Planning DVC when school calender aren't out!

[lenshanem]

I thought this was interesting and wondered how this applies to DVC members that need to book sometimes at the 11 month window, especially during busy times like school holidays. Below is a quote someone replied to me when I told her I live in Marietta, Georgia on another thread. Below her quote are my thoughts!



quote:
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You're in Marietta, what do you think of our new 5 unexcused absense law that says that the school district cantake you to court/jail you for up to 30 days ?? Luckily hubby's a doc so I have the excuse thing down cold
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WHAT?!? You are kidding me Robin! I hadn't heard about that one! I plan our vacations around the school calender, but that still irritates me a tad.

If they are going to do that then I would appreciate they plan their school calender out more than this year in advance. Makes it kinda hard to plan vacations with DVC when they don't have next year's calender out. I'm in Cobb County, but even Cherokee County has three years out! I want to book a Disney cruise for next school year, but I'm waiting on their calender.

You never can predict when spring break will be, last year it was Easter week, this year it is the week after.

I read all the time on these boards about parents taking their kids out and telling the teacher, principal, etc. Since when did the state of Georgia value family time so little?!?

 

[DisneyHumbug]

Try contacting your Board of Education. They should at least have a preliminary calendar ready in advance!!

 

[zulaya]

Not taking Georgia's side here, but I wonder if this policy is because they have had rampant attendance issues and this policy is to get it under control.

I find it frustrating about school schedules as well. Our district doesn't publish the calendar until the spring before the school year. So for 2004-2005, we didn't see it until April 2004.

I can pretty much guess everything except spring break and some of the ambiguous teacher developments days that get inserted every so often into the calendar.

 

[lenshanem]

I agree. To make such a law there must be attendance problems or something. But, if the County next door to us can have three years out I don't see why our County can't have at least next year. I'm sure many families wait to plan trips or special events until they find out when the spring break is or other holidays for that matter.
It just doesn't work so well when trying to plan accordingly with next use years plans.
So, I'm curious if other DVCers with kids have also had this problem, too.

 

[kimpossible]

As a teacher, I am also dismayed by this. Although there are many who have taken advantage of the system, there are equally as many who don't. Unfortunately, this is a result of the No Child Left Behind Act, a policy implemented by our current administration. There is incresing pressure placed on the public schools based on factors, ie: attendance, standardize test performance...and the act has many flaws, imo.

I'm not here to get on a political soap box, but to give an answer that this is probably a trickle down effect from much higher.

 

[MrsM]

My stepson's school (in PA) has had this policy in place for quite a few years. I remember when we took him out in 1998 this was policy. The school district I live in has their calendar published for this year and next, the school district he's in only has this year.

We try to plan around times when we know he'll have at least one day off (Columbus Day, Thanksgiving) but it's hard to know what they'll do from one year to the next.

 

[RLevy29]

As a teacher, I plan around the "safe" times. I know that school will be closed from 12/24-1/1, and the months of July and August. I never plan for June anymore because of snow days. Just another reason to look forward to retirement!

 

[kweaver]

Shan - is the Marietta City or Cobb County schools?

 

[carone0318]

I guess I have it worse than most, I do not get the school calendar until my dd shows up to the first day of school. Granted, she goes to catholic school so, maybe they don't have to play by all of the same rules as public, but talk about trying to schedule. I just guess and go off the previous year. A couple of years ago, I did pull her out of school and thought that I had planned it the best I could, but there was a little more snow then usual and they ended up taking back Ascension Thursday, so she ended up missing 6 days of school. Oh well. Basically now though, we tend to keep to summer time, because she struggles at school and I don't want to make it any harder than it already is for her.

So for the 04-05 school year, I don't evern get a peak at the schedule until Sept 9th.

 

[WithDisneySpirit]

I'm feeling this in Birmingham also! I would like to plan an October DCL trip around my kids fall break. I even have a friend on the Jefferson County Board of Education; already called him and they really don't know yet He did say he would call me as soon as he did know but time already feels like it is running out

Lisa

 

[MommaluvsDis]

As another poster stated, check with your school district. I know that our teachers vote on the next year's calendar around March or so. Also, ask them if they have a policy of excused absences (sp?) for EDUCATIONAL TRAVEL. Ours does and all the student has to do is write a 1 page report on something new that they learned.

Worth a try.

 

[laceemouse]

I seem to see that many of you guys in the south have some sort of Fall break in October and lots of people in the Northeast have a Winter break in February or something. You all are very lucky!!! We only have the 2 weeks at Christmas, and a week in Spring (end of March.) Everygthing else is just a day here and a day there which does not allow for very long trips. We do have the Friday before Columbus Day off in October, and our kids will miss one day so we can make a quicky trip to OKW. All the parents here wish they would lump all of the Teacher Institute days together so we could have another week somewhere. We usually get a tentative calendar a year or so ahead, but the start date this year was changed a few months before school started so I did have a trip to re-schedule. I don't like for my kids to miss school, but it is hard to plan 11 months out!

