Tips for Taking Kid Out of School

[RachaelRol]

Okay, I've lost this post three times so here it is again. Not sure what's going on with the Dis....

We've decided to take DS7 out of 2nd grade for 6 days, 4 are 1/2 days. Unfortuneately this year I was not able to take time off of work until October.

So:

How to you tell the school?

Will the teacher normally prep work ahead of time?

What Disney things can we do that are considered school work like?

TIA

Rachael

 

[goofyrhodie]

I sent an e-mail to my child's teacher and also to her principal stating that this is a chance of a life time, hate to do it, my child has had excellent attendance before, etc... and they both e-mailed me back "have a great trip" and that was it!!! We will be gone a week. I did ask her teacher to send homework i.e. spelling words, so we can test on them before or after she returns. I said I was willing to work with the teacher to get the weeks homework accomplished. btw, I have a 3rd grade DD.

Good luck and enjoy your trip!!!!

I really do not think this should be a problem unless a child has had poor attendence in recent years.

 

[lisadr]

I send a note in TELLING them we will be taking a family vacation. I DO NOT ask them if I can have my child so she can spend time with her family.

What work is required will be up to the teacher-every one is different.

Let you children read the maps, handle the money(to an extent) by figuring out how much things total up to and what amount of money is needed to give and get back. Epcot is a wealth of cultural knowledge-try having you children learn "hello" or "Thank you" in each language of the countries of Epcot-and get a passport book and have it signed. The hall of presidents is also a great historical plus. Tom Sawyers island could be a great into to American literature. Animal Kingdom have tons of animals(of course) , dino info, and conservation programs.

Basically there are TONS of educational opportunities- and they are tons of fun.
I only scratched the surface-I am sure other Disers can add to my list!

Have FUN!

 

[goofyrhodie]

I send a note in TELLING them we will be taking a family vacation. I DO NOT ask them if I can have my child so she can spend time with her family.

Agree 100% I told them really.......

 

[dis75ney]

DS's school is slightly more strict...they were okay with me taking him out of school, but wanted to know what we were planning on teaching him while we were gone to see how it correlated with the teacher's lesson plans and see if DS would have to make up any work. I wrote out a letter explaining where we were going, the dates DS would be gone, and examples of what we planned to show/teach DS while we were gone. I put in examples of space travel (we are spending a day at Kennedy Space Center), the environment (The Seas and The Land), world cultures (World Showcase), and several others, including map reading, money handling (DS will be handling his own money on this trip), etc. DH and I are part-time tutors, so we are big on learning and would be doing this sort of thing regardless of when we'd be going, so it wasn't that big of a deal for us...

I think the only thing that the teacher will prep ahead of time for DS would be his spelling list for the week...other than that, she was fine with what we have planned for DS...

 

[Darcy03231]

Before going just make sure to check your district's policy on unexcused absences. In reading these boards when this question comes up it seems that districts vary from being really leniant to be really strict (I live in one of the really strict ones). In my district if the absence is unexcused (and vacations are) its up to the teacher whether or not they want to give/accept make-up work. If they don't the child gets a zero on anything missed. If your child has more than 10 unexcused absences in a year they can't go on to the next grade. Also, you can receive a visit from the truancy officer and possible court action. If your child is out sick for more than three days they need a doctor's note to return.

I'm not saying don't go, just know what the consequences are (if any) so you're not surprised when you get back.

 

[MightyMom]

Before going just make sure to check your district's policy on unexcused absences. In reading these boards when this question comes up it seems that districts vary from being really leniant to be really strict (I live in one of the really strict ones). In my district if the absence is unexcused (and vacations are) its up to the teacher whether or not they want to give/accept make-up work. If they don't the child gets a zero on anything missed. If your child has more than 10 unexcused absences in a year they can't go on to the next grade. Also, you can receive a visit from the truancy officer and possible court action. If your child is out sick for more than three days they need a doctor's note to return.

I'm not saying don't go, just know what the consequences are (if any) so you're not surprised when you get back.

