The DDA Trouble Free Zone Part 18

[tinknme]

Deb & Paula thank you for the Christmas cards!

Paula your family picture is wonderful!

You are all making me feel guilty, I am not good at sending cards out. So please know that I am thinking of you all!

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I would think that they will go with the law or hear lots of complaints from the district. I can tell you I don't get involved much at the school level but that would be something that would send me into action. Wasting precious money to pay a fine that didn't need to be paid is absolutely ridiculous.

Well, we'll see. I have looked up several more districts. 2 don't have proposed calendars up yet, so that makes a total of 4 who have NOTHING on their websites. The other one has their calendar APPROVED, not just proposed, and they start Aug. 27. The solution that is emerging here is to MOVE to another district and be done with it!

EDIT - Found another one starting Aug. 27 - the district where my mom used to live. What I find fascinating is that the districts who DO have the money to waste on a fine are NOT opting to start before the 27th.

 

[tinknme]

Ok I had to call this myself lol I will call again later for Riley, hopefully he won't roll his eyes at me!

I just got this over e-mail, and thought I would pass along for all the DDA kidlets!

"I just got an e-mail from a friend of mine giving Santa's phone number. It really has a message from Santa. The messages start today and run a different message every day until Christmas. I did it on speaker phone this morning and the kids loved it! Here's the number: 1-800-972-6242. Enjoy if you want!"

 

[UP Disney]

Deb & Paula thank you for the Christmas cards!

Paula your family picture is wonderful!

You are all making me feel guilty, I am not good at sending cards out. So please know that I am thinking of you all!

You can always post an electronic one! I sent them for years and years, then didn't for 5 years, and just started again 2 years ago.

 

[tinknme]

Thanks Vicki, this I can do

You can always post an electronic one! I sent them for years and years, then didn't for 5 years, and just started again 2 years ago.

 

[babytrees]

Hi, Janet! I think we were posting at the same time.

DH is mad because I told him what days to bid for and now I'm asking him to try to change them. This happens ALL the time when we are trying to plan a trip. He says he doesn't want to go, but the reality is that if DS and I went without him he would be really disappointed. He says he doesn't want to go, but if I actually start planning to leave him home he gets mad. He is the one who first brought up the idea of asking another driver to trade weeks with him. He is the one who says some of the guys don't have kids and just try to pick their weeks so they are evenly spaced during the year, so a one week difference wouldn't matter to them. BUT when it comes down to actually needing to trade or lose most of our vacation he gets all snarky and says I have to live with the dates I chose. Great.

I hope it gets all figured out and pronto!!

 

[Tinkaroo]

Well, what a difference a day makes. Not in a good way.

I called the school this morning and asked them what date school will be starting for '07-'08. The secretary asked the principal and she said ONE week later than it did this year. That means we have now lost 5 nights of our 9 night vacation.

I called the district and they said they haven't decided yet, they won't have a decision until after Christmas break. They are trying to decide between 2 dates. I promise you they are trying to decide between Aug. 20 & 27. Which means they don't care if they get fined for starting early.

DH & I are now not speaking to each other. He insists that since he requested the weeks I listed in the order I listed them that this is MY fault, I am an idiot for not calling the school beforehand, and whoever has the week of Aug. 11-15 surely requested that week on purpose so he will NOT ask them to trade. Perfect. I HATE DISD and I HATE Frito Lay for their crappy policy on vacations. I am ready to just cancel everything. We'll go for our whopping 2 days in February and just stay home for the rest of 2007.

Sorry for whining. I know I am being a baby about this. I am just so frustrated. There is no way I can have DS miss the first week of 6th grade, DH refuses to try to change his vacation, and now he says he doesn't want to go AT ALL. His philosophy is this is my fault so now I have to live with the mess. Well, OK, fine. Whatever. So now I have to just sit and do nothing for the next several weeks while the district mulls over how they will ruin my vacation, which makes me furious and grouchy.

If I were a betting woman, I would bet that they won't start before the 27th. Dallas has always started later than Plano, and I know Plano starts next year on the 27th. I just can't imagine, like you, that DISD would go forward in taking the financial hit for starting a week early, particularly when other more "financially flush" districts aren't doing so.

As for DH, maybe after he cools down, he'll be open to researching who has the week prior for vacation, just in case. Who knows - it could be someone without children in school, and maybe they could be a bit more flexible.

 

[lovespoohbear]

i have a question for vicki and elizabeth. first how much did you pay to upgrade your tickets to ap? with the deal they have for december travelers with free dining does that go into september or just august?

i have my wheels spinning in my head for another trip if my cousin thinks shed be able to do it. 5 days at the parks then a 4 day disney cruse. i estimated if i had aps i wouldnt need tickets so i would just have to pay for hotel and the cruse and for 2 people thats about 2200 if i went in september. hmmmmmmmmmmmm now i have to convince cousin.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Well, the school called me back to say the district hasn't made a decision. Yes, I know that! There will be a vote in January to determine which of 2 dates they will choose, BUT nobody has seen fit to disclose WHICH 2 dates we are looking at!

