Help with school note/advice

[pixeemom]

I hope I have the right subforum.

We are leaving this coming saturday for DW, first time ever for me taking my kids out of school and I am so upset over this that I was contemplating cancelling the trip.
I need some advice please!!!
My kids have off on Monday and Wednesday so they are tech. missing just 3 days of school. My plan was to just call them out on tue/thurs/friday, but my friend told me that when she went to disney last sept. during the holidays she wrote the core teachers a note saying that they will be away for the week and would like to know if there is any work that can be given ahead of time, etc etc. just to show we are being proactive....
my oldest is in her first year of HS
and I have two middle schoolers and a 4th grader......
if someone can please help me calm my nerves so we can actually have a good time and give any advice i would be greatly appreciative .

TIA
Danielle

 

[Klayfish]

Write a note saying you will be in Disney World for a planned family trip. It won't be an issue at all. Not sure what area you're from, but around here (Atlanta), it's extremely common. In fact, in our elementary school, the teachers will jokingly ask the kids who is going to WDW when there is a bit of a school break.

If you're that concerned about disclosing where you're going, there's no need to. You can simply write that you're going out of town. They don't need to know where your kids are going to be.

Nothing wrong with asking for any work the kids will be missing.

Relax, it'll all be fine. You aren't the first to do it, and won't be the last. Enjoy the trip!!!

 

[sam_gordon]

Personally, I disagree with taking kids out of school for a vacation. That's another issue though.

Second, I think you are way late in notifying teachers if you want to get the work in advance. Here's what I'd write:

To whom it may concern,

Johnny will be out of school on Tuesday (insert date), Thursday and Friday (insert dates). If possible, please send work home with them on Friday (insert date) or earlier. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Sincerely,
Your name

And let the chips fall where they may.

 

[mjkacmom]

The only time I've taken a high school student out of school was for trips to Europe. In those cases, my child gives a letter to each teacher (from them, not me!), explaining the situation, giving the dates, and asking, if possible, if they could gets the heads up on work they will be missing, and their willingness to make up everything missed (a few weeks before the trip). A week or so before the trip, they send emails to all of the teachers. It's hard, it's a LOT of work, but it usually gets finished a week after the trip.

Dd15 and dd13 are missing a week of school next month to go to Belfast. Thanks for the reminder - they'll get started on their letters!

I did take all of them out of elementary for a few days in WDW. In that case, I contacted the teachers myself a month ahead of time, and then the week before. Some gave work to take, some let them make it up when we got back.

 

[Nayan]

I would have notified the school much earlier. I would check your schools policy as some areas do not excuse vacation as a reason to miss school. I would not pull my kid out, especially a high schooler.

 

[mjkacmom]

Write a note saying you will be in Disney World for a planned family trip. It won't be an issue at all. Not sure what area you're from, but around here (Atlanta), it's extremely common. In fact, in our elementary school, the teachers will jokingly ask the kids who is going to WDW when there is a bit of a school break.

If you're that concerned about disclosing where you're going, there's no need to. You can simply write that you're going out of town. They don't need to know where your kids are going to be.

Nothing wrong with asking for any work the kids will be missing.

Relax, it'll all be fine. You aren't the first to do it, and won't be the last. Enjoy the trip!!!

Really? Here it's very rare for parents to take kids out of high school for vacations. Dd15 missed 10 days last year (5 and 5, different seasons, not a vacation, dance competition, months apart), and it was really tough, even doing a lot of work in Ireland, wifi at the hotel. She ended up with a B+ in English, had a huge paper due. It was worth it for the experience.

 

[Southernmiss]

Also not a fan of pulling kids out for vacation, it was hard to pull all 4 of mine out (2 elementary, 1 middle and one high schooler at the time in 2011 ) for 3 days for their grandfather's funeral out of town. But for that occasion, I had no regrets.

I think a basic note as mentioned upthread is fine.

 

[pixeemom]

Personally, I disagree with taking kids out of school for a vacation. That's another issue though.

Second, I think you are way late in notifying teachers if you want to get the work in advance. Here's what I'd write:

To whom it may concern,

Johnny will be out of school on Tuesday (insert date), Thursday and Friday (insert dates). If possible, please send work home with them on Friday (insert date) or earlier. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Sincerely,
Your name

And let the chips fall where they may.

you're right, all this time I had it in the back of my head I was going to call them out, but I will try and see what happens, its too late now

 

[pixeemom]

Also not a fan of pulling kids out for vacation, it was hard to pull all 4 of mine out (2 elementary, 1 middle and one high schooler at the time in 2011 ) for 3 days for their grandfather's funeral out of town. But for that occasion, I had no regrets.

I think a basic note as mentioned upthread is fine.

trust me I am not a huge fan of it either but this was the only way we can get to experience disney during halloween time w/out missing a full week of school

 

[SirDuff]

At this point I think asking the teacher to prepare work for you child/children is asking rather a lot. I'd just write a note of the absences. Your older kids are old enough to organize getting the work that they miss by themselves (asking the teacher or friends).

 

[pixeemom]

The only time I've taken a high school student out of school was for trips to Europe. In those cases, my child gives a letter to each teacher (from them, not me!), explaining the situation, giving the dates, and asking, if possible, if they could gets the heads up on work they will be missing, and their willingness to make up everything missed (a few weeks before the trip). A week or so before the trip, they send emails to all of the teachers. It's hard, it's a LOT of work, but it usually gets finished a week after the trip.

