School Calender just came out. Would you rebook your vacation?

[firsttimer4]

Every year our parish takes fall break the Monday and Tuesday of Columbus day. So we booked our trip around that. We are booked for October 5-9th. The Calendar just came out for next school year and fall break is not until the next Monday and Tuesday!! We are already booked, flights booked, MNSSHP booked and ADR's booked. If we leave it my kids will miss 3 days of school. My DD is going into 3rd grade. I'm not worried about her as much as my son. It will be his first year in middle school. They are both very smart and I don't think would have a problem catching up. I am torn! HELP!!

 

[MarkinMA]

Columbus Day weekend can be busy - so think about it being a good thing. BUT, if you're going to lose money on rebooking airfare (should be OK moving the ADRs - and call about the party tickets...) But if you are going to have to throw money away to rebook. Don't...If it were me - I keep the kids out the whole week and extend for the entire week - use the days the next week and stay!!

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

I would check the middle school calendar to be sure you aren't traveling during the last couple of days of the first term (likely test days). Otherwise, go and enjoy.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

No I would absolutely not reschedule.
Missing 3 days of school itn's that much.
I'm not the smartest and I missed 8 days of school every year from pre-K through 12th grade.
Let the teachers know well in advance that this trip is taking place and ask if they would prefer to gather the work for those 3 days ahead of time or if they'd rather have the kids make it up after they return.

 

[firsttimer4]

I would check the middle school calendar to be sure you aren't traveling during the last couple of days of the first term (likely test days). Otherwise, go and enjoy.

The calendar doesn’t say much. Just that the grading period ends on October 10th. I spoke to a teacher that said if they are doing benchmark test those days he should be able to do them before we leave.

 

[verleniahall]

Vacations are for when school is out - so I think you should rebook

 

[firsttimer4]

I also just remember my DD has a BBB reservation during our trip. It’s the first time we’ve done it and I had a hard time getting the reservation. Ugh!! The thought of rescheduling makes me cringe

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I also just remember my DD has a BBB reservation during our trip. It’s the first time we’ve done it and I had a hard time getting the reservation. Ugh!! The thought of rescheduling makes me cringe

Don't stress yourself out.
Just go as scheduled.
Again 3 days isn't that big of a deal.
I know its "not the same" but if they were sick during those 3 days you wouldn't be stressing so much about the missed school.

 

[Elle23]

I personally wouldn’t reschedule. I take my kids out of school for whole weeks at a time and it has never been an issue.

 

[MichaelV]

I'd keep the dates and if anyone complains tell them to get the calendar out sooner. We still don't have ours and it's frustrating because we also want to plan a long weekend in the fall.

 

[firsttimer4]

I'd keep the dates and if anyone complains tell them to get the calendar out sooner. We still don't have ours and it's frustrating because we also want to plan a long weekend in the fall.

Exactly!! The bottom of the calendar they posted says “approved February 2018”. Well it sure wasn’t posted in February!! I looked back for previous years and fall break was always Columbus Day weekend. No idea why they decided to change it!!

 

[Finally DVC]

We bought into the mantra "Don't take your kids out of school for vacations" for most of my oldest DD's grade school years. When she was in her second year of middle school, we had had enough of blistering heat and afternoon thunderstorms so we pulled both kids out in November (DS was in 4th grade so he wasn't an issue). That trip was an epiphany. We lamented that we had wasted her first six years of school going during the summer, and with no regrets went again the next November. Then she started HS so we had to bow to the school calendar again.

Her "track" in middle school took algebra in 7th and 8th grade, and she confessed to us while she was in HS that during the 7th grade trip, she missed an important concept in algebra that took her a few years to recover from, but she didn't want to tell us because she wanted to go back to WDW in November of 8th grade.

She went on to take Calculus BC her junior year of HS, and graduate Summa Cum Laude from a top 20 university. In our experience, missing a week of middle school is not something from which a student cannot recover.

 

[BaymaxForever]

Is the school out for Columbus Day? Would they just miss the Friday and Tuesday?

