Surprise trip over Memorial Day weekend

[Anal Annie]

I just pulled a Denise (booked an extra unplanned trip)!

DS is turning 12 in May (during the week before Memorial Day weekend). DH and I want to break the big birthday party planning routine now that he's in Middle School etc. We always used to spend a small fortune for laser tag or rock wall climbing parties or whatever so we thought maybe this year we could surprise him with a quickie weekend trip to WDW instead.

I set up fare alerts on kayak.com the other day and I called MS to see if there were any studios left...yes, but only at SSR (Sunday is booked everywhere else).

OK, so I got a fare alert this morning for $129 RT on Air Tran but we have to pull DS out of school early on Friday (he'll get credit for 1/2 day) and stay THRU Monday and return on Tues. (so he'll miss school on Tues.) I called DVC & snagged a studio this morning and booked the air! Now I am worried about the school attendance thing! I pulled a copy of their attendance policy...vacations are not excused (so he wouldn't be able to make up the work) so I will have to lie and say he has a doc. appt. on Friday and then call him in sick on Tues. and send a note on Wed.... I am afraid to be up front about it with this crazy strict policy. This really isn't something that I believe in doing... but it's his birthday present. Can anybody make me feel like I'm not performing a criminal act here?

One more thing - anybody have experience with the Memorial Day crowds? I know it's a big weekend for locals....should I be worried?

 

[spiceycat]

just make sure he won't be missing any major exam.

 

[Sandisw]

I am a teacher and we are encouraged to share with our parents about the drawbacks of children missing school. Of course, that is my "official" comment.

My unofficial comment is "Life is short and going to Disney is something that can be very beneficial and educational". In the grand scheme of things, your child will be fine. Of course, I teach Kindergarten so maybe its a little easier to give the blessing. I send the children off with a writing journal for them to draw a picture of their day--they share it with me when they return.

I am assuming that your child is doing fine in school. You mention that he can not make up work for unexcused absences. Does this mean even when he gets back? Or, just that he can't get it ahead of time.

I would try not to stress about it and just enjoy. While I don't advocate having to lie (I always tell my parents to write that they will be gone), if you feel that he will be severally penalized by the two days of missed work, then do what you need to do.

 

[Anal Annie]

I don't want to jinx anything here...but we've been really lucky so far that he's been a pretty healthy kid. (Knock wood!!) He's in 6th grade now and I think he only missed a couple of days for illness EVER in his life. 2 years ago he got sick for about 3 days over spring break - but so he didn't miss school. Last year my Grandmother and DH's Grandmother both died within a month of each other so we had to take a couple personal / funeral days. I know he had perfect attendance for at least 2 years in Elem. School. He did miss 1 full week when he was in first grade bcuz DH was the best man in a "destination wedding" so we all went as a family (I sure didn't pick the date). Yes, they sent a journal for that week. NOW is different for sure.

He's just never been one of those chronic kids that has missed. I don't call in for "mental health" days at work & I have tried to instill the right thing in him as well. I know there are plenty of kids that miss on a fairly regular basis bcuz they have a sniffle or their tummy hurts. We dont' stay home for sniffles. We only miss for vomiting & fevers in this house. That's why this is such a dilema for me. Now that I've BOOKED it. Fine time to get paranoid 'eh?

He has 3 GT classes and makes the honor roll...not HIGH honors but he does alright. This would be about 2-3 weeks before the end of the school year so things will be winding down academically. State testing is in March this year, before Spring Break. I might call the school tomorrow and ask hypothetical questions anonymously about it. I am only talking about him missing 1 & 1/2 days, not a full week. A few hours on the Fri. before Memorial weekend and the Tues. after. I would feel better being honest but....Maybe DH will call for me!? LOL...

 

[spiceycat]

hey sounds like he will be just fine.

 

[cocoaguy]

It's all good. Have a blast.......

 

[Cyndibear]

Go for it!! Life is too short! Enjoy your Family time away! We'll be there over that weekend too. Hope it is not too crowded.

Have fun!!

Cyndi

 

[Disney Princess]

I don't have kids yet, but I remember missing school to go to Disney World as a kid! My best advice - if you do "have a doctor's appointment", make sure HE knows he was sick. He can't go back to school sharing all the fun memories he made while at the doctor's office.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Well, we'll be there too. The week before, then the 3 night cruise, then the Sunday night AKV. The 5th Dimension will be the Flower Power Concert performers that weekend.

You got a good fare...we just booked our Sept. visit on Air Tran and we feel we "lucked out" for $165 each, not exactly total, we will probably pick our seats and bring at least 1 bag. However, I've paid $265 a piece for the March trip that's coming up.

Bobbi

 

[Anal Annie]

Well, we'll be there too. The week before, then the 3 night cruise, then the Sunday night AKV. The 5th Dimension will be the Flower Power Concert performers that weekend.

You got a good fare...we just booked our Sept. visit on Air Tran and we feel we "lucked out" for $165 each, not exactly total, we will probably pick our seats and bring at least 1 bag. However, I've paid $265 a piece for the March trip that's coming up.