Dd15 and dd13 are missing a week of school next month to go to Belfast. Thanks for the reminder - they'll get started on their letters!

I did take all of them out of elementary for a few days in WDW. In that case, I contacted the teachers myself a month ahead of time, and then the week before. Some gave work to take, some let them make it up when we got back.

i waited too long, I was contemplating this whole time and the days went too fast I am sick over this

 

[pixeemom]

At this point I think asking the teacher to prepare work for you child/children is asking rather a lot. I'd just write a note of the absences. Your older kids are old enough to organize getting the work that they miss by themselves (asking the teacher or friends).

So do you think just notifying them is enough? and just have my HS and MS's ask their friends for the work, or should they ask the teachers on Wed., what stinks to is we are off today and tomorrow so it cuts it down for even a shorter notifying time

 

[mom2rtk]

Write a note saying you will be in Disney World for a planned family trip. It won't be an issue at all.

You have no way of knowing if that will be the case for this poster, especially the high school student.

OP, at this point I would email all the teachers and let them know about the absence, and tell them your students will follow up with them to make up what they miss when you are back.

Stop stressing about it. They are your kids. Take them and go make family memories. But don't complain about any of the extra effort to make things up when you're back.

 

[mom2rtk]

So do you think just notifying them is enough? and just have my HS and MS's ask their friends for the work, or should they ask the teachers on Wed., what stinks to is we are off today and tomorrow so it cuts it down for even a shorter notifying time

Your kids (especially the older ones) need to follow up with their teachers when they get back.

 

[pixeemom]

You have no way of knowing if that will be the case for this poster, especially the high school student.

OP, at this point I would email all the teachers and let them know about the absence, and tell them your students will follow up with them to make up what they miss when you are back.

Stop stressing about it. They are your kids. Take them and go make family memories. But don't complain about any of the extra effort to make things up when you're back.

Thank you!!!!
My kids are aware of the consequences of work when they get back.

 

[Klayfish]

i waited too long, I was contemplating this whole time and the days went too fast I am sick over this

Don't let this ruin your trip. It wouldn't be my first choice to pull kids out of school for a vacation, but I'm not morally opposed to it. If it's a once in a blue moon thing, I see no problem with it whatsoever. If it becomes a pattern, where the child is missing time repeatedly, then sure I would be against that. I can assure you the teachers and school have dealt with it before, and will again. Not a big deal, especially because it's only a few days. Putting the moral dilemma aside, from a "missing school" perspective, what's the difference if they're out on vacation or out sick? They're still out of school either way. In this case, you can be proactive and ask what work they'll be missing and try to help your kids make it up.

It really does happen very often here where I live. WDW is only 7-8 hours drive away. Tons of families are AP holders. In fact, we're just coming off fall break, today is their first day back, they had all of last week off. There were LOTS of kids missing the Friday before break started, as many went to WDW. I'm sure there will be a few stragglers missing today, as they return from WDW.

You sound like a parent who takes their kids schooling seriously and I'm willing to bet you'll be sure that your kids catch up on work they miss. Don't sweat it, you'll be fine. The kids will be fine. The school will be fine. Go and have fun!!

 

[aprilgail]

Your kids (especially the older ones) need to follow up with their teachers when they get back.

They may not even have to do the work because here once you are out of grade school and take off for any reason other than sick you are unexcused and can not make up the work- I just call my daughter off sick this way its "excused' and she can make up the work, otherwise she gets a zero on things she missed and it severely effects her grade.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I think you should've contacted the teachers a few weeks ago but what's done is done. It's 3 days instead of 5. I say go ahead and enjoy yourself.

I pulled DS out of school twice. When he was 8 and 9 so 2nd and 3rd grade. The second grade teacher didn't give me an issue but the 3rd grade teacher told me she didn't HAVE to give me the work ahead of time. She brushed me off a few times when I contacted her. She waited until the last minute to give me the work. She was none too pleased to do this.

I was a young mom and didn't think anything of it. I wasn't upset but I was thinking "what's the big deal. Just give me the work." Looking back I can see how much of a pain this is if multiple children are taking vacations or going away.

After that we didn't take them out of school since it truly is a pain to make up the work once DS got older.

 

[potterfanatic]

So do you think just notifying them is enough? and just have my HS and MS's ask their friends for the work, or should they ask the teachers on Wed., what stinks to is we are off today and tomorrow so it cuts it down for even a shorter notifying time

As a PP said, you need to look into your school policy. You may have done yourself a favor by not notifying the school earlier. I once pulled my kids out for 2 days to go to Disney and wrote a letter ahead of time. They did not give my kids any work ahead of time, but the admin sent me a letter back saying that a vacation was an unexcused absence and the kids would not be able to make up the work and would be given 0s on everything that was supposed to be done those two days.

 

[mom2rtk]

They may not even have to do the work because here once you are out of grade school and take off for any reason other than sick you are unexcused and can not make up the work- I just call my daughter off sick this way its "excused' and she can make up the work, otherwise she gets a zero on things she missed and it severely effects her grade.

I would hope the OP at least checked to make sure that's not the case. Our school lets them make up the work. But it varies a lot and nobody should just assume.