Taking DS out of school for Disney advice

[PollyannaMom]

He's only in first grade.
You could easily catch him up.
Besides if you let the teacher know in adance they could get a packet together for you to work on with him.

This!

I'm a substitute teacher, and I agree he'll be fine! As for the teacher's reaction, it's all in how you approach it. -

1) Don't go in demanding work, but asking politely for "a list of suggestions to work on or anything she happens to have copied ahead" - and then actually do it. Teachers get grumpy about these things because they scramble around getting packets together, and then kids don't return them.

2) Don't bring it up the first day of school, or at open house, but don't wait until the day before you leave either!! Give a week to a week and a half notice, and then a quick reminder than he'll be out two days before.

3) Thank her afterward for helping him keep up over the absence. (If she's a Disney fan, you might even bring her back something small from the parks.)

We took my DS out in first grade, and his teacher asked him to do a journal. I still have it (with her comments) and it's an adorable record of our trip!

 

[kamerino]

I am a teacher (high school), and I say do it. I will be taking my daughter out of school for 3 days in January for our Disney trip (she's in third grade). Life is more than simply school and work, and these memories last a lifetime. It will be a different story when they're in high school with a schedule full of AP classes, but for now, especially Kindergarten, I think you're safe. Enjoy your trip with your family!

 

[MudQueen22]

I'm a fifth grade teacher. The only issue I would have is if a) your child is behind academically and not grasping concepts and b) if you expect me to go back and reteach everything to your child that was missed while you were gone.
Most of us get irritated when the child is consistently absent, is not progressing well, and the parents demand a meeting during the last grading cycle after the student has failed a state test, failed one or both semesters, and is about to fail the grade. It's further offensive when they proceed to blame us.

Ask for work well ahead of time, and have the student turn it in before leaving for vacation.

There are many good things that can be taught at Disney, but parents need to take that responsibility if they want their child to learn these things in a non-traditional setting. Family time is, indeed, valuable; but there are also many school breaks and opportunities to travel.

 

[DizneyLizzy]

I teach middle school, and as someone previously said, it's all about how you approach the teacher. I don't care if kids miss school for any reason, as long as their parents don't expect me to be their kid's personal tutor because they choose to take their kid out. Just be polite and ask the teacher for his/her preferences in terms of what they want your student to do while he/she is out. Most of the time I just give a student a general idea of where he or she should be in the book by the time they return. I don't use the book in class, but follow the general curriculum, so it at least gives them a guideline of the topics they'll miss. They can check online for homework and class notes. But again, I teach 8th grade, so there is a lot more personal responsibility on the part of the student.

I just really think in the big scheme of things, you need to travel when it works for you. Are you really going to look back in like 5 years and regret a few missed days of school? Probably not. You'll think about what an awesome trip you had. Don't sweat it - just be super nice to the teacher and say something in your e-mail about how you know it's a pain for them to get work together, so whatever they can do is appreciated. That acknowledgement will get you far

 

[Gumbo4x4]

It sounds like you won't have any policy issues, but maybe check with the front office at you son's school NOW so you can put your mind at ease.

 

[cheryllarsen]

Maybe it depends on how well he does in school? My oldest would be fine but my middle child would have a more difficult time catching up....

 

[cheryllarsen]

You will skip the crowds and have a much more enjoyable experience if you go during the school year.

 

[here757]

Check your school districts attendence policy. I know my city age is not the issue, all kids from kindergarten up have same policy. Punishment in our district is harsh. At a certain point parents can be fined. And if still continues possible jail time.
We had case parent took kids out for pre-deployment trip with dad, then kid got mono. Even though mono was excused the child had to repeat. Wouldn't have been case if they not taken pre-deployment time

 

[Canooknic]

We took our boys out for 5 days in kindergarten, 8 in G1 and now they'll miss 8 days next month in G3.

From threads like these I realize how lucky we are in our school district and definitely in our school. One teacher has asked us to bring back a couple of HP souvenirs for her classroom and our vice principal has asked me to look out for a specific item for her niece!

