Notifying school of child's absence...

[mommy*RN]

We are leaving later this month for our long anticipated trip to WDW. I have a DS in 2nd grade and a DD in 4K. I've never taken my kids out of school for a trip so I was wondering what I need to put in my note to the principal/teacher. Obviously the dates, but I also want them to send any classwork home that we can do while on our trip. Can someone share with me the sample letter they sent to their DD/DS's school? I'd really appreciate the help.

Thanks!

 

[gymbomominNC]

http://www.mouseforless.com/downloads/kids/SchoolExcuse/SE1.shtml

Here is a sample excuse letter that I copied and pasted in word and plan on using some of it.
I think it's pretty darn good!

 

[tigger51276]

For me, I was just completely upfront with my DD's teacher. I told her last month that she would be out of school for a week and half as we are going to WDW and was that I'd be more than happy to have her do her work while we are there. The teacher was very appreciative of my honestly and said to just have a good time and when she comes back that maybe she would have her give a verbal essay of her trip.
I would just say in the letter to keep it short and to the point. There are plenty of parents who take their kids out of school at some point in the year and I think they would probably just appreciate a short but sweet note telling why they will be missing, what days they will be gone and of course asking for their assignments and maybe a "special project" that they may be able to do. Even though my DD's teacher said nothing was needed I am still going to have DD do a special project. She is going to do a photo journal of her trip that will be based on the alphabet. There will be 26 pages listed a-z and she will need to take pictures that represent each letter of the alphabet. I figured this will help her with her verbal essay as well.

 

[MSSANDRA]

In elementry I simply told the teachers early in the year and reminded them with a note two weeks or so before. I stated we would be traveling out of state on these dates and that DS would be absent but I would be sure he completed all requested work. I did ask that any work that was ready before our travel dates be sent home early and most years it was. Most years the teachers only sent what they really thought was important. We often completed the work before we went. Doing homework while there never worked well for us. He did work during the travel time(we drive). One year he was give EVERY piece of work they did the whole week and it took some real effort to get done on return but we did.
Middle school we went though the office and did a formal excused absence form, but not in elementry. Pre-k should be no issue at all!!

Have fun, it so worth the effort to goo off season.

 

[princessmom29]

Just so you know teachers and administrators, at least in my school, hate getting that form letter posted above about the supposed educational value of Disney or other such letters trying to pass off a family trip for recreational purposes as educational. It is a vacation not an educational field trip and we all know that. Just tell them when you will be out, and that you would like the work ahead of time if possible. You will get a lot farther being direct and polite than trying to make excuses or justify the trip, neither of which are really necessary.

 

[MiniGirl]

Just so you know teachers and administrators, at least in my school, hate getting that form letter posted above about the supposed educational value of Disney or other such letters trying to pass off a family trip for recreational purposes as educational. It is a vacation not an educational field trip and we all know that. Just tell them when you will be out, and that you would like the work ahead of time if possible. You will get a lot farther being direct and polite than trying to make excuses or justify the trip, neither of which are really necessary.

Thanks for posting this. I've often wondered what they thought of that letter. It always makes me chuckle. When I was in high school, I had a logic teacher that had a big stamp with a BS on it. Getting a big red "BS" stamp on a paper was kind of a right of passage. LOL!!! Seriously, no offense, but this letter always makes me think of him.

Personally, I always sent in a letter that was short, sweet, and offered up as little info as possible. Also, these absences are automatically unexcused in our school district, so a longer letter really is not needed.

Dear Teacher,

My child, XXXX, will be absent from this date to this date. Please let me know how you like to handle making up any missed assignments, and call if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
Me

I figure teachers have enough things to do during their day that they didn't need to read a lengthy letter from me trying to explain or justify our trip. I didn't need to say where we were going. I'm sure my dd would tell them anyway. Also, most teachers (that we dealt with anyway) did not like having to get work together ahead of time and really preferred my child just making it up when we returned.

 

[mommy*RN]

Thanks everyone! I definitely have a starting point now!!

