note for school

[Tomandtammy]

Hi i found a web site a few weeks back with a good letter you can send to school, to excuse your children. I feel bad allowing my children to miss school, but it is only the first 2 or 3 days depending on the start day! Does anyone know where i can find this letter?

 

[MickeyMousesGal]

Here's the link that I found on mouseforless.com

http://www.themouseforless.com/downloads/kids/SE.shtml

 

[Tomandtammy]

thank you thank you thank you! Thats it!

 

[Sinderelli]

I am a teacher and there is NO WAY my school would allow vacation days to count as unexcused absences. This applies to teachers, also. If I were to take a vacation during school time I would be docked pay AND I would have to pay my substitute's salary.

 

[MickeyMousesGal]

thank you thank you thank you! Thats it!

Your welcome! I'm glad to help you out!

Jessica

 

[belleandthebeast]

Think of how many teachers will be receiving this same excuse!

 

[msmayor]

First off, let me say that I am a parent that has taken my kids out of school twice to go to Disney...once when daughter was in 1st grade (son not in school yet) and again when daughter was in 3rd, son in kindergarten. I gave their teachers 4+ weeks notice, asked them to put together work packets so they could keep up, and faithfully made sure that the packets were done the day the kids returned to school. It was a no-brainer to allow them to miss school at these ages to avoid crowds as I knew I could easily help them stay current with their work.

However, now that my daughter is entering HS and my son about to enter 6th grade, there is absolutely no way I'd consider taking them out of class for a vacation, plain and simple. Aside from the fact that their workload has increased, there are now rules in the upper grades about the total number of absences allowed before automatic reductions in grades occur. Those automatic reductions can occur even if the absence is due to illness.

I could never turn a note like that into a teacher with a straight face. Are their educational opportunities available there? Yes, no doubt. But in reality these trips are vacations, plain and simple, and you are choosing to go during school. These are not one-time seminars that are only held while school is in session; Disney is open all year and your children can get those educational opportunities in the summer.

There will always be parents who take their kids out to go in the 'off-season', but to try and disguise a Disney vacation as an educational opportunity to avoid an unexcused absence is sending the wrong message.

Just my $0.02.

 

[meandtheguys2]

I am a teacher and there is NO WAY my school would allow vacation days to count as unexcused absences. This applies to teachers, also. If I were to take a vacation during school time I would be docked pay AND I would have to pay my substitute's salary.

Are you trying to say "excused absences?" Some district, we never had to pay the subs when we took off a couple of days. Bummer for you. Nor were kids penalized for taking 2 or 3 days out.

To the OP, have you considered writing a brief note that doesn't sound so contrived?

 

[Nite0wl71]

To the OP, have you considered writing a brief note that doesn't sound so contrived?

I have to agree, it sounds like a form letter. Just write your own and use some of the ideas.

I have never taken my kids out of school for vacations, not that I think it's wrong I just never thought about it.

One year we flew on a Thursday because it was cheaper, that was a half day so I did not send them. I just talked to the Vice-principal who takes care of things like that. She was also not sending her DD's that day because theywere going to DL.

 

[TinkHappy]

We have done both. We have taken our kids out of school and we have suffered through heavy crowds and breathless heat. I have trouble now, my oldest is going into 6th grade and the work load seems to be heavier. My problem is that it should not be the schools (of teachers choice) it should be the parents choice.
I was told that it "disrupts their normal school schedule" but when a school decides to schedule a "professional day" during the school year, why is this any different? Why can't these days be scheduled during the summer? We also have a week of 1/2 days for parent/teacher conferences.
Don't flame me. I just see it both ways. But, I don't agree that it should just be the schools decision.

 

[tjmw2727]

Think twice, IMHO that letter stretches the truth a bit much for my likes.

FWIW, I have no problem taking my kids out for vacation, WDW or otherwise but personally, I would never use that letter. Do you really think a teacher "worth his/her salt" is going to buy that????

Just be honest and tell them you are going on a family vacation, the dates and what if anything you will do to keep ds/dd up to date. Some teachers will give out work ahead of time, some won't. If they give to you do them the courtesy of having the child do it. You won't beleive how many dont!!

We took a trip to DC in April as a bonus from DH's work and I did not use the educational excuse although my kids learned so much! It was, after all, a family vacation and any learning we did was a bonus. My 8yo dd's teacher was able to put away lots of work for her but my 10yo's teacher had a larger class and more workload and wasn't able. They both did school work every day and did a journal. My 8yo was ahead after the trip and my 10 yo was caught up after about a week as her teacher put aside the work as the class did it. The journals otoh were priceless - this was how dh and I knew how much they got from the trip. I highly recommend a daily journal on any vacation - one page with a picture is ideal.

Read the letter and decide for yourself but I think a more specific but heartfelt letter would work better.

Either way - have a great trip.
TJ

 

[Disneyjosh229]

Are you trying to say "excused absences?" Some district, we never had to pay the subs when we took off a couple of days. Bummer for you. Nor were kids penalized for taking 2 or 3 days out.

To the OP, have you considered writing a brief note that doesn't sound so contrived?

