missing first week of school?

[surfergirl602]

Okay - so we were planning our family vacation trip for when my hubby gets back from Aug 2nd through the 13th. Well now he just found out that he is supposed to have three weeks of training starting july 28th. His paperwork (military) says it ends about sept 10. That's not three weeks - three weeks would be 18th. The kids start school on aug 21st (a friday) and DH wants to take vacation after the 18th. He says they don't learn anything that first week anyway. I am against this, but now I've had to cancel our previous vacation and I don't know when to rebook it. Any time before august is out. DH will be in school. I just don't know what to do! Kids get to know their classmtes and their teachers etc during this first week and I would hate for them to miss the first three days because we tried to fit in a long awaited and much needed vacation.

 

[squirrel]

I took my niece last year-she missed Kindergarten for 6 full days. She ended up only having 1 and a half days before we left for WDW.

 

[surfergirl602]

I took my niece last year-she missed Kindergarten for 6 full days. She ended up only having 1 and a half days before we left for WDW.

So you took her the first week of school? How did that go over with the school?

 

[Luv Bunnies]

You might want to check with your school district on their policy. In our district, if kids are out on an unexcused absence the first day of school they could forfeit their place in the classroom. There is usually a waiting list of families who registered late and need a spot in a classroom. They do a headcount on the first day to find empty spaces in each grade. If a child is sick or out due to a death in the family, etc. then their space is held. If it's due to still being on vacation, another child could get placed in their spot. I've heard of this happening to a few kids before. When they come back, they find out they've been placed in another school because of their no-show status on the first day.

I'm not sure if all districts are this tough, but it's something to consider as you make your plans.

 

[dfarner]

JMO, but the first week of school is a pretty important week. Do your children get a fall break that you can plan a trip for, or maybe next Christmas sometime? I wouldn't pull the kids for the first week of school.

 

[squirrel]

Yes I did! It's a private school too. My sister just told them it was planned and that she wouldn't be there.

They then told her when we got back (they waited 2 weeks) and said she was behind in Kindergarten. They really expect so much from them (her school has really high expectations compared to the other parents I talked to). The school wanted the kids to be able to print their names, know all the letters of the alphabet, know all the sounds of each letter and basically be ready to start reading.

Well my niece didn't know most of that. She just got glasses a few months before school. She was sick for at least 6 months (from 3yrs to 3.5 yrs) until we finally found out she is lactose intollerant. Her birthday is in November just over the middle of the month, but should have been Dec. 5th and the doctor said she didn't grow for the two weeks before she was born and my sister was complaining to him that he had to get her out (my niece).

I told my sister not to worry about what the school was saying. She would be fine, she just needed some more time. I have been working with her. She can now print all of the letters in the alphabet. She is still trying to remember what each of the letters are and their sounds, but she is getting it. I just don't want the school to push too hard and make her hate school. We don't have the red shirting like you do down there. So my niece is the youngest or one of the youngest in the class (our cut off is Dec. 31).

We will have to wait to see what they say when I take her back again this year! We are going in October this time. It will be the last trip for her with me. She can't miss any more school after grade 1.

 

[jeepsrj]

I personally have no kids, so my opinion may not matter, but we went to disney last year with friends that have 2 kids dd10 and ds8, and they were taken out of school the first week for family vacation it was the only time the husband could take vacation......where we are ,,not super big town but not small by anymeans, the kids were registered when it was time to register them...she talked to the principle about the cituation..all went very well...they came back adn had a great story to tell the other kids about their vacation, they didn't fall behind or anthing like that...they both adjusted back in very well....

so I would so go for it...it's a great time to go to disney the crowds are small and you can really take advantage of seeing all there is to see....

 

[Stacerita]

It would depend on how old your children are and how well they normally do in school. One year I took my DD out of school for two weeks. She went to school the first week and a half, then was out for almost two weeks. That was when she was in the 5th grade. She is an excellent student so it was no problem for her to keep caught up. She started school and I got her put on an independant study program for while she was gone. It worked out well for us. I would not miss the first week. Lots of things go on. I would consider another time.

 

[hmdavid]

First, you need to get confirmation on when your husband will be back from training. If his orders say Sept 10 there is some confusion on how long he will be gone. Clarify that first. I have learned that the military says one thing, types another and the actual date often falls somewhere in the middle. Then, check with the school district policy and also with the teacher. We took our girls out for a week last year before DH left for Iraq. We did it the third week of school and brought work with us. We are doing it again on DH's R&R and have not had a problem. Good luck and have fun!!!

 

[michael's mom]

As a teacher, I would suggest not going the first week of school. It is a big adjustment time for children...getting to know new classmates, teachers, routines, etc.

It also depends on your children's ages. My students are first graders and they are usually able to catch up when they return from a family vacation. I would suggest waiting closer to the end of Sept. unless your district has an early holiday that you could extend. We have Columbus Day here in MA which is the 2nd Monday of October...Some people use that day as an opportunity to vacation...extend the long weekend into a full week without missing as much school.

I will tell you that it is our districts policy not to send work with students to do on the trip because things happen and they could very well end up ahead of the class when they return. I always have my students keep a journal of where they went, what they did each day and play some games to help them keep up their math skills. Then, when they return, they have the week following their vacation to catch up on some of the missed work. It isn't usually too much...if they do one or two make-up assignments a day for homework they get caught up pretty quickly.

