School Letter

[KerriMc]

Hello

I am a teacher and I have to tell you that the vast majority of us have no problems with parents taking their children out of school for a holiday. We aren't required, according to school policy, to provide work ahead of time (as I don't always have the actual work prepared to go weeks in advance). I do like them to do a journal and describe it to the class. Now - I teach Kindergarten, so maybe I see it differently than some of the teachers in the older grades, but to me a holiday with your children is important. It is educational in a sense. Maybe not necessarily curriculum related, but more life related. I live in an area where many of my kiddos are lucky to visit a neighbouring city that is only 25 minutes away. They have no idea that there is a whole other world out there, which is sad really. So when I had a little girl visit WDW last year she brought back pictures and made up a little picture journal to share with us. The kids were really excited to see her in those pictures with the characters!

I really believe in travelling with your kids. I grew up travelling with my parents and have wonderful memories of those moments. I want my kids to have the same kind of memories. So I encourage parents when they mention they are thinking of a holiday with their children. I'm usually a tad envious and really would just like to tag along

Kerri

 

[Yzma and Kronk]

wanna-b-tink,

Is truancy a huge problem in the states? I really don't understand why the schools care that you take your kids out for vacation, weddings, etc. My BIL is coming to a wedding here next month and they are freaking out about taking the kids out of school for one day. They boys are in SK and Grade 2. They live in Tennessee.

Any insight???

We just moved back from Georgia, so I can answer your question. It's all got to do with "The No Child left behind Act" (which I admit I don't know a lot of details about it) but I do know that the schools now get money from the federal government based on attendance. At my kids school they watched very carefully if you were absent. They also sent out a schedule of when you would be marked absent. Example, if your child had to leave school for an appointment it was better to send them in the morning, sign them out and then sign them back in. This way they would be counted as attending that day. Or they asked you wait until after 11:45am, as they would be counted as a full day of attendance.

We took DH out of school for a week the previous year, she was sick for 3 days, and we left early on the days before holidays to drive to Canada. That year she missed 11 days total (grade 2) At the beginning of last year, we got a very nasty toned letter from the school saying basically that she was absent for more than 10 days and this was unacceptable. It lectured about how important school is, attendance, getting social services involved, etc. I was really put off, until I called and it was explained to me that they had to "red-flag" anyone over 10 days because of no child left behind.

Plus, I believe the principals pay/bonus is also based on attendance, plus test scores. It's really different, but I'd say it works because the public school was excellent, and they really worked hard to make it one of the best in the area. I guess money motivates!

Some schools are easier than others in terms of taking your child out based on the above. They cannot force you to not take your child out, but sometimes they will do their best to discourage you! Our kids school didn't like it, but it wasn't a major problem to take them out. Perhaps your BIL's school is a bit more strict. You can get this impression from some who post on the CM regarding taking kids out.

I hope this helps.

 

[mom_rules]

LOL Kidangel-I think I'm about 3-4 hours up the 401.

 

[Susan--Ontario]

We just moved back from Georgia, so I can answer your question. It's all got to do with "The No Child left behind Act" (which I admit I don't know a lot of details about it) but I do know that the schools now get money from the federal government based on attendance. At my kids school they watched very carefully if you were absent. They also sent out a schedule of when you would be marked absent. Example, if your child had to leave school for an appointment it was better to send them in the morning, sign them out and then sign them back in. This way they would be counted as attending that day. Or they asked you wait until after 11:45am, as they would be counted as a full day of attendance.

We took DH out of school for a week the previous year, she was sick for 3 days, and we left early on the days before holidays to drive to Canada. That year she missed 11 days total (grade 2) At the beginning of last year, we got a very nasty toned letter from the school saying basically that she was absent for more than 10 days and this was unacceptable. It lectured about how important school is, attendance, getting social services involved, etc. I was really put off, until I called and it was explained to me that they had to "red-flag" anyone over 10 days because of no child left behind.

Plus, I believe the principals pay/bonus is also based on attendance, plus test scores. It's really different, but I'd say it works because the public school was excellent, and they really worked hard to make it one of the best in the area. I guess money motivates!

Some schools are easier than others in terms of taking your child out based on the above. They cannot force you to not take your child out, but sometimes they will do their best to discourage you! Our kids school didn't like it, but it wasn't a major problem to take them out. Perhaps your BIL's school is a bit more strict. You can get this impression from some who post on the CM regarding taking kids out.

I hope this helps.

Thanks for the info. My children go to a private Christian school here in London and I've never had a problem. They believe time spent as a family far outweighs anything else. It would be nice if we got money from the government like the Catholic schools, and if it was based on attendance then I might (not really) consider it.