My friend found the e-mail that outlines the procedure for requesting a start date waiver. The district has to post in the paper that they are seeking a waiver, they have to accept public comment, then they have to submit it to the state no less than 60 days after they post it in the paper. IF the request is granted they are then responsible for reimbursing the state for the cost of operating the district for all days they are in session prior to the 4th Monday of August. So it isn't even a flat rate fine - it would be the cost for running the district for 5 days. As the 12th largest district in the nation I bet that would be pretty darn expensive. I am going to attempt to contact my school board rep and ask him what the 2 dates are that they are voting on.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

i have a question for vicki and elizabeth. first how much did you pay to upgrade your tickets to ap? with the deal they have for december travelers with free dining does that go into september or just august?

i have my wheels spinning in my head for another trip if my cousin thinks shed be able to do it. 5 days at the parks then a 4 day disney cruse. i estimated if i had aps i wouldnt need tickets so i would just have to pay for hotel and the cruse and for 2 people thats about 2200 if i went in september. hmmmmmmmmmmmm now i have to convince cousin.

Hi, Karen!

We upgraded to APs in August, but they have had a price increase since then. Also, we upgraded 2 adults and 1 child from 8 day hoppers and the total was all lumped together. I think it was around $600 - a little less. But an AP is just barely more expensive than a 10 day non-expiring pass if that helps you. Free dining goes until the end of September 2007 - you just have to book before you check out of your hotel this time. Remember you have to buy at least a 1 day ticket for everyone in your room to qualify for free dining, but you can save the one day ticket for another time.

 

[lovespoohbear]

can i just do it for 2 instead of 3 because i want 1 cousin to come but not the other next time (too much drama with her this time)?

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

can i just do it for 2 instead of 3 because i want 1 cousin to come but not the other next time (too much drama with her this time)?

Yes. You have to buy a ticket for each person on your 2007 reservation - it doesn't have to be the same people you are with this time.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I just got ANOTHER phone call from the school. Bless her heart, this woman is trying so hard to get the answers I need! After some additional investigation the secretary THINKS they are definitely starting back Aug. 27, with the vote concerning how the rest of the year will be structured. I don't CARE how they do all the holidays and breaks, I just need to know what day school STARTS. I still don't know why the principal would say we start back one week later than we did this year. Of course this has been a stressful year for her. Maybe she was thinking what day the staff returns to school? Or maybe she thought we started this year on Aug. 21? She wasn't allowed on our campus until the lawsuit was finished, so I can see how she might lose track of days.

So right now it looks like we are OK to go to WDW Aug. 15-24. All of us. Until I hear different.

Thanks for listening to my gripes!

 

[mommykds]

Elizabeth,
Sorry about what you are going through..I would be mad too!!! Hope after your DH cools down he'll still want to go & you can work out going in August anyway. I personally dislike my kids school policy & calendar & have buted heads with the principal before (yes, to go to Disney! ) If I didn't pay so much in school taxes I would home school!!!!!!

Janet,
He's so cute!

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Elizabeth,
Sorry about what you are going through..I would be mad too!!! Hope after your DH cools down he'll still want to go & you can work out going in August anyway. I personally dislike my kids school policy & calendar & have buted heads with the principal before (yes, to go to Disney! ) If I didn't pay so much in school taxes I would home school!!!!!!

Janet,
He's so cute!

Anne Marie - We took DS out for 3 days in 3rd grade and nobody batted an eye. I took him out for 4 days in 4th grade and the district threatened to prosecute me for excessive unexcused absences. (Those were the only days he missed all year other than being sick 2 or 3 days.) He just missed 3 days for the trip last week, and I haven't heard how they are counting those yet. Here I am TRYING to play by the rules since he is going to middle school and I think it would be a bad idea to take him out, and then the district might not be following the state law? Perfect. But really, the only indication I had that the date might be earlier was what the principal said early this morning. I haven't found anything else even HINTING that they might start the 20th, so I am hoping we're done with this particular problem!

I told DH that all of the other districts are starting the 27th so we might have to move.

 

[Blueeyes101817]

You are all making me feel guilty, I am not good at sending cards out. So please know that I am thinking of you all!

I was just thinking the same thing..would you guys hate me if i dont send them out

 

[Blueeyes101817]

Hi everyone--another day is over and ONE more til i am done with the semester!
2 of my friends just planned to go to disney on Jan 8 and now im trying to figure out a way to go to ,but it doesnt look good..but it wont stop me from trying to find a way!

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Hi everyone--another day is over and ONE more til i am done with the semester!
2 of my friends just planned to go to disney on Jan 8 and now im trying to figure out a way to go to ,but it doesnt look good..but it wont stop me from trying to find a way!

YAY! The end of the semester!

I hope you get to go to WDW!

50 more days for us!

 

[my3princes]

I don't have time to catch up. Just got home from the doctors. After seeing a doctor, having a spiral CT and bloodwork, they are fairly confident that I have kidney stones. Actually they know that I have one in the left kidney that it 7 MM. Unfortunately, my pain is on the right side and they couldn't see anything significant on that side. I do have blood in my urine and crystals so they think I'm trying to pass something and it must be way up by the kidney which means it has a loooong ways to go. My kidneys aren't enlarged and my cell counts are normal. The treatment is to have my seen by Urology and the first appointment is Jan 2. She gave me pain meds until then. I've got to feed the kids and get them dressed for the concert. See you later.

Deb

 

[ReAnSt]

Not only was today a rainy day. Although it actually cleared up and was quite nice in the 60's but cloudy. We had a bit of a rumble. We had a anywhere from 2.8 to 3.7 magnitude earthquake today. That is due to different richter machines the 3.7 was a local machine and the 2.8 was out in Colorado. No damage is reported. Its not the first time we've had one.