I think family vacations are very important and when there are extenuating circumstances around the chosen vacation week (such as a military schedule ) than I hope districts would be more flexible and understanding. With so many 2 working parent families these days, family vacations are that much more important...kids (and parents) need to spend time together and sometimes it just doesn't work out that way at home.

Good luck! I wouldn't go the first week of school...maybe after the 2nd though.

 

[surfergirl602]

JMO, but the first week of school is a pretty important week. Do your children get a fall break that you can plan a trip for, or maybe next Christmas sometime? I wouldn't pull the kids for the first week of school.

I don't want them to miss their first few days. I feel they are a critical part of the new class, new teacher etc. I'm just bummed that we'll have to cancel our trip if DH can't change his training dates.

 

[NTDreams]

As a teacher I would say there is no excuse. There are two Winter Breaks and Spring Break. Age and grade matters greatly too but, in my eyes it's just bad form. Would you be ok with a teacher missing the first week of school just because of their spouses military schedule? I never quite understood parents who felt the need to take their kids out for separate vacation periods?

 

[surfergirl602]

I need to find out when he needs to report to his new unit after the training is over. Perhaps we could go before then, after the kids have already started. they will be in 3rd and 2nd grade. (where did the time go?) I really really do not want them missing the first few days of school. It will be very hard for them, I think, to show up late - we just moved across the country after being in one place for six years and they have had to start a new school half way through the year. NOT easy. I give them all the credit in the world for the adjustment.

 

[surfergirl602]

As a teacher I would say there is no excuse. There are two Winter Breaks and Spring Break. Age and grade matters greatly too but, in my eyes it's just bad form. Would you be ok with a teacher missing the first week of school just because of their spouses military schedule? I never quite understood parents who felt the need to take their kids out for separate vacation periods?

The reason being that their dad will not be in the same country to take a vacation, that's the excuse.

 

[NTDreams]

The reason being that their dad will not be in the same country to take a vacation, that's the excuse.

Then go without him and take a different one when he gets back. Go during the holidays or Feb. break, Easter or Spring Break. There are literally about 3 other weeks after Aug. that one could choose to go on vacation. It shows a lack of respect for education. Unless the principal and teacher gives you the ok, I wouldn't do it.

 

[weHEARTmickey]

We are hoping to go to WDW for 10 days around Sept. 20th. This would mean our DS6 & DD9 would miss over a week of school. (They'll start mid-August.) I'm going to talk to the principals in the next couple of weeks about this.

I believe I read on a thread about someone "homeschooling" their children for the time they were at Disney. That way they didn't have any unexcused absences. I'm sure this will take quite a bit of preparation, though. Depending on the requirements, I think this is what we'll do personally.

Someone also mentioned that we should never let school get in the way of our children's education!!!!--How true is that?!?! EPCOT is especially full of educational opportunities.

 

[C&G'sMama]

Do what's best for you and your family and not anyone else. If you think the best use of time for you as family is to spend time together away from life for a few days than do it. It's not like you're picking that week for your convenience.

And to the PP, if you had to take the 1st week off because your husband was in the military or had cancer or you were having a baby or whatever, yes I'd understand. Life happens. It has nothing to do with not valuing education, it has to do with the fact there are many things going on in our lives and we have to figure out what is best for us and our families at any particular time.

 

[muscarello4]

In most states, pulling them out to "homeschool" is very easy. There is little to no government oversite. Just go to the school to "withdraw" the student. "Homeschool" while you are gone. Then re-enroll when you return.

I had a great student go to India for two weeks to dance in a recital. That is what she was told to do by the school administration. That way, she didn't suffer any of the unexcused absence consequences.

Do what you think is right for your kids. I pulled my daughter out of kindergarten two weeks before the end of school to "homeschool." (Truth be told, we were moving and I was not going to haul the kid 45 minutes one way to school each day. AND kind of dumb to re-enroll her in the new school for two weeks.)

YOU are in charge of your kids.......not the school system.

 

[squirrel]

Not everyone can go away during school breaks.

I'm going during Free Dining as that keeps my costs down. I have to hire someone to look after my daycare while I'm gone. I also don't want to be at WDW while it is hot and crowded. My niece will have a great time as she will be able to eat stuff she can't get at home. She can't go to any restaurant and get a pizza or hot-dog like any other child. I make her bread weekly and also make pizza dough, hot dog buns and waffles other times throughout the year. To me it is important while she is younger to also have a chance to be a regular kid.

As long as your children don't loose their place at school or get unexcused absences, I say go for it. It's only 3 days!

 

[surfergirl602]

Then go without him and take a different one when he gets back. Go during the holidays or Feb. break, Easter or Spring Break. There are literally about 3 other weeks after Aug. that one could choose to go on vacation. It shows a lack of respect for education. Unless the principal and teacher gives you the ok, I wouldn't do it.

I'm not going to argue this with you - this isn't about taking a vacation its with being with the people you love during or after a stressful time and situation. How would that make my husband feel? "forgot you - we're leaving you behind". Lack of respect for education? My children's education is very important to me. That's why I don't want to take them out of school. You are showing a lack of respect for the restrictions and rules and regulations that come along with the military. It's not only the military member that suffers - the family does right there along side them. I care about my husband and in this world, who has the money to just take another vacation? We certainly don't. It's very rare to find a time that it is possible to take a vacation where the military will let you go. But Whatever.

Conversation over.

Thank you everyone for all the different views on the topic. Hopefully DH can get into another training session or we can find another time to go.