PART THREE! *December 2012 Roll Call* Holidays, FLE & MVMCP!! A very, merry thread!

[cybrkitn]

I'm lost. Someone wanna share the details?!

I thought that question might throw some people for a loop . If you scroll all the way down to the bottom of any page you will find a small drop down box on the left hand side. It's automatically set for "default". However, if you click on it, you will find that you have the option of changing your background to another one. The DISboards used to have more than what is there now and had the holiday theme available all year. Since we are getting closer to our trip and the holidays, I was hoping to change it. I guess I have to wait a few weeks. By then, the "powers that be" will have changed the main page background to the holiday themed one and we'll all have it.

 

[ses1230]

Well, we got a call from the vet clinic this morning. Our poor Beethoven had been hit by a car and passed away. So I'm home from work to bury him today. PLEASE posts lots and lots of fun trip plans today so when I finally get back on here I have loads to smile and laugh about!

So sorry for your loss.

 

[happy tink]

Well, we got a call from the vet clinic this morning. Our poor Beethoven had been hit by a car and passed away. So I'm home from work to bury him today. PLEASE posts lots and lots of fun trip plans today so when I finally get back on here I have loads to smile and laugh about!

So sorry for your loss.

 

[cybrkitn]

I have to come here and post because I am too excited right now to contain myself!!! Add me...officially, this time! I may already be on the list as this trip has changed so many times over the past year...and had to be cancelled. But, I just hung up with WDW and it's official...WE ARE GOING TO DISNEY!!!!
12/9-12/15 at Fort Wildnerness...MVMCP on 12/11!!! I'm going to burst!!!!

As pp's have said, make sure to look at the first 2-3 pages for some valuable info! Tofu beast has done a terrific job . Also a warning - this thread has been known to move very, very fast. You can post in the morning and by the time you come back in the evening, 10 pages or so have gone by!

 

[Destructsean]

Morning everyone.

Some Halloween this is turning out to be. No power, living out of my fiance's parents house. No timetable for restoration of power.

Oh well, 30 days until the magic happens.

Off to browse some halloween themed Disney pictures. I need something to put me in a better mood.

 

[ses1230]

We are finally back home. We stayed home for a whole day without power, finally went to a hotel last night. Our neighbor called and said power is back, so now we are home and have to empty the whole fridge. The girls are home again from school driving each other crazy and our township moved Halloween til Saturday.

But everyone remained safe and that is the important thing. I hope everyone else fared well - I haven't caught up on the thread yet.

On a Disney note, I saw on another thread that photopass plus preorder is now $149.

http://www.disneyphotopass.com/specialoffers/wdwppp.htm

 

[QueenElinor]

Hi all, I have been watching national news and the photos/video of Sandy. Horrible. Did anyone see mayor Cuomo say we have a 100-year flood every two years " Things are changing so drastically with our weather in general. It is weird to be thinking of planning a vacation when I see people without homes, etc.

That happened to us in 2010 and again in 2011. The first time the city had to pay for our flood damage. The second time I already had a berm erected to fend off the water from their property as we literally had a river in our street. Statistically, hundred year floods can happen more often than it would sound like they could- if you live in a house for 25 years there's a one in four chance you'll experience one!

My son's school won't let them out for Disney. If you go you'll get a letter stating your child was out for uneducated reasons and will receive no credit for any work due or any tests during the absence. People still do it, but his school district is hard about it. Good luck!!!

People do it constantly at my kids' school- it helps that it's private, I think they don't want to antagonize the parents. And spring break is always at Easter, which is sometimes hard to coordinate with other family members. So they're realistic about it.

The other thing is, there is a large home school contingent here and so all the schools in a sense have to compete with that. I homeschooled my eldest son for two years and that was awesome in terms of both learning & flexibility.

Anyway, I feel you on the school thing too. We are taking the kids out for five days (3rd grade and kindergarten). This is the third year we've taken out of school for Disney. Our county allows 10 unexcused absences per year. I wrote letters to the principal for each girl about why we were going during the school year, how we would work with the teacher to make up work, etc etc ... and the principal did approve the trip.

This is pretty standard across the country. The 10-day limit is why we're not taking our son out for any other reason this semester- we even left him with friends while we flew out with our daughter when she started college in CA this fall. I like the letter idea, I am going to write one for our son, especially since I just found out he'll be missing the Christmas concert on Dec. 16.

 

[happy tink]

Our elem kids have planners - they must be signed by the parent every night. If the kid doesn't bring them home to get them signed, they sit the first 10 mins of recess "on the fence" which is in front of it and watch the other kids play. Corrects that "forgetting" the planner really quick, b/c they want to play.

Our Jr High has planners this year too - but we dont have to sign anymore. Our district has a parent website where the teachers - starting in about 4th grade start loading assignments there too. Grades are online for all ages, but the younger teachers use a newsletter to send home info, some post it online, some dont, but once they hit about 4th grade everything is online AND in the planner.

At about 4th grade I stop checking homework for correct answers. I ask "is your home work done? do you have questions?" (knowing I am tracking their daily grades/assignments online. Its up to the kid to start telling me when then are struggling, and if they make a bad grade, w/o asking for help, its on them and they start loosing privileges. I want them to understand when the consequences are small, that they have personal responsibility in choices they make. My experience as a college freshman biology lab teacher made me declare "MY children will not expect their hands to be held in COLLEGE!!!" Very frustrating. lol *rant over*

Very smart of you. I applauded you!

 

[ses1230]

Morning everyone.

Some Halloween this is turning out to be. No power, living out of my fiance's parents house. No timetable for restoration of power.