If the boys were struggling academically I probably wouldn't take them out, and this will definitely be the last time we take them out for any more than a day or 2

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

A couple questions: how does he do with transitions? Does he adapt quickly, or will it take weeks for him to get in to the 1st grade routine? Is he in full day kindergarten now, or will first grade be his transition to all-day school?

If he handles transitions well and is used to all-day school, I say go for it. If he takes longer to get used to a new situation, it might be a bad idea to take him out for

 

[Disney_traveler]

Check your school districts attendence policy. I know my city age is not the issue, all kids from kindergarten up have same policy. Punishment in our district is harsh. At a certain point parents can be fined. And if still continues possible jail time.
We had case parent took kids out for pre-deployment trip with dad, then kid got mono. Even though mono was excused the child had to repeat. Wouldn't have been case if they not taken pre-deployment time

Having a young relative that was killed in action during his first tour, I will never criticize a parent for pulling their kids out for pre-deployment time.

 

[Nancyg56]

My DD took DGD out of school until middle school. This was the only way they could have a family vacation due to the vacation schedule DSIL had. SHe was fine until middle school. DGD cannot take time off now, but back in first grade? It was fine.

I think these decisions are very personal and really depend on the child. If your schools system is fine with this I would say go for it.

 

[here757]

Having a young relative that was killed in action during his first tour, I will never criticize a parent for pulling their kids out for pre-deployment time.

I too am a military spouse.. she took a three week trip. After 20 days it's auto fail.

 

[Disneywishes2018]

I'm taking my kids out of school for our 2018 trip. My school aged kids will be in 2nd grade and 5th grade. This is our one and only trip to disneyworld so I'm not too concerned with what the school thinks. The school does have a travel study program where you have to notify the school a few weeks prior to your vacation and the teacher has to give a packet of all work that will be missed. The student is responsible for completing all the work and returning it the day they return to school. The vacation time is still unexcused, but they get credit for the missed work so long as it's turned in on return day. Our trip will be around 10 days in september and they are allowed 10 missed days per year (only excused if you have a doctor's note) ,so they better not get suck at all after that...lol we are in California so we will have a very long flight there and back and break times for the work to be done.

Pull him out, have fun and enjoy your vacation!

 

[FamilyGuy]

I genuinely think you should make it a point to take him out of school and show him that work time is work time and play time is play time. When you work hard, you earn the ability to play hard. . . Schools way over rated anyways. My kids (inadvertently) prove that to me all the time!

Personally, I'm taking our 4th and 5th grader out for a few days myself. . .

 

[J. Iminy]

We are taking our first grader out next week. We will be there From 1/13-1/21. Teacher was fine with it. Can't wait!

 

[amandaleigh2]

Reading about some of these attendance policies, I feel very lucky to be in the school district we're in. We took my son, now in 2nd grade, out for a week in kindergarten and in 1st grade for Disney trips. We are skipping this year, but will be taking him out for a week in 3rd grade, also. I have never had a problem from the district or his teachers. We were given a packet of homework to complete both times, and I just made sure all the homework was turned in within a week of getting back. I don't feel my child suffered academically.

 

[Lvsdisney]

Our district requires a parent to put in a request of absence prior to the trip. We the took DS last year during MLK week and he missed 4 days of kindergarten. I had to submit a form stating where we were going, what was educational about the trip, and how many days he would be absent. They approved it, so it didn't count as "unexcused". Not sure if your district has a similar policy?

 

[Mpls Mom of 4]

We go to Disney every fall (Nov - Dec) time frame. We generally go right after Thanksgiving, and end up pulling the kids for 3-4 days. My oldest is in high school, and my other 3 are in elementary. We let their teachers know ahead of time so they can get their homework, and then we have them work on homework ahead of time, and a bit on the plane ride down. We are lucky that in Minneapolis if we call the school ahead of time, they are considered excused absences. We have never had issues with this, thankfully.

 

[jvz82]

We just took my second grader and kindergartener out of school for a week for Disney. The teachers were very understanding. They don't get a lot of homework at their school so it's not like they fell behind. My husband is a teacher and wasn't concerned about pulling them.

As a side note, My teacher husband always says very little learning occurs during the first 6 weeks of school because it's more about teaching procedures and routines versus focusing on academics.