Snow days have messed up our AKV plans

[KirstenB]

I know you all will understand, being fellow DVC'rs. I reserved a 2 br at AKV for June 7-11 at the 7 mth window. Our 2 dd's have missed 4 days of school this week, due to snow. The superintendent says the kids will have to make up the days at the end of the school year. I didn't even take this into account when booking. IN the past, our school has always built at least a week into the calendar. Now the kids will not get out until June 12th.

This will push our vacation at least until June 14-18, although I guess I need to be prepared to take any Sun-Thurs 2 br at any resort at some point during the summer, in case those days are not available.

Please wish me luck when I call Member Services. DH never asks for anything, and he fell in love with AKL last summer. I hope they have availability. Thanks for listening.

 

[backyardponder]

Good Luck

 

[Luv2trav]

I just called today to try and get June 14th and 15th and no availability. I check studios and 2 bedrooms.

 

[mecllap]

Facing the same issue -- DGS is set on getting a perfect attendance award this year, and we're scheduled to check in on June 6 (leaving June 5), but now school is going thru at least the 8th. I've been following the thread from people who are very supportive of taking kids out of a school for a WDW trip and debating about what to do. If we miss any more days and get school days scheduled until the 10th, not sure what we'll do. (At this point I'm hoping they hand out the certificates before what was supposed to be the last day of school -- it just doesn't seem fair to extend the school days into days that weren't even listed before as possible school days -- there have been other days they could use for the make-up days, that they haven't). I think the school district is trying to foment an uprising among parents to get the school year started earlier in August. (I'm kind of annoyed that I tried to be careful and make plans based on their announced schedule, and now they are messing around with us, becuase they didn't make appropriate plans to cope with weather situations.).

 

[starbox]

Okay, I am a public school teacher and am very anti taking-the-kids-out-for-vacation BUT take the kids out early. Trust me, they won't be doing anything worthwhile those last extra days.

 

[Brian Noble]

You booked then in good faith so as to not miss school. I, too, am usually a pretty big "don't take the kids out of school" proponent, but if you can't easily move it, it would not be the end of the world to miss that last week. The exception would be if this is high school, with exams.

 

[stormer]

Okay, I am a public school teacher and am very anti taking-the-kids-out-for-vacation BUT take the kids out early. Trust me, they won't be doing anything worthwhile those last extra days.

Another teacher here with the same feelings.

You planned the trip thinking school would be over. Go and have fun.

 

[OneMoreTry]

You probably won't be the only ones taking them out early, if you do. I bet a lot of people scheduled stuff at that time.

Especially if they are younger. It's a lot harder for high school kids to miss at the end if they have exams. My high-schoolers usually know ahead of times if they can miss or not.

 

[Starr W.]

Luckily here in Ohio we get 5 "calamity" days before we have to make up days. School can also be delayed by 2 hrs(or let the kids out early) and still count as an "official" school day. Our district will sometimes delay, then re-evaluate the road conditions before calling a close.


Our really big dumping of snow this winter hit on a Sat. But we have so far only used up 2 "snow days" this year.



I wouldn't worry about missing anything, my kids usually clean out their desks with about 3-4 days to go(they do leave a few pencils).

 

[KirstenB]

Thanks you guys. I'd pull them out the last week, but our oldest is in 5th grade. They have 5th grade graduation, a very elaborate 5th grade party, Field Day, and awards assemblies. While dd is not a scholar, she is very social. I don't feel right having her miss all these special milestones.

The irony of not pulling her out due to social reasons rather than academics is not lost on me, trust me!

 

[Starr W.]

Thanks you guys. I'd pull them out the last week, but our oldest is in 5th grade. They have 5th grade graduation, a very elaborate 5th grade party, Field Day, and awards assemblies. While dd is not a scholar, she is very social. I don't feel right having her miss all these special milestones.

The irony of not pulling her out due to social reasons rather than academics is not lost on me, trust me!

Our gym teacher schedules Field Day the prior week, so he can put together this elaborate presentation ceremony for awards day. DH was fidgeting as the gym teachers "dog and pony show" took up most of the time.

Our 5th grader surprised himself and us when he was one of the Presidential award winners. Even got a form letter from Pres. Bush!