Oh well, 30 days until the magic happens.

Off to browse some halloween themed Disney pictures. I need something to put me in a better mood.

That stinks. My sister still doesn't have power and peco told her Friday.

 

[jwgm2012]

Well, we got a call from the vet clinic this morning. Our poor Beethoven had been hit by a car and passed away. So I'm home from work to bury him today. PLEASE posts lots and lots of fun trip plans today so when I finally get back on here I have loads to smile and laugh about!

I'm so sorry for your loss. He was a lucky dog to have been so loved by you and your family.

 

[ksromack]

Ok, I need to vent before bed or I'll toss and turn all night. I still might, but oh well. This afternoon I said something to my son out of frustration--something along the lines of not allowing him to go to Disney if he doesn't buckle down, write all of his homework down, and bring his supplies home. I said this in front of my husband, and now he is running with it. He is worried about what the teacher will say when I tell her we are taking the kids out for five days, and thinks she might hold DS back because of it (she can't). I spent all night on my touring plan, working right in front of DH. When I offer to show him the Disney Store package we got today, he says, "Well, that's if Q can go." I say"oh, he's going! We're fully paid!" DH tells me I am being stubborn :yes:, and that "it's only money." ONLY MONEY! It's thousands of dollars. If I have to homeschool the kid myself (which I have considered numerous times), WE ARE GOING! Ugh. Me and my big mouth. This is what makes me wish the trip was done with already. Or at least get my "talk with the teacher" over with already so we can quit worrying about it. My neighbor told me that her friend got a Disney Cruise approved as an educational trip by our principal, so maybe I should talk to her first. I'm so over this stress.

(In case you're wondering why I chose school time to go: we've been promising our DD for 3 years that we'd take her to WDW for her 7th birthday. Her birthday is Dec. 9th. Also, my husband and FIL do not do well in crowds, so Christmas break would be paralyzing for them)

I would just bite the bullet and talk to the teacher now.....and be equipped to give her reasons why this is a great educational opportunity! I did this with my dd when she was in kindergarten. I know it was just kindergarten but let me tell you, her catholic school never encouraged holidays outside of the norm! Anna kept a journal and wrote about Her trip. She was reading when she was 3.5 years old so she was reading/writing already. I did feel like I had to jump through hoops

 

[Destructsean]

That stinks. My sister still doesn't have power and peco told her Friday.

Peco originally said last night, but they keep pushing it back a day. As of now it could take a week for full services to resume.

 

[jwgm2012]

30 days from today we'll be on the jet plane!!

wow, I can't wait!

 

[molitva]

You are absolutely right. I called our County Education board as I wanted to ensure I got the correct info from the ones who make the rules and our County said that yes, I would most likely receive a letter saying tut, tut you had an unexcused absence because that's what the computer system generates HOWEVER, he said that a family trip to Disney at Christmas was priceless and something my child would remember forever whereas she won't remember any of her schoolwork from that day so he told us to go ahead and that he would email our Principal & Bronwyn's homeroom teacher letting them know he had cleared it.

I'm glad at least some counties are reasonable. I guess I have a natural distaste for blanket policies with no exceptions. I can't recall ever having a problem getting excused for a family vacation to Disney. In fact, half the school went on week-long band trips to Disney every 3 years. Maybe that's a benefit of going to a small, rural school.

Well, we got a call from the vet clinic this morning. Our poor Beethoven had been hit by a car and passed away. So I'm home from work to bury him today. PLEASE posts lots and lots of fun trip plans today so when I finally get back on here I have loads to smile and laugh about!

I am so so sorry for your loss! I know just how much pets are part of the family.

 

[1stvisit0909]

Very smart of you. I applauded you!

Those freshmen just made me shake my head. I've already been though Jr High and HS - its my kids turn. LOL (wee bit of a pet peeve, too)

 

[Wendimn]

Sooo tired of reading what a nightmare my Christmas Disney trip will be...someone just referred to that time as "vacation suicide" I know it will be very busy..but how can one person call it vacation suicide and others keep telling me if we plan..it will be fine??

 

[PrincessAurora27]

Well, we got a call from the vet clinic this morning. Our poor Beethoven had been hit by a car and passed away. So I'm home from work to bury him today. PLEASE posts lots and lots of fun trip plans today so when I finally get back on here I have loads to smile and laugh about!

I'm so sorry. It hurts losing a furbaby.

 

[My2Qtz0205]

This is pretty standard across the country. The 10-day limit is why we're not taking our son out for any other reason this semester- we even left him with friends while we flew out with our daughter when she started college in CA this fall. I like the letter idea, I am going to write one for our son, especially since I just found out he'll be missing the Christmas concert on Dec. 16.

Our limit is 5 days. That is why the kids are attending school half-day on Friday, and we are taking a later flight. When you read the policy, it is obviously meant for truant high schoolers (missing more than five will get the school resource officer involved). For some reason they felt they had to make it a blanket policy.

 

[QueenElinor]

Sooo tired of reading what a nightmare my Christmas Disney trip will be...someone just referred to that time as "vacation suicide" I know it will be very busy..but how can one person call it vacation suicide and others keep telling me if we plan..it will be fine??

Even the people that write the touring plans will tell you that, unless you go on super slow days (which don't happen very often), having a plan matters more than which day you go.

 

[geckodani]

You need to post pics too!

Here is the before and after from today. Kind of hard to see because it is short. I need to play with it and get used to it.

It looks fantastic!!!!

For all the Star Wars fans out there - check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJlbPXZEpRE