Pulling DS5 out of school for trip

[scoolover]

My ex wife and I are taking my ds5 to Disney in Jan for marathon weekend. While planning this, it never occurred to me that he will be in school when we are going. He starts a half day of kindergarden in Sept. How many days would be reasonable for him to miss. My origional idea was to go for about 10 days which would have him miss 7 school days. It looks like that is out the window.
Thanks
Scott

 

[Starr W.]

I'll get the . These threads about school get interesting. First if you want my opinion, I have a 4th grader and my youngest will be in K (all day) next year. The max we pull them out is 2 days(Mon-Tues of Thanksgiving week). I think a week is too much, but that's me and my eldest won't even go there(he's an A/B student).

While most people think Kindergarten is no big deal, talking to the the teachers it has changed alot since my eldest was that age, they start the peridodic reading/sounds testing they used to start in 1st grade now in K. The preschool, run jointly by district/and county that the younger one goes to also has a "prereading" program that they are "tested on". Rhyming, and other prereading skills.

 

[scoolover]

Thanks for the reply. I hope it does not turn into a thread. I am just not up for it today. Some days sure but not today. Thanks

 

[laceemouse]

I would check with the school. While it may be okay in the younger grades, that is still a LOT of school to miss. Also, they do so much testing in school now, yes even in kindergarten. Face it, your life is never gonna be the same again once they get in school. You will HAVE to consider the school calendar every time you plan a trip. Also agree with the PP, kindergarten is not just play time anymore. Our kids did mega-work and had mega-homework from DAY ONE in public school. We homeschool now but we still have activities to schedule around....that' s life!

 

[mcqueengroupie]

We took our DS out of pre-k last year for 6 days and it was fine. We are going back this year but not until school is out. That being said, it seems like more than half his full day kindergarten class went WDW this year!!!! The teachers at our school seem to be OK with it. They do give work to the kids, but no one I've talked to had a problem. We are going back in Dec. and he will probobly be missing 5 or 6 days of first grade. You only live once, have fun while you can. I know people will kill me for saying that, but it is my life's experiences that have taught me that. I lost my parents when they were younger, and my DH was just hospitalized for heart problems (he's only 34!!) It can be areal eye opener when you realize that life is short. In the end it is your decision, you know what is right ofr you child.

 

[daisyduck123]

Hi!

I'm a 1st grade teacher & I wouldn't have a problem with it.
Your DS will only be in 1/2 day Kindergarten, so that would cinch it for me.

BTW, my own kids (8th grade & 3rd grade) will miss 6 days of school this May for our WDW trip.

Last year we went twice & they missed 11 school days.

I suggest you do it now, while your DS is so young.
It can be more difficult when he gets older.

It sounds like you have a great vacation planned. You will make a lot more memories than anything he will remember from some missed day of Kindergarten.

 

[ThreeMusketeers]

Hi Scott! I think its great that you and your EX wife are taking your child together! That is fantastic for your child.
I don't think you should have any problem taking him out of school. Family time is just as important esp at this age.

 

[2forMe]

At that age I would not have a problem at all with him missing school.. no worries!!

 

[tea4sanity]

I think taking the trip with with your DS & Ex wife is a smart idea. It will be wonderful for your son to have the family time together. As for school, don't worry about it. I would talk to the teacher ahead of time and see what work they will be doing. You can spend time in WDW do letter sounds, rhyming etc. At this age encorporating basic skills into your vacation is easy.

We are taking our trip in 12 days. Our 8th grader is missing 8 days of school. It was a hard decision but it was what was best for our family. We have put off this trip for years because of the school year. Next year it will only be harder because he will be in high school, 1 will be in K & 1 in college. The school was not happy but bottom line is he is MY child, MY choice. (BTW teachers gave him work to do either over spring break or while in WDW. Work to do in WDW is centered around the science/history in Epcot)

 

[I'mNoPrince]

We have been taking DD out for a few days here and there for the past few years .

This will stop as she starts HS next year and I think it will be harder to make up the work. We did watch out for the testing times so no impact there.

For 1/2 day Kinder I would just let the teacher know and see what could be done on the trip as a project with what they will be working on.

 

[antree]

We have been taking my DD out of school for our Disney trips since she was in kindergarten she is now in the 7th grade. The days ran from 5 to 10 days of missing school. She has been a straight A student from the start so it was no big deal for us to pull her out. My DS will be starting school this Sept. and I already have plans of pulling him out for our Oct. trip.
Go for it and Have Fun!

 

[scoolover]

Thanks everyone. I am a "you only live once", kind of guy as someone else said. I will put out a feeler at out open house next month and see how they react.

My parents took us out of school for for a week and I remember more about those trips than any school work I had.

Thanks again
Scott

 

[luvmy3jewels]

I would say it depends on the child and where they are on an academic level. If they are behind the rest of the class, then taking them out a week could really put them that much further behind.

We are taking my daughter out of her kindergarten class (1/2 day in a private school) in May for 7 days. After talking it over with her teacher, we are very comfortable with doing so (she is working way above grade level and the rest of the class already).

I am planning on finding out what the class will be covering that week and tutoring her while we are on our vacation.

 

[lindakmonty]

well, we were in this situation this year. My ds just turned 6 and we went the end of Jan/first of Feb on a land/sea package to wdw. We drive down and we added a few days to our trip as well. ds is in 1/2 day K and we talked to his teacher at the first parent/teacher conference. she just asked if she could go too He would have missed school for 7 days...but we got hit with some bad weather while we were gone and he only ended up missing 4 days of school I have no problem taking my son out of school for vacation.

 

[MSSANDRA]

1/2 kindergarten, I say go for 7 days. After that my limit would be 5 but this last year I would have no issues at all with 7. ENJOY.

 

[Nancyg56]

My DD kept my DGD out of Kindergarten this year for 6 days for our January trip. The teacher was okay with it and told her how to help her with the letter they were working on as well as some of the things she could talk to her about to keep he "in the loop". The week we were gone was a transition week from PM to AM so she told us it was going to be a very slow week for them as most would be almost asleep.

DD told me she will not do it again, but my SIL seems to be fine with it. I think that each child is different with how they handle missing school. The thing to watch out for is if your child has a lot of sick days as well. The impact of both may be difficult. I would find out how your school system treats absences and how your child's teacher feels about missing school.

 

[Starr W.]

Do find out your district's "taking kids out for vactions" policy. Our district seems okay with it, but 20+ yrs ago my mom took my sister out 1.5 days(Thurs. pm & Friday) to go to NYC for a trip from the museum(see some big special exhibit at the Met), she was in HS and the principal at the time gave mom a ration of "poop".