that his grades had dropped to 'D's' and 'F's' and it was at the trimester break - no make up time. I moved him to the Junior High I go to.

I always provide work for students but school policy is that they will recieve it when they get back and if its the end of a qtr - life's tough. I believe family time is important but I also believe school is a kid's 'job'. And I can't just leave my job.

We will only miss one day of school - and soo many kids miss the 15th that we don't do anything too taxing. The reason we are missing that day is purely selfish - red eyes are bad for me!!!!! So we are flying all day 15th to Florida.

 

[KSDTink]

Sounds like this is another one of those debate topics . We all have our own opinions on this issue, some colored by what our local school boards require, etc. I believe family vacation time is important but I also believe that school is important so I try to schedule the vacation time outside of school time, but that is just me. I know a lot of people don't do that and that is fine too, I just don't choose to do that.

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