This far into the game I would probably keep the trip as is. It’s not a whole week. But, If you can reschedule without too much stress and additional cost I would push it out.

Around here (the boards), people seem pretty firmly divided into two camps. The ‘go ahead and go’ group and the ‘not at any cost, your child will lose IQ points’ group. So opinions differ greatly.

I feel your pain. Waiting on school calendars myself. They’ll be the same for years and then all of a sudden, they change the weeks around. It’s frustrating.

 

[firsttimer4]

Is the school out for Columbus Day? Would they just miss the Friday and Tuesday?

This far into the game I would probably keep the trip as is. It’s not a whole week. But, If you can reschedule without too much stress and additional cost I would push it out.

Around here (the boards), people seem pretty firmly divided into two camps. The ‘go ahead and go’ group and the ‘not at any cost, your child will lose IQ points’ group. So opinions differ greatly.

I feel your pain. Waiting on school calendars myself. They’ll be the same for years and then all of a sudden, they change the weeks around. It’s frustrating.

For some reason this year it’s not showing them out for Columbus Day. They are out the next Monday and Tuesday.

 

[vinotinto]

I would rebook because Columbus Day weekend is so busy (been there 4 times) and I would be stressed to have the kids miss 3 days, only to return to time off from school.

Sounds like the only change fees would be from airfare, and you have a better chance to get a room discount if you don't go during Columbus Day.

 

[Antaniasmom]

I would not rebook it's still so early in the year that they won't miss much. We are thinking of doing a fall trip for first time this year and my DD will be in 8th grade. I have no qualms about doing this whatsoever. It's only a few days, make sure they get all their assignments upon return and make up any tests if they miss any. The 1st quarter for us ends 10/27, I'm sure yours can't be far off from that so no worries!!!!

 

[Antaniasmom]

The calendar doesn’t say much. Just that the grading period ends on October 10th. I spoke to a teacher that said if they are doing benchmark test those days he should be able to do them before we leave.

Wow when does school start?? Our qtr ends late Oct..we start around Aug 25th or so.

 

[Upatnoon]

You gambled and lost. I would just rebook as you have plenty of time to do it.

 

[motherof5]

Every year our parish takes fall break the Monday and Tuesday of Columbus day. So we booked our trip around that. We are booked for October 5-9th. The Calendar just came out for next school year and fall break is not until the next Monday and Tuesday!! We are already booked, flights booked, MNSSHP booked and ADR's booked. If we leave it my kids will miss 3 days of school. My DD is going into 3rd grade. I'm not worried about her as much as my son. It will be his first year in middle school. They are both very smart and I don't think would have a problem catching up. I am torn! HELP!!

Honestly I would leave it, if your children are not having issues in school. 3 days isn't much. I never took my kids out of school and since it was more expensive trips can far and few between. This year I tool my kids out 1 week in Dec and 3 days in Feb (cheaper not to leave the exact days of school vacation) My kids so far are honor roll students and I felt a few days wouldn't hurt. I did tell them that if they didn't keep their grades up we wouldn't do this in the future. They kept they grades up, the teachers didn't have any issues and gave us the missing assignments which we did on vacation. It was cheaper for my family to do this. I enjoyed the time with my family and will continue to do so until they go to Junior High or High School. They are little for such a short time frame, these family vacations are lasting memories and there is alot to learn even in Disney! My kids had fun learning and I wouldn't give it up.

 

[DizneyMommy]

Nope. I would not. Especially since you have flights booked. That's a bummer they give you such little notice on the calendar. We've had ours already for months and always have had it by around February. If it is not the first day, and not the last day, and not mid-terms, I would not bat an eyelash. I am not one to plan to take my kids out, but life happens sometimes. With enough notice teachers should be able to give her advance work to complete and not even fall behind. I don't know what grade they are in or how your school handles grading cut offs, but even being gone at quarter end would not be an issue for my kids, only semester.

That said, our local districts in Arizona and some other random states and areas are off school 9/29-10/16ish for Fall break, so it is going to be crowded no matter which weekend you pick.