At our HS, after 6 days absent (regardless of sick, vacations, etc...), your grade is automatically lowered one level (i.e B+ is lowered to B).

Missing school isn't only a pain to make up work, but its hard to stay ontop of absences!!

 

[lacy1101]

To the OP - I wrote the principal of my son's school before the end of the last school year about our upcoming trip in October. I did not try to pass it off as some magnificent educational experience - I simply explained that we scheduled this trip the week before fall break because my husband got bumped from the week of fall break at work. We have had to do this once before and it worked pretty well in that the kids were able to make up their work during fall break after we returned from our trip. I went on to honestly explain that we schedule these trips during the fall due to the lower crowds, cooler temps and less expensive rates. My son is a good student and the principal said it would not be a problem. As my husband gains seniority at work, I hope this will become less of a problem for future trips!

Be prepared because you will get all types of comments, some good, some bad, about taking your kids out of school for vacation. You have to do what you feel is right for you and your family - that's what I do. Good luck!

 

[Tomandtammy]

Well I asked for the letter only to get ideas of what to write our school is tough on this subject (from what I have heard). I did not think i would start such a controversy! LOL I struggled with this decision, but all in all I am in college until Aug 15 and Tom doesnt get 2 weeks vacation til Aug 10, I figured i would take a few days after I get out get the kids ready for school, and then take a final fling before Tom and I go back to school in December, I start LPN school 40 hrs a week plus working 40 hours a week. My kids go back to school on Aug 30 so in all my kids will miss the first 2 or 3 days of school. I feel bad but at the same time without the dining package I could not take them at all, and this will be our first trip. I felt it was better to miss 2 or 3 days in the beginning then me, tom and the kids miss 10 days during the school year. I am sorry if I offened anyone, but we all make choices that fit our lives and shouldnt worry about what others think. IMHO

 

[Beauty]

Well thanks to the Free Dining in September I know of three families that are taking their children out of school including ourselves. This covers grades 1, 4, 5, 7, and 8. Thankfully one of the families also happens to be on the school board and some of our good friends. I think its perfectly acceptable as long as the child keeps up with all of their work. There is NOTHING and I do mean NOTHING in ONE WEEK of school that will mean as much to our children as the time speant together as a family.

 

[Kimber1963]

There is NOTHING and I do mean NOTHING in ONE WEEK of school that will mean as much to our children as the time speant together as a family.

Amen to that!!!

 

[dyna]

I'm one of those who took DD out of school several times in grade school and again in Jrhigh. Here if she even had work to do it was very little and she was able to do it all on the ride down. As DD got older she herself asked to do more educational stuff at disney in the parks some she took back and shared other things she didn't. One trip in Dec she baffled the band director of almost 30 yrs by asking him if he knew what a Carrolon (sp?) was. MY DD was able to teach the band director a thing or 2 he didn't know lol

The absensces here was ALWAYS excused for the lower grades but now that DD is in high school it's different and I would not even consider taking her out of school to many weighted classes and she trying to be an honor student which she always was anyway. School policy changed for high school not near as easy for her to miss and I wouldn't consider it anyway unless it was only gonna be 1 or 2 days at the end of a term and she'd had good attendance that term.

DD missed at least 85% of Jrhigh due to an unexplained illness she was able to return to school for the last 9 weeks of the year last term she went back with her class on there level nailed her report card with 5 A's 2B's like she had never missed a day of school but high school I know is gonna be different.

I have had at least one kid in school for the last 20 yrs I know here locally the lower grades does the same thing the 1st grading period of the year that they did the last grading period. I say go have fun the kids really not missing nothing in the 2 or 3 days they will miss.

 

[IwannaseeMickey]

Count me in on taking them out of school, but I wouldn't use the letter to do so. As a former teacher, I am/was all for a good family vacation in place of school, that is worth a lifetime in a kids world. There is very little in elementary school that can't be made up. I always made my parents/students understand, though, that they were responsible for whatever was missed and the grades would still be counted and assignments would still be needed to be done.

I, for one, am taking out my kindergartener for 4 days in Oct. It has been planned for a long time. Not sure when I'll spring it on the teacher though, I may wait a month or so into school to let her know. Oh, and I'm aware that it will be unexcused and I'll likely receive "the letter" from the school explaining that they frown on truancy, but we'll deal with it. I'm also taking him out for the 2 days before Thanksgivng for a family reunion at the beach.

 

[teacherforhi]

I think some of you are lucky that they just lower the grades for absences. In the high schools in my district, if you miss 7 days of a class, you fail. Parents can appeal, but the fact that you took a week to go to Disney World is not going to get your child credit for the class, no matter how well they did.

In elementary and middle school, you can miss 20 days, which gives you more leeway, but if you go over, only illness and family emergencies will be able to be appealed.

 

[goofy's friends]

We are going in Sept. and taking DDs (3rd and 1st) out of school for a week. The memories are worth it and I agree that there is nothing that they will miss in a week's worth of school that would made us miss our trip.

One question....What free meals in September are being offered????????
We must have missed something BIG