Parents - What would you do?

[deanna2426]

I'm not sure if this is posted in the right place, but here it goes...

We were planning on going to Disney November 5- 13 staying at the Poly. Even though we are from NJ, we intentionally picked this week to avoid what little crowds the convention would cause.

However, our oldest DS(5) is starting Kindergarten this year and going this week would mean he would miss 8 of 10 days (3 school holidays, 5 vacation). At first we were thinking it wasn't a big deal, but now I am not so sure. I called WDTC and they can switch us to 11/1-9, so he would only miss 5 of 10 days (3 school holidays, 2 vacation).

Normally, I would just switch without thinking about it, but we are travelling with two other families. One of the moms truly doesn't care if her children miss school and I don't know how to approach the subject without insulting her. We would still overlap their vacation and be able to spend 5 days/4 nights with them.

Thanks for any opinions.

 

[Golter]

Without knowing your family, your child, their school, or many other factors - its hard to say what you should do. I can tell you this though, we have taken our kids out of school for each of our 4 trips and will continue to do so. My oldest missed a week of 2nd grade, 4th grade, 6th grade and 7th grade. My middle has missed week of Kindergarted and 1st grade. My youngest has yet to miss anything other than pre - K. We are going in December again and they will all miss another week. It has not even been a minor issue for them or their school. In fact, last December I forgot to inform the schools of their abscences (I told teachers, but not principal). I finally called from WDW a few days into our trip and they said "have fun"


Hope this helps.

 

[zurgswife]

Personally....my opinon is that it is only school...and family is much more important....

We are taking our 4 kids-- 1st, 5th, 6th and 8th out for the week of Dec 4 to Dec 12th....5 school days will be missed....didn't even give it a second thought....JMHO

 

[Miniefan]

As a parent I always feel that ultimately the decision is up to you, but I would make the teacher aware of his absence, that way she can give you any make up work, although at the kindergarten level I doubt if he will have homework, but kids at that age sometimes tend to forget minor things they are working on, so when my son was in Kindergarten his teacher gave each child a packet with some flash cards that went over things like colors, counting objects, and some pages of associations with words that rhyme, for example it would have pics of lake, rake, snake, cake, and cat, and would have to try and figure out which word didn't belong. That way on vacation holidays the children could practice some of things they were working on in class. I am sure that it will be fine, but I would try to let his teacher know, most understand.
HTH
Kim

 

[KSgirl]

I have taken my children out of school for a Disney trip, missing up to 5 full days of school. The kids were all in elementary. In my opinion, time spent together as a family is equally valuable, if not more so, than time spent in school. We did discuss this in length with the teachers beforehand, and did any make-up work possible ahead of our departure. I am fairly certain that missing a few days in kindergarten (even up to the amount that you are planning) will not adversely effect your child in this case. I would, however, bring it up with the teacher at the beginning of the school year, and again closer to the date so that (s)he can plan in advance to do testing or other assessments that might take place while your child is absent. And, BTW, I actually was a kindergarten teacher before I elected to stay at home with my four children .

Fun (and slightly educational) things you can do with your children while you are at Disney include:
-> keeping a daily journal (even a kindergartener can illustrate a picture of what they did that day and dictate the text to an adult).
-> making a disney ABC book beforehand and hunting for things to fill the pages with while you are there (autographs, photos, pressed pennies, ticket stubs, etc.)
-> sending e-mails to the teacher (many have thier own e-mail accounts through the district) and class from the Imagination What If? Labs and/or Innoventions West at Epcot
-> researching and hunting down (and documenting) Hidden Mickeys in the parks.
-> Locating the World Showcase countries on a map...making a mask at the Kidcot stations and bringing it back for show and tell.
-> Collecting pressed pennies (you can sort these in all kinds of ways, count them, etc.)

The time you spend with your child is priceless and the memories you will have from this trip will last a lifetime. Go prepared....but have a wonderful time!

 

[dahess]

You can always ask the teacher for work to do on the ride down to WDW!!

 

[twinmomplus2new]

A little one in kindergarten to me is still a baby, and belongs with ypu/ Your his mom and you have nothing to feel guilty about. He will be fine. Tell the teacher in advance I am sure she can help you by hilighting what they will be doing during that time.

That said, I have dd17, ds10, ds's almost 4. Up until my oldest DD hit high school they took 5 days each. Once she hit the high school. They will not excuse those days. So she only goes on the weekend and stays with uncle the rest of the time....

