Missing School for Disney... Yay or nay?

[pbharris4]

Yes! Go for it!

 

[kahluacream]

Looks like the popular opinion is to go! Thanks for the tips about working with the school/teacher ahead of the trip.

 

[crazymomof4]

Hi. I'm a middle school teacher Also it helps the teachers if we're told in advance. Then we can have a couple of days to get materials together that are appropriate to take on a trip. It's very difficult and sometimes impossible to gather materials the day the child is leaving.

That's what I thought. In 2003 I was shocked to find out that that it was against school policy to send work with a vacationing child. Since then, I've found out that this is not uncommon. Well, I wanted DS to keep up while we were gone so we just took his textbooks along and went ahead as far as I thought the class may go while we were away. He read and I reviewed the material with him. This helped when we returned and he got the worksheets and other assignments that he missed.

 

[marcyinPA]

We've done it in the past, and are doing it again in September. The last time we went, we went in May and my oldest was in 3rd grade. The biggest problem he had was focusing on school instead of our trip for 2 or 3 weeks prior. Making up the homework wasn't a problem at all. His teacher gave us everything when we returned and he had a week to make it up.

This time, he'll be in 5th grade and my youngest will be in 1st grade. They will be in school for 3 weeks when we go. Since we don't want the first three weeks to be a waste for them, we've decided not to tell them we're going. We'll tell their teachers, but we won't tell the boys until the morning we leave.

This will be the last year we go during school...I can't take my oldest out of middle school in good conciense...I just think he'll miss too much.

 

[crazymomof4]

Since we don't want the first three weeks to be a waste for them, we've decided not to tell them we're going.

I wish I could get away with this! My kids see me on the DISboards every night and they just KNOW!!!!

 

[bcarson]

We did this in May of 2004 ds was in kdg also. The only thing I would say about it is that he had a very hard time getting back into the swing of things with only 2 to 3 weeks left. His teacher was very supportive but afterward she said I think he is still on vacation. This may have just been my child though. We are doing it again this year but in Oct when they have a break for Columbus day and he will only miss 3 days. He will have plenty of time to get back into it. So that would be the only draw back for me.

 

[teacherforhi]

If you can do it, go for it! But Check with your school too! Our district does not allow absences for vacations. The child is marked as a "unexcused absence". Our teachers are not allowed to give work ahead of time and they are not obligated to give the make up work. The kids may get zeros for the work they miss (depending on how the teacher feels about the policy).

That being said, we have taken DS out of school for a vacation anyway in Kindergarten and will do so in 1st grade for 3 days. The school's policy really gets me mad. I am the parent and I will do what is best for my children. Spending family time with my DH and I is important.

I'd just like to point out that there are reasons for these policies. If there was no mandatory attendance laws, many children would never show up for school. We would hear a million excuses (not that we don't already) of why they just couldn't make it to school that day. If family vacations were considered excused absences, I'm sure that a lot more 'vacation' notes would be coming in.

This isn't to say that you shouldn't take your children out of school for vacation. I've even taken a week off from school to go to Disney because it fit my family's schedule. After all, not everybody gets the summer off. Just watch those absences and make sure to touch base with the teachers in advance. That could go a long way in helping to make sure that your child is allowed to make up the work after your vacation.

 

[Stimpy]

Just watch those absences and make sure to touch base with the teachers in advance. That could go a long way in helping to make sure that your child is allowed to make up the work after your vacation.

ITA. I don't "blame" the teachers at all. I know they have to follow policy. I did let my son's teacher know about 1 month before and a few days before during a regular conference, she "slipped" and told me they would be working whatever letter it was that week and the type of math they would be doing etc. It was helpful since we were able to focus on those things during our vacation and DS was able to pretty much blend right back into school when we returned. We also will not lie. I won't tell the school he was sick when he wasn't.