 

[spiceycat]

my nephew goes to school in Ga - henry county. when the school couldn't give me the current schedule - they send me to the superintend of the schools and they send me to a website - it is pretty nice - they update it about 18 months in advance.

 

[AmyBeth68]

We are somewhat fortunate in that we get our school calendar in April of the previous school year. Most of the holidays up until Spring Break are pretty easy to figure out. Spring Break seems to change from year to year, but we could still make the 11 month window most times given when our calendar is out.

Our school district has a 10 absences rule. That includes sick days, doctor appointments and unexcused days (such as for a vacation). We definitely try to plan our vacations around the school holidays, even though that means larger crowds, great expense, etc. Sometimes we tack an extra day on and let the kids miss a day or two of school, but any more than that gets really sticky here.

Good luck with your plans. I would also suggest contacting the school board and seeing if you can get a rough outline for future school holidays. I would imagine that they would appreciate your desire to coincide family travel with school holidays, as opposed to taking the children out of school time for great lengths, and be willing to help you out as much as possible.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

Originally posted by kimpossible
Unfortunately, this is a result of the No Child Left Behind Act

Absolutely true. NCLB or as I like to call it "No Child Left Untested" has turned everything upside down. Districts are forced to put in rules and regulations that they would not have otherwise. I don't want to be political either and will say NCLB was supported by Democrats and Republicans alike.

That is no excuse though for not having a calendar out. Most dsitricts know their calendar well in advance of the new school year and parents should have access to that information.

HBC

 

[Johnnie Fedora]

Originally posted by kimpossible
Unfortunately, this is a result of the No Child Left Behind Act, a policy implemented by our current administration. There is incresing pressure placed on the public schools based on factors, ie: attendance, standardize test performance...and the act has many flaws, imo. I'm not here to get on a political soap box, but to give an answer that this is probably a trickle down effect from much higher.

Not to get on a political soapbox either, but I believe the NCLBA was strongly supported by a prominent senator (Mr. Kennedy)from MA. The law was enacted and funding for it is appropriated by congress not the executive branch.

As for this GA law, that sounds like it is a local issue. Many public schools receive state funds based on attendence, so there is a direct relationship between attendence and the funding an individual school receives.

We plan on scheduling one DVC trip during the school year, but will try to schedule a trip during a week where there is a holiday or preceeding a break. This will get harder as the kids get older, so while they are little, we will try this stratagy. We played the school calander guessing game in timing the activation of our AP and ran into problems for our final DVC trip on this AP. Most plans this far in advance will need a little tweaking before being finalized.

 

[kimpossible]

Originally posted by laceemouse
I seem to see that many of you guys in the south have some sort of Fall break in October and lots of people in the Northeast have a Winter break in February or something. You all are very lucky!!! We only have the 2 weeks at Christmas, and a week in Spring (end of March.)]

Wow. That is still great. In the districts around here, we get off From 12/24-1/01 and Spring Break is from Holy Thurs-Easter Mon. That is it. We save most of our trips for late June.

 

[natt]

I've given up trying to second-guess how our district will work it's calender! We have so many in-service days sprinkled throughout the year, but it's never the same to plan from year to year! We're booked for Veteren's Day week to attend the F&W Fesitval. I was hoping when I booked last Dec. , that since Veteren's Day is on a Thurs, that maybe they would make that Friday an in-service day...Instead, they made the Monday before Election Day and in-service day.

My girls will end up missing three days of school, but I guess that's better than five! This will probably be the last time we plan anything during school that includes the kids, unless our district eventually goes to a year round schedule.

 

[twinmomplus2new]

The policey here is 10 or more unexcused days per quarter. So in other words. I am taking my ds10 out for 5 days in early December those are not excused. They can not be excused only illness or family emergency are excuseable.

Last year we took these same 5 days. Then twice before the end of the semester he was ill. Both illnesses, 4 days out of school, And we ended up needing the doctors note as he had exceeded 10 days. No problem at the end as he had a legit doctors note for the 8 additional days missed.

DD17 has the same policey, but it is up to the indiviual teachers if they want to let her make up the work she missed, They can arbitrarily decide to not allow her to make it up. As a senior in High School it is a whole differant ball game. She simply can not take those 5 days. She has 2 options she can come with us wednsday and only miss Thursday and Friday or stay with Uncle. So far she is staying with Uncle and not coming.

As far as calender, we too get it on the first day of school. However a tentative copy is given the previous April to the teachers. I can obtain a copy they will just issue a disclaimer as to the veracity of the information.
Last week I neeeded next years April school vacation dates. So I simply called a friend who is a teacher, and she told me. Are you friendly with any teachers. I am sure they will have a copy!

 

[SoCalKDG]

In this case then, would you just use the previous school calender, make reservations at 11 months for a specific time, then just change the reservation if the dates don't work?