Bobbi

Yeah - the air price is what made me jump on the whole thing this morning. The flights that had the better times / dates for us (i.e. Fri. evening / Monday eve.) were $99 pp per flight ea. way so it would've been more like $600 than $387. Still not BAD...but not such a deal for a quickie trip. This way we can have all of Fri. evening and 3 full days down there.

I am debating about calling Air Tran tho. They appeared to have had a glitch in their system. I picked out seats for both flights and the seat numbers show up on my confirmation...but the final charge to my cc did not include the extra $36. Kinda odd huh?

 

[edk35]

I just pulled a Denise (booked an extra unplanned trip)!

DS is turning 12 in May (during the week before Memorial Day weekend). DH and I want to break the big birthday party planning routine now that he's in Middle School etc. We always used to spend a small fortune for laser tag or rock wall climbing parties or whatever so we thought maybe this year we could surprise him with a quickie weekend trip to WDW instead.

I set up fare alerts on kayak.com the other day and I called MS to see if there were any studios left...yes, but only at SSR (Sunday is booked everywhere else).

OK, so I got a fare alert this morning for $129 RT on Air Tran but we have to pull DS out of school early on Friday (he'll get credit for 1/2 day) and stay THRU Monday and return on Tues. (so he'll miss school on Tues.) I called DVC & snagged a studio this morning and booked the air! Now I am worried about the school attendance thing! I pulled a copy of their attendance policy...vacations are not excused (so he wouldn't be able to make up the work) so I will have to lie and say he has a doc. appt. on Friday and then call him in sick on Tues. and send a note on Wed.... I am afraid to be up front about it with this crazy strict policy. This really isn't something that I believe in doing... but it's his birthday present. Can anybody make me feel like I'm not performing a criminal act here?

One more thing - anybody have experience with the Memorial Day crowds? I know it's a big weekend for locals....should I be worried?

PULLED A DENISE HUH????????????????
I LOVE IT. Now I think missing a day and 1/2 will be okay. Of course you will probably get some flames about that. Have a great time.

 

[MAGICX2]

I don't think you should lie. That puts your child in the position that he has to lie about his weekend too. What child wouldn't want to share the incredible story that his parents surprised him with such a great birthday trip!??!? Then, when he does talk his teachers will know that it was a lie and you don't want that.
It would be better to be upfront with the teachers and let him/her know that although yes, he is missing a day of school, it will be something he can bounce back from quickly. Especially since your child seems to be at school regularly. If he was absent all the time or not a good student that might be a different story.
Just be upfront with them. I would contact his teachers about 2 weeks prior to the trip and let them know what is going on. He can afford to take the unexcused absence. Just make sure you remind them not to spill the beans!

 

[Anal Annie]

I don't think you should lie. That puts your child in the position that he has to lie about his weekend too. What child wouldn't want to share the incredible story that his parents surprised him with such a great birthday trip!??!? Then, when he does talk his teachers will know that it was a lie and you don't want that.
It would be better to be upfront with the teachers and let him/her know that although yes, he is missing a day of school, it will be something he can bounce back from quickly. Especially since your child seems to be at school regularly. If he was absent all the time or not a good student that might be a different story.
Just be upfront with them. I would contact his teachers about 2 weeks prior to the trip and let them know what is going on. He can afford to take the unexcused absence. Just make sure you remind them not to spill the beans!

Trust me, my ethics about this are high and I would prefer not to lie as well...that is my dilema. I don't normally do this kind of thing and if they didn't have such a strict policy I wouldn't hesitate to make arrangements ahead of time. I wish I could've booked flights with better times for the same amount of money....but the diff. was something like $45 pp per flight. It would've almost doubled the cost. That's a hard amount to swallow for just a long weekend.

Since he's not a kid with a chronic absence pattern I would like to be able to talk to them about it openly. The problem is that the attendance policy reads "...vacations are not an excused reason for an absence". If it is considered unexcused they do not have to let him make up any work that he misses in that 1 1/2 days and in MS different things are weighted - some things carry as much as 70% of his grade. They are only required to let them make up missed school work for an excused absence. I wanted to call the school and ask some questions, generically and anonymously, but my friend told me that they have caller ID and that they would know who was making the inquiry. Now I am paranoid to call from my home or from my cell. I was debating about going out to drive around and look for a pay phone somewhere (they still have those, right?)

It is frustrating to want to do the right thing but yet be afraid in doing so would cause a problem with his grades if he's not allowed to make up the work. Humm...wonder if pay phones are still only 25 cents?

 

[spiceycat]

I wanted to call the school and ask some questions, generically and anonymously, but my friend told me that they have caller ID and that they would know who was making the inquiry. Now I am paranoid to call from my home or from my cell. I was debating about going out to drive around and look for a pay phone somewhere (they still have those, right?)

It is frustrating to want to do the right thing but yet be afraid in doing so would cause a problem with his grades if he's not allowed to make up the work. Humm...wonder if pay phones are still only 25 cents?

the phones I think are 50 cents (might be 35) - go to a local hotel or local mall - which ever is closer.