 

[SarahKate]

I agree, that letter has circulated far too many times and it's just laughable.

Tell them you're going on vacation, your child will miss X days, and that you'd welcome any assignments the teacher would like to go ahead and give to you to work on while you're gone.

People go to Disney all the time and during the school year. You don't have to give them any sort of long description of all your activities, how educational it will be, and blah, blah, blah. You're going on VACATION. Yes, you might have some educational moments, but you don't have to frame it as such.

 

[SnowWhite607]

I would LOL if I got the above letter, especially this part:

sociological aspects of crowds including patterns and behavior

 

[mommy*RN]

Here is my letter...I will admit to "borrowing" part of the linked letter:

October 6th, 2009
Dear (teacher),
Please be advised that (my DS) will be out of school from (our travel dates).

The reason for (my son)'s absence is that our family will be out of the state during this period, on a vacation.

Please let me know how you would like to handle making up any missed assignments and class work, and please do not hesitate to call if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you,

Me

 

[princessmom29]

Here is my letter...I will admit to "borrowing" part of the linked letter:

October 6th, 2009
Dear (teacher),
Please be advised that (my DS) will be out of school from (our travel dates).

The reason for (my son)'s absence is that our family will be out of the state during this period, on a vacation.

Please let me know how you would like to handle making up any missed assignments and class work, and please do not hesitate to call if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you,

Me

Perfect! Everything you need and nothing you don't!! Wish some of my parents could take lessons form you!

 

[RMulieri]

http://www.mouseforless.com/downloads/kids/SchoolExcuse/SE1.shtml

Here is a sample excuse letter that I copied and pasted in word and plan on using some of it.
I think it's pretty darn good!

Sorry, But I wouldn't recommend sending that note...a trip to WDW has educational aspects, but it is not an educational trip.Call it what it is ..A family vacation.Teachers and principals aren't dumb, and they do not like trying to be told that WDW is educational..Trust me , a good friend of mine tried that letter recently and was pretty much told, that in the future, just explain that you are going to Disney, dates etc. Don't make it something it isn't.That type letter works well for trips to DC , not WDW.

 

[RMulieri]

I would LOL if I got the above letter, especially this part:

sociological aspects of crowds including patterns and behavior

yeah, like if one person gets in line , and then 25 more cut in, an ugly mob may form and utter chaos will ensue...

 

[mommy*RN]

Perfect! Everything you need and nothing you don't!! Wish some of my parents could take lessons form you!

Thank you -- I probably would have written a long lengthy letter going into where we are going and how long we've been planning and how we wished we could have gone when school wasn't in session. Truth be told I'm nervous about pulling my kids out of school. DH and I agree this will be the last "school time" trip for awhile. We are going to focus more on touring other areas of the country in the summer.... I'll miss WDW...

Thanks again for everyones help...

 

[gymbomominNC]

Sorry, But I wouldn't recommend sending that note...a trip to WDW has educational aspects, but it is not an educational trip.Call it what it is ..A family vacation.Teachers and principals aren't dumb, and they do not like trying to be told that WDW is educational..Trust me , a good friend of mine tried that letter recently and was pretty much told, that in the future, just explain that you are going to Disney, dates etc. Don't make it something it isn't.That type letter works well for trips to DC , not WDW.

I agree that this letter goes a little overboard in justifying WDW as educational, but my son's school actually prefers that you list some of the educational activities the child will be experiencing while absent from school. While I will not be using the entire letter it does give me some ideas of what to include in the letter as I have never been to WDW before.

 

[tjbaggott]

Here's what I wrote up for my children's teachers. I have 3 children at the high school (one in 7th grade and 2 in 12th grade), so I made up one letter then copied it for each of them to give to their teachers. I made a separate one for my 6yr old's teacher.