How do you like being back here?? or should we wait until the snow flies to ask that question.

 

[CharlesTD]

The Thames Valley board in London has had no problems with our kids missing school to go to WDW and we take the kids pretty much every year for 2 weeks.

 

[Yzma and Kronk]

How do you like being back here?? or should we wait until the snow flies to ask that question.

That's a loaded question for sure!

The postitive: It's great to be back in Canada and back home with family and friends.

The negative: I'm going to be really grumpy come February!!
Taxes, taxes, taxes. Major sticker shock with regards to how much things cost! Paying PST and GST. Eating out costs WAY to much. Don't get me started on customer service in this country (I live in the GTA!) I guess I got used to the Southern hospitality.
I hate that I cannot find the one thing I'm looking for.....in otherwords, I miss Target, Kohls, etc. But there is always Buffalo. Gas prices. Health care.

However, as Dorothy said, "There is no place like home" so overall it's good to be back. Just please turn up the heat this winter!!

 

[CharlesTD]

Don't get me started on customer service in this country (I live in the GTA!) I guess I got used to the Southern hospitality.


However, as Dorothy said, "There is no place like home" so overall it's good to be back. Just please turn up the heat this winter!!

WOW I found that to be far from the truth compared to customer service up here. I have stayed with friends in Woodstock GA and also in Knoxville Tenn and the customer service in both those place was horrendous. No please no excuse me's and no thank yous not even a may I help you. In Tenn it was even worse there was a great deal of racism toward blacks there the people I stay with there the husband is from the GTA and he was floored at the lack of respect that people had for each other in Tenn and in Georgia. I could never live in teh US it is a nice place to visit but never could I live there I will put up with high taxes and universal underfunded healthcare before ever going to the US to live LOL.

 

[Susan--Ontario]

Not me Charles,

I love Tennessee and Georgia. The people are very friendly. I pick up their accent in about 3 seconds though. Dolly Parton is my favourite entertainer. That pretty much sums it all up. I can't wait to travel through the Smokies in late October and see all the beautiful trees.

I would miss my family too much though if I lived that far away.

Wouldn't miss the 15% tax though.

 

[Yzma and Kronk]

Charles - interesting. I found for the most part people to be overly friendly. Being a shy Canadian (!) I sometimes didn't know how to repond LOL!

Susan - have you ever been to Dollywood? We stopped there in May for the first time. What a great place! If you haven't you should definately add a couple of days to your drive down. Let me know if you need any advise or further info.

OP - Sorry to hi-jack this thread..........back to OT - yes, do take your kids out of school. No worries!

 

[Susan--Ontario]

Charles - interesting. I found for the most part people to be overly friendly. Being a shy Canadian (!) I sometimes didn't know how to repond LOL!

Susan - have you ever been to Dollywood? We stopped there in May for the first time. What a great place! If you haven't you should definately add a couple of days to your drive down. Let me know if you need any advise or further info.

OP - Sorry to hi-jack this thread..........back to OT - yes, do take your kids out of school. No worries!

We often send our topics off in another direction. Yes, we've been there three times and I love it there. The talent is amazing. We went one year on our way back from Disney and it was the Christmas festival. Absolutely beautiful. Dolly was here in Toronto last week but I didn't get tickets because it was supposed to be a chemo week for me. I did see her last year in Detroit and it was everything I was expecting. She's an amazing entertainer and an even more amazing person. Her foundation gives the children in Sevier county, where Dollywood and her home are, a book a month from the time they are born until they reach grade one.
Enough gushing... gotta go and figure out where we should eat next month when we take our kids out of school for two weeks.

 

[CharlesTD]

Back on topic how many of you actually send a letter with your kids to school when going on holidays? We just write a letter at the begining of the school year then follow up verbally about a month prior.

 

[maryliz]

I do it in reverse. I tell the teachers about a month in advance, and the Monday of the week we're leaving, I send a note to each teacher and one to the office for attendance purposes. And we've still come home to messages from the school looking for our kids

Mary-Liz

 

[CharlesTD]

This past May we had messages but that is because it was a last minute trip and we didn't bother sending a note we just told the teacher and then left LOL.

 

[cdnmickeylover]

I have to admit that at one point I gave up calling/writing to the school for absences. If DS was sick I'd spend 20 minutes on the phone in the morning leaving the message that he was sick and then still got a call around lunchtime -- where was he and why hadn't I called? I got totally frustrated with the entire process and just waited for the call just before lunchtime. I never could figure out why the messages I left never seemed to get to the attendance office. Everyone else had a same problem with this particular school so it wasn't just me.