 

[maburke]

Trust me, my ethics about this are high and I would prefer not to lie as well...that is my dilema. I don't normally do this kind of thing and if they didn't have such a strict policy I wouldn't hesitate to make arrangements ahead of time. I wish I could've booked flights with better times for the same amount of money....but the diff. was something like $45 pp per flight. It would've almost doubled the cost. That's a hard amount to swallow for just a long weekend.

Since he's not a kid with a chronic absence pattern I would like to be able to talk to them about it openly. The problem is that the attendance policy reads "...vacations are not an excused reason for an absence". If it is considered unexcused they do not have to let him make up any work that he misses in that 1 1/2 days and in MS different things are weighted - some things carry as much as 70% of his grade. They are only required to let them make up missed school work for an excused absence. I wanted to call the school and ask some questions, generically and anonymously, but my friend told me that they have caller ID and that they would know who was making the inquiry. Now I am paranoid to call from my home or from my cell. I was debating about going out to drive around and look for a pay phone somewhere (they still have those, right?)

It is frustrating to want to do the right thing but yet be afraid in doing so would cause a problem with his grades if he's not allowed to make up the work. Humm...wonder if pay phones are still only 25 cents?

I think talking to the school administration won't help, because they'll just quote you the policy. You'll want to talk to the individual teachers. I would throw yourself on their mercy, and be straight about it. Tell them that you really don't want him to miss anything that would affect his grade, and you know that this is considered unexcused and he can't make it up. But if there is anything that he can do in addition (write an essay about it for English on the plane or something), you will make sure he does it.

The fact is, over the holiday weekend, there probably won't be anything essential going on, and if you are honest and humble with the teachers, they probably won't hold it against him.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Ok Annie, having raised three boys thru two different counties and vacationing at different times of the year, here is my advice (worth only 1 cent now!): Forget about the school system. Explain to jr. that you don't usually do this type of thing, but its something you can only do once. The older he gets, he won't be able to miss school. Then, get a nice sick letter written ahead of your vacation, put it on the fridge so you don't miss it later once home. He will survive, most of the grades are in by that time anyway. You will expend far too much energy talking to all of these people. Save yourself time and aggravation....he's gonna be sick, call him out sick those days, give him a letter to take back to school...bam your done!!!

 

[Anal Annie]

50 cents now! Pay phones are 50 cents! OMG bcuz of the wind I'm freezing but I feel SO much better now! I went out & found a pay phone in front of a Blockbuster and I called the school & talked to the Attendance Secretary. I started out being all vague & anonymous & hypothetical about "what if a family has a kid that hasn't missed any days & makes the honor roll but they want to ask for an exception for an early release & an extra day after a weekend to go away to celebrate a birthday blah, blah, blah...and then she started asking WHO is my kid and when were we planning this etc. And so I got all paranoid & told her I'd rather not say 'cuz I don't want to get him in trouble and that I'm even calling from a pay phone so they wouldn't know who was calling! She was like OMG. Do NOT even feel like that and please just tell me who your kid is. So she eventually coaxed me into telling her and she was like "I don't even know who he IS so I KNOW he doesn't have an attendance problem!" She said she cannot guarantee that the principle will excuse it but that I should go ahead & write a letter addressed to him & ask for "an administrative exception". Hopefully he will excuse it and everything will be on the up & up and DS will be allowed to get any work ahead of time so he can do it on the plane.

As worried & worked up as I got over this I can't imagine how some people cheat & lie all the time about things. But thanks for listening ya'll!!! NOW I'm excited & ready to add a ticker to my siggie! (And now I won't worry about jinxing him into being sick for real!!!!!)

 

[bobbiwoz]

Well, I'm glad you found a way to work it out!!! Keep warm....and let's hope for a great Memorial weekend stay at WDW.

Our trip is with the extended family including the DGC and involves a cruise and stay at WDW before and after. We visited Boston in January, and I just couldn't wait all the way to May to see the DGC, so we're going again in March. It's cold in Boston, meeting in WDW is definitely better, but I'll brave the cold to be with family. DH, DSis and myself are lucky, we each have a part in the March WDW trip. I'm doing lots of traveling these days.

Bobbi

 

[Disney Princess]

I am so happy you found a way to do it without having to worry yourself or your son. I am the same way - I would stress out and wonder how anyone could do it without the fear of getting caught! You'll have a much more relaxed birthday celebration without having to worry about it. Good luck with the principal.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Well, I'm glad you found a way to work it out!!! Keep warm....and let's hope for a great Memorial weekend stay at WDW.

Our trip is with the extended family including the DGC and involves a cruise and stay at WDW before and after. We visited Boston in January, and I just couldn't wait all the way to May to see the DGC, so we're going again in March. It's cold in Boston, meeting in WDW is definitely better, but I'll brave the cold to be with family. DH, DSis and myself are lucky, we each have a part in the March WDW trip. I'm doing lots of traveling these days.

Bobbi

Your a teacher, right Ms. Bobbi? Have any opinion? I have no fear when it comes to the school system...don't you know the parent is always right?