BTW, fortunately the only absences he had all year were for our vacation and he is ahead of a lot of the kids in his class. If any of this changes, the vacations will stop during the school year.

 

[mommykds]

If you can do it, go for it! But Check with your school too! Our district does not allow absences for vacations. The child is marked as a "unexcused absence". Our teachers are not allowed to give work ahead of time and they are not obligated to give the make up work. The kids may get zeros for the work they miss (depending on how the teacher feels about the policy).

That being said, we have taken DS out of school for a vacation anyway in Kindergarten and will do so in 1st grade for 3 days. The school's policy really gets me mad. I am the parent and I will do what is best for my children. Spending family time with my DH and I is important. He works a crazy schedule where we don't see much of him and can not get school vacation times off. We do try to take the time when there are 3 day weekends and when no big tests(ie. state tests) are scheduled.

DS did well in school and is a very intellegent kid. If he starts slacking, no more vacations during the school year.

Yep, we have the same policy (I think we both responded on a previous thread about this topic) It is unexcused & the teachers will not give work beforehand & zero's for anything (tests/projects) that the child will miss. When I took my dd out in Nov 2003 she was 7 in 2nd grade & the principal actually called my house to "repremand" me on taking her our for 5 days. She actually told me to tell my DH that "he better pick a better time for his vacation because the school schedule allows ample time for vacations during summer & holidays". First my DH can't get off alot in the summer & I do not want to go to WDW when it's 100 degrees & packed...I think this policy totally stinks & I am very curious to see if she has the nerve to call my house again when I notify her that I am taking my dd out again....I am taking my now 9dd (4th grade) out for 3 days the week before Columbus day. The kids here in NY have 2 days off that week so she will only miss 3 days of school. She is an A+ student. My middle ds is 6 & gifted so I am not worried about him, it's only 1st grade & my little one will be in nursery school so thats not an issue.

I say take you rkids out when they are young & the school load is light. I think this will be the last "off season" trip we can take since 5th & 6th grade has so much more of a workload so for now we are planning for the last 2 weeks of august 2006 but if they offer free dining again or some other deal & the jewish holidays are just right we may just go off season again in 2006.

 

[Camping Griswalds]

We've taken our kids out several times in Elementary school for Disney. The only time we got grief was in 5th grade. They gave my DS so much work to do that it made the last 4 days of vacation very stressful. We even said that we'd not tell the school again if they were going to make that a habit. When he got back he was several assignments ahead of his class in reading, math, and science. We value family time and feel it is more important than just about anything. Please understand that we are strong believers in education ( we scrimp, sweat and save to put 2 kids in private school to the tune of 18K per year) But I think being away as a family anywhere from the stress of school, sports, phones, laundry is an invaluable experience. Plus it teaches my kids about different experiences. My parents always did this with us (my sister is a pediatric intensive care physician and I am an R.N.) and neither one of us turned out too bad. Besides, those are the best memories I have as a kid, and I can tell that they are the best so far for my children. So JUST DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[lamb1022]

My experience has been that if you give the teacher plenty of advance notice, ask for the work the child will be missing, and have the materials ready to hand in when you get back, there's usually not any problem. I have done this for about 4 years in a row. If you leave the park in the middle of the day, it is an opportune time to get a little work done. Also in the car, waiting at the airport; there are opportunities to fit the work in if you do it a little at a time. I don't hesitate to take the children out for one trip a year, but I don't abuse the priveledge...

 

[HaleyB]

I am taking my kids out for 6 days this October (2nd and 4th graders). At our school there really isn't much of a problem with this, they will give us work to take with us and let my kids do make-up work when they get back. But we would go either way.