 

[Disney1fan2002]

I would say with it being just Kindergarten, then it should not be a big deal. Some schools will not encourage parents taking children out for vacation, so they will not give out any work ahead of time ( our school does this, the OFFICIAL policy is not to give out work, but I talk to the teachers, and even missing 4 days of school, a 2nd grader can get way behind, so she sneaks me a packet)

Talk to the teacher, and find out what they will be learning while you are gone. Last year, my DD's teacher told me to get a book about the pilgrims and read it to her on vacation (we went during Thanksgiving) because that is what she would be missing while she was gone.

All in all, even if you don't get any work ahead of time, I would say he won't fall behind in kindergarten. You can work with him on his numbers, colors, and bring some paper so he can practice some writing. A great FUN math idea is to get a package of M&M's, have him sort them by color, and then have him count the pile, then graph the colors by the amounts. My DD and DS both love this!

Keep your dates! It sounds like a WONDERFUL trip....10 days, I am jealous!

OH...just to give you an idea, this is what my DS had to do when we took a trip when he was in 1st grade. he had to write a daily journal, everyday, he had to write his favorite part of the day, and draw a picture to coincide. For example, he wrote "Today I went to MGM. My favorite ride is the Tower Of Terror" Then he drew a picture of the Tower of Terror. I know in Kindergarten, he may not be writing all that well, but my dd's K teacher has them write a journal every day. They can write whatever they want, and draw a picture showing what they wrote. Not all of it is legible, but it allows them to practice writing.

 

[BitsnBearsMom]

My opinion for what it counts.... it's only KG.... he'll learn so much more by being with you and family.

I'm taking my 10yr old (gr5) out of school for 10 school days in October and the teachers here have said he will have to keep a journal and read every day for 15 mins but even his resource teacher (he has LD's) agrees that he will learn so much by coming with us and having the experience of travelling and seeing new things.

Good luck with your decision!! They are only little once so enjoy the family vacations while they still want to go with you!!

 

[SuJo]

I have taken both of my DDs out of Kindergarten when they were little and it was worth it. They are not doing anything hard that you can't make up and the crowds are a lot lower at the parks so you don't have to wait forever in line with young children. I would definitely tell the teacher. Both of my DDs teacher's had them keep a journal about their trip and we even included pictures. They loved going back to school and sharing their journal with the class.

Good Luck,
SuJo

 

[mmccoy]

One of the reason schools frown on your kids being out, at the least the schools in Georgia anyway, is because school ratings depend in part on absenteeism rates.

I work closely with a public elementary school in my area. The school is highly regarded, but was temporarily listed as an "underperforming" school because of tardies and absences. Seems a lot of folks take kids on vacations during the school year.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not opposed to the idea. If my highschooler didn't need to be at school every day I'd take offseason vacations, too. Just figured I'd give you the school perspective.

 

[tink2]

Here's my humble opinion and what I am doing with this matter:
My DD will be in K this year. I am a second grade teacher also. My DH can not take off the breaks that I have due to the nature of his work. So, not only am I taking DD out of school for 5 days, I am going to miss 5 days also for vacation in December (3 personal days and 2 without pay). I will inform the K teacher at the beginning of the year. I will leave a very capable substitute with my students. We will go and have fun and not stress about it. My principal and superintendent already know- b/c I am taking 2 days without pay- I chose to get permission. They both said family time is important- I'm glad they agree!
I say it is kindergarten- go and have fun! As long as your child won't be terribly behind-and again, it is kindergarten- go! I'm not belittling kindergarten in any way- it is very important to get a good foundation- but it shouldn't be that hard to catch up, if you even have to! In any grade, as long as the student can catch up easily and not be behind, I say go and enjoy your family.
Family comes first in my book!

 

[Missy1961]

You should check with the school. Some are very tough about days out--if a kid goes past a certain number, they could be held back.

 

[Pluto4Pres]

We took several trips when the kids were young and pulled them out of school. It was well worth it. Missing a week of kindergarten is not going to have any detrimental effect on your child's educational experience. Instead it will provide many opportunities to turn it into a positive.

Do it while their young. Once they get to HS you can't pull them out any more. They'll miss too much. Now we have to go during the peak seasons and fight the crowds. It's still a great time, but those off peak trips were special.