 

[Malaguti Ball Clan]

I am just south of fredericksburg, our kids missed mon, tues and wed, granted it was like 8 inches of snow, but the roads were fine tues and wed. we were very worried about the school year being extended, but somehow the school board changed three teacher workdays to regular school days to make up for the missed days this week. I wish you luck getting some dates that will work for you

 

[mykidslovesdisney]

Just had to chime in-- take them out of school at the end. Literally the kids are not learning anything new. Since we have had 4 snow days we are in school to literally the LAST day of June!!! If there are any more snow days we start to lose our April vacation. We visit the world every August. Last year we made it back a wk before school started-- we were there for TS Fay and our train was cancelled. The earliest we could make it out was 5 days later - but hey we were at the best place in the world to be delayed

I vote to take them out early

 

[bonybroad]

We are scheduled to fly out when our kids get out (the next day) We are going no matter what happens with snow days.
Here in PA, they build in a LOT of snow days to our calendar. This happens all the time here. I know there are lots of schools in many states that do this.
I usually pull the out at Easter, too. I am not worried about Kindgergarten and second grade. WHen they get older, I may feel differently.
Take them and don't worry about it.
Have a great trip!

 

[twinklebug]

OP, I scheduled our dates at SSR/AKV to do the same thing: to go after school ended. The school system even has a few snow days built in AND I chose to leave an extra day out. Nope, didn't work.

I rescheduled for mid July but the room type we wanted is fully booked for our dates in Kidani, so we're in Jambo House. Not a horrible situation, but still not close to the pool I know the kids will be spending half their time at.

The only good thing to come of this is our APs will allow us to get one more trip in at the end of next school year... uh... If we don't go over the allotted snow days again.

 

[*Valdez*]

In our school district when we have snow make up days they are attached to the end of the school year, which is in June, but only the teachers make it up. DH is a teacher so we always have to plan around the snow make up days. Check with your schools to see if the students make them up or if it is just the teachers.

 

[bookwormde]

I am checking our districts policy on number of days that can be missed, since we are up to 3 snow days so far. I am going to take mine out even if school is in session as along as they do not exceed the maximum. My thoughts are, first not a lot educational happens on the last couple of days, and I do not think I would want to be the teacher where children knew they were supposed to be at WDW but were stuck in school instead.


bookwormde

 

[Paticake]

We booked SSR for 6/27. Who would have thought we'd be flirting with school still being in session! DD and DSIL are both teachers and DH works for a school system. We had a horrible ice storm in Dec. and missed 8 days of school, not to mention the other snow days. DD and DSIL went to school through Feb. vacation and DH is going during April vac. We are right up to 6/25 now. Praying for no more snow days but going regardless.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

I feel your pain! We had BCV booked for the w/o 6/20 and had to change it. Only availability was in OKW (or SSR). I'm stil not over my BCV!

We opted to stick around for the last day of school. DD is graduating middle school and really wanted to be there for the last day. Also, it will be "Move Up Day" for my kindergartener--she'll meet her new teacher, etc. Not earth-shattering, to be sure...unless you're 6!

It turned out to be a good move, because we've since had another snow day so they would be missing 2 days. And it's still March, so there's potential for yet another day. I'm surprised NH schools don't have days built in throughout the school year--we got slammed during that ice storm back in Dec., and some districts are really hurting for days.

 

[jco_direwolf]

I know in the mid 70's when the Cincinnati schools had a lot of missed days (it was like most of the month of January.) They tried a couple of of things, they tried to have school on Saturday, they tried to extend the school year, they tried to add an extra hour or so to the school day (none of those things worked.) Eventually, there was a resolution passed, at the state level I think (I was only in 6th grade at the time so it's a bit fuzzy) that relaxed the number of day in session that year.

I'm not saying expect that to happen. But I will say, it sounds like your plans are more flexible, than some. I would check with the school, and tell them you need to know what the plans are for the extra week or so, and see if you kids can get any finals or anything they need out of the way before then.

My guess is there are enough kids with enough plans that there won't be many kids in the class for the extended days. I can see people having non-refundable plane tickets, etc... which they just can't change today (sorta like your reservations at Disney.)

johno