 

[anditoo72]

We are planning a trip for Nov 2006 and the kids will be out a total of 9 days -4 Before Thanksgiving and 5 after. We have one that will be in Third grade and one in First during that time and we are taking my neice who will be in 5th grade during that time. I was really apprehensive on doing this (we will be traveling in our Motor Home from Mass so it takes 6 days to travel) But my sister said it wouldn't be a problem.
I figure it this way the Week of Thanksgiving they won't be doing all that much, but I am worried about them missing the week after Thanksgiving. I plan on having them write a Vacation Journal Page everyday (easy since we are in the Motor Home) and do a scrapbook page for each day and whatever homework the school sends along. They will have something to present the class when they return. I did this on a vacation to Washington DC and the teacher loved it. Hopefully we will get the same reaction.
I am just keeping my fingers crossed the school won't freak out!!!

 

[susieeQ]

we took our twins out of school, the second week of their kindergarten year.
The teacher was alright with it. I was worried that they would'nt "bond"
with the kids, since they were gone so early in the year. I worried for nothing. Both of the kids did well in school, made alot of friends and september in disney was great. No lines...No waiting...we saw everything that we wanted to see at the parks while moving at the pace of 6 year old twins. Now they are going into 5th grade and both good students. We are pulling them out of school Dec 3- 10th for another Disney visit. As for having them miss school in middle school and beyond...it depends on how they are doing at that time.

another perk to pulling the kids out in early elementary is.....very little...if any...homework to make up.
Take them out and enjoy them!!!
susieeq

 

[Tinkerbelll]

I think its adorable that all of you keep saying this is the 'last year" you can take your children out of school. I don't have kids, but I'm only 21, and I remember MY parents saying that every single year. "This is the last year we are taking you out of school for DISNEY!..." and then every year that followed we got to go again! HAHA. I think taking your children out of school for a week is perfectly OK. In fact, I'd even recommend it. For children, having a special week with their family is something you can never get back. They will grow up (like me) and "Family Vacations" will become almost impossible! (I go with DBf now, and Dad's a little jealous!) But it was all those family trips during school that made me fall in love with Disney, and when I have kids I won't think twice about taking them out to go. It was easier and cheaper for my parents to go during off season, and family time is probably just as important as school. Kids will not be young forever! One day they will grow up and move out! Don't let yourself be wishing you had spent more time with them when they were young!

(BTW I wasn't always a great student in elementary, middle, and high school, but now I'm almost a senior in college with a 3.8 GPA!! You never can tell!)

 

[LBKB]

Does anyone pull older kids out? We have an 8th grader who I'm not worried about he gets all A's and reades at college level. Then there is my younger son going into 6th grade stuggles for every grade and is ADHD. That's what worries me. But next year our oldest will be in high school.

 

[shaylahc]

My oldest is 8 and so far it hasn't been a problem to miss school for a week. The school considers it an unexcused absence, but considering DD hardly ever misses school I don't consider it a big deal.

 

[Laurajean1014]

We take our son out of school for trips. It's quality not quantity.

 

[polyfan]

Considering there are only 180 days of school I really don't see why there is such a need to take kids out of school to go on vacation- what about the other 185 days in the year. I am sure not everyone has to work every day in the summer.

I am not saying that I am against it, but it doesn't make much sense.

 

[MrsPete]

when the parks are less hot and less crowded

The parks may be cooler (a little) in these months, but I wouldn't count on them being less crowded. The parks close earlier, they offer fewer parades and fireworks shows, and the crowds are almost as large. "Off season" is a thing of the past.

As a teacher, my problem with taking kids out of school is that ALMOST NONE of them make up their work. The great majority do none of the work that I send home. Some of them do the easy stuff (like quick fill-in-the-blank worksheets) but ignore the assignments that take effort. Others try to substitute their own work instead of doing the assignments that are sent home (yes, your scrapbook is lovely and I'm sure you learned something watching the parade, but this week the class learned _____, which is on the state curriculum and the end-of-grade-test.) I'd estimate that fewer than 10% of the kids actually do all their make-up work. This is very frustrating to the teachers, who've spent time putting together a packet for the child; it's not just a matter of pulling out one of each worksheet.