 

[DVCforMe]

It all depends on your child , your school, and the teachers. I've taken our daughter out of class 2-3 times a year for up to a week at a time for kindergarten thru 2nd grade with the blessing of her teachers and her school. We let the teachers know ahead of time so it there's home-work planned she gets it early. She keeps a journal of her daily activities and draws a picture of something she did each day. On return, she shares her trip with the class. I ask the teacher ahead of time too if they would like me to bring something back for the class to learn about - like a copy of the Declaration of Independence from Philly or a volcanic rock from Hawaii. It had worked out beautifully for us - I cherish these trips with my daughter, and I know when her school reponsibilities increase we are going to have to scale back. But for now we travel! Kids learn so much of life from being with their family and seeing new things. Even having someone behave rudely or cut in line at Disney World is an opportunity for you to teach your child. Good luck with your decision and have a great trip no matter what you decide!

 

[dlaushey]

I wouldn't hesitate to miss a few days of Kindergarten for WDW. I would inform the teacher and school however, I would not ask for school work to be sent home. Teachers have enough work to do preparing for the children who are in class each day. They do not have time to pull together a weeks worth of work for 1 child. If you are concerned about what they will be missing you should see the work they are bringing home and create some drills you can do in the car or while in line with them. Flash cards can be bought a Wal-Mart for most grade levels. JMHO as the spouse of a teacher.

 

[fanofmickey]

I would agree with most of the posters - it's only kindergarten. As your child gets older this will become more difficult, so I say take advantage of it while they are young. When my oldest went to Magical Music Days in spring of 02 we took other kids out of school and went down, too (DD 7th grade and twin DD in K). This was only for 3 days, and was the last time that we could comfortably take out the oldest DD. In high school here, more than 10 absences puts you in front of a tribunal to determine if you should pass your classes or not - imagine having an extended illness on top of a week of vacation. It just becomes to risky after a certain age, but Kindergarten? GO FOR IT.

 

[kwdietrich1]

I say, Go for it! As a teacher, myself, I have no problem with students missing school for vacation as long as the work is made up! Now if your children were in High school and were missing semester exams, that would be a different story. But since that is not you situation, I say enjoy your family time. Be sure to check district policies, and most likely as in our district, it would be considered an educational trip. I am taking 3 personal days before Christmas break so that my family can leave early and beat the mad rush! Our district is not very strict with family vacations. Parents have a lot of power in our district. Just be sure to take lots of pictures so your children can "show and tell" when they return!

 

[swilphil]

It does depend a lot on the teacher and the school. If you don't know who your child's teacher is yet, call the school and talk to the principal. There might be some testing or activities going on during that time. I would lean toward 11/1-9 because that will include the day after Halloween. NO teacher expects any learning to go on that day anyway!!

 

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

Originally posted by dlaushey
I wouldn't hesitate to miss a few days of Kindergarten for WDW. I would inform the teacher and school however, I would not ask for school work to be sent home. Teachers have enough work to do preparing for the children who are in class each day. They do not have time to pull together a weeks worth of work for 1 child. If you are concerned about what they will be missing you should see the work they are bringing home and create some drills you can do in the car or while in line with them. Flash cards can be bought a Wal-Mart for most grade levels. JMHO as the spouse of a teacher.

I taught, too, before my three little ones, and gathering work together for a student before a trip is a HUGE drag! I based lessons very much on the kids' needs and responses to everything and didn't know what exactly we'd be doing in 2 weeks! Also, lots of lessons aren't any longer read chapter 9 and answer the questiosn at the end of chapter. They are more interactive, creative, etc... And so many times, I worked hard to get work to gether in advance, best I could, and the kids wouldn't return it, anyhow!!

I will be taking my Kindergartener out for 2 weeks this December -- and while I'm elated at the thought of my trip, I am stressed about her missing school. I think it is a great family experience (three generations), and I will work with her to keep a journal while we are away. I have also gotten some books to enhance her experiences at Animal Kingodm and Epcot - about different animals and countries, etc. I even picked up a children's biography of Walt Disney (I was an English teacher ) so I think that will help fill in a few gaps while we are away.

Also, her elementary school has a policy that work will not be given out in advance. The teacher is to set it aside as it is missed - and it is then to be completed by the student at her own pace upon returning. I think this is great for the teachers and the kids! I will work with her to make sure she is caught up in a reasonable amount of time. Maybe you could ask your teacher if this would be more convenient. (Even something simple like making photo copies of a worksheet might not be done untilt he week it is need, so requesting work a week or so in advance is not really helpful.)

As my kids get older, we will travel just during Jersey Week so they won't continue to miss too much school, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to see Disney at Christmas time while they are still young!