To: Holy Trinity Teachers For Taryn, Geoffrey and Daniel Baggott,

Our Family is going on Holiday this fall. We are taking our Children on a Disney Land and Sea Vacation to Celebrate our Daughters End of Chemo/End of Cancer! This vacation was booked more than a year in advance and time is now flying.
We are driving to Florida and will be leaving on Sunday Oct. 25th and will return Sun. Nov. 8th. Thus Taryn, Geoffrey and Daniel will be absent from school during this time.
As it is a lengthy trip, we will certainly have time for all our children to work on some school work so that they don’t fall behind.
I would love to take a package with us for Daniel, with any work the rest of the class will be working on in his absence. Please work out with Taryn and Geoffrey what they need to take/do while absent. There is plenty of time on the drive down and back, plus evenings in the hotel there and back, for the kids to do some work. If there are any tests scheduled during their absence, can it be arranged for them to either write them the Friday before we leave or soon after we are back?


Thank you.


And for my youngest




To: Mrs. Walsh

Our Family is going on Holiday this fall. We are taking our Children on a Disney Land and Sea Vacation to Celebrate our Daughters End of Chemo/End of Cancer! This vacation was booked more than a year in advance and time is now flying.
We are driving to Florida and will be leaving on Sunday Oct. 25th and will return Sun. Nov. 8th. Thus Tim will be absent from school during this time.
As it is a lengthy trip, we will certainly have time for all our children to work on some school work so that they don’t fall behind.
I would love to take a package with us for Tim, with any work sheets ect. the rest of the class will be working on in his absence.
I have made up some bingo travel games with simple words of things he is likely to see on the way down, and a game of spot the license plate. I’ve also found online a printable “Sink the battle ship game” which will have him counting and plotting points on paper. He will be bringing his leap pad read and write board (he loves that thing), and some new books for it. If you are able to put together a package of work for him, that will round out his “School on the road” for him.
Tim will be in Magic Kingdom for Halloween, and is sure to have a blast. But he has said to me on more than one occasion that he has to wear black and orange to school that day. I don’t know if it’s the concept of time he’s not catching or if he really feels he is going to miss out on something by not being here. I’ll work on that with him.

Thank you.

 

[Monica Langley]

We are leaving later this month for our long anticipated trip to WDW. I have a DS in 2nd grade and a DD in 4K. I've never taken my kids out of school for a trip so I was wondering what I need to put in my note to the principal/teacher. Obviously the dates, but I also want them to send any classwork home that we can do while on our trip. Can someone share with me the sample letter they sent to their DD/DS's school? I'd really appreciate the help.

Thanks!

A formal excuse letter should concisely and clearly outline the period and cause of absence.This means,intricate details of the cause should be avoided.In addition,the letter should reach the school in good time.It should further express both the parent's and child's willingness to make up for lost time by taking extra hours of coursework or any other way deemed fit.

Here is a template covering the aforementioned actionable tips,hopefully it will be of use to you.

[00/00/0000]
[School's Name]
[School's Address]
[City or Postal Code]

Dear Mr./Mrs.[Teacher's Last Name]

I write to notify you of the absence from school of [Child's Full Name] beginning [00/00/0000] to [00/00/0000].[Child's Name] has had a fever that necessitated medical attention.

On full recovery, I will collaboratively work with you to ensure [Child's name] catches up with the rest of the class.

Kindly, let me know of any further information I may need to provide.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
[Your Signature]
[Your Name]

In the event this doesn't help fully,I recommend https://www.docformats.com/excuse-letter-for-being-absent-in-school-due-to-family-vacation/

for more sample letters.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I told the teachers my daughter would be out, gave the dates and that's it. They don't need a reason. They gave us some work to do while she's out.

 

[prprincess]

I just did this last week. Our school posts homework assignments and test notices online. So I reviewed them, saw what we'd be missing, and then emailed the teachers asking if I could please have the work/study guides sent home. I did not tell them where we were going, but explained to them that while I hate pulling the kids out of school, we needed this time together because I'd been away or travel so much lately (which is the truth). Two just sent me the work without commenting, but one responded that she understood and supported me because she knows how much I'm away. I'm always honest with them without saying too much, though.

 

[maxiesmom]

This thread is 8 years old. I think it is time for a new one.