Are you from Texas? Sounds like you just quoted the TEC's stance on absences.

In Texas truancy policies are set by the state.... of course the district does have some wiggle room.

I would love to see a thread stating which state you're from and how your school handles vacations during the school year.

Seems like NY state is pretty easy on vacations during the school year......

We have a vacation planned to WDW next month. DS8 has had some medical complications and I still haven't decided if we are going to go. The doctor should clear him by the end of the week..... if she allows us to go (and if I am comfortable going) I will then notify the school. I don't expect them to cheer us on. ...... but maybe if I bring the teacher a nice gift from WDW she won't be so sour when we get back.

 

[Carlyzmom]

We are going in April of 2009. My DD is 7 and in 2nd grade too. I plan on telling her teacher very soon - when we have our parent-teacher conferences - so there is no surprises. I figure if I let her know way ahead of time, it won't be a problem.

 

[myprincessgirlisa]

i had called & asked the school secretray & then i typed up this FUN letter to the teacher.
DD didnt have to make up work & they pretty much said "have a good time"!
I was gonna try & have her do some stuff for "dis-homework" but it was pretty hard to fit it in with all the going on!!
just be honest & nice & schmoozing always helps...oh & i got the coins around the world for the teacher for the class, she really liked that!!

 

[princessmom29]

From a teacher's perspective:
Please be polite and willing to work with the teacher, and be prepared that there are teachers out there that will not be happy about losing a week's work. Please keep in mind that it creates more work for teachers taking kids out of school. I teach high school and a kid that misses a week of chemistry or physics means I need to give up at least 3 of my afternoons to reteach the stuff he /she missed. They really can't catch up at that level on that much material without instruction from me, and it is simply not possible to do that much reteaching during the school day. I realize we are talking about a much younger child, but just giving a teacher's perspective on it. I am not saying don't do it, just realize that the teacher IS going to have to work to catch the kid up when he/she returns.

 

[Darcy03231]

From a teacher's perspective:
Please be polite and willing to work with the teacher, and be prepared that there are teachers out there that will not be happy about losing a week's work. Please keep in mind that it creates more work for teachers taking kids out of school. I teach high school and a kid that misses a week of chemistry or physics means I need to give up at least 3 of my afternoons to reteach the stuff he /she missed. They really can't catch up at that level on that much material without instruction from me, and it is simply not possible to do that much reteaching during the school day. I realize we are talking about a much younger child, but just giving a teacher's perspective on it. I am not saying don't do it, just realize that the teacher IS going to have to work to catch the kid up when he/she returns.

I think this is one of the reasons why our district leaves it up to the teacher. If the teacher doesn't want to give up their time or have more work for themselves they aren't required to do it. While I think most of the teachers, especially in the lower grades are pretty accomodating, I've heard that some teachers will not give/accept make-up work and give zeros. Its compounded at the high school level as we're on block scheduling.

 

[Darcy03231]

Are you from Texas? Sounds like you just quoted the TEC's stance on absences.

In Texas truancy policies are set by the state.... of course the district does have some wiggle room.

I would love to see a thread stating which state you're from and how your school handles vacations during the school year.

Seems like NY state is pretty easy on vacations during the school year......

We have a vacation planned to WDW next month. DS8 has had some medical complications and I still haven't decided if we are going to go. The doctor should clear him by the end of the week..... if she allows us to go (and if I am comfortable going) I will then notify the school. I don't expect them to cheer us on. ...... but maybe if I bring the teacher a nice gift from WDW she won't be so sour when we get back.

No, I live in Southern NH. Each district sets their own policies. My brother lives in another county and their policy is completely different than ours. He took his kids out last October for a week and all the teachers just said to have a good time. There was no homework, makeup work or anything.

 

[tinkerlisa]

My son's school would not give us any work to take with us. His teacher was actually being very nasty because we took him out of school for three days. Those three days were 1/2 days and he was only in Kindergarten for the afternoon session so he would only have had school for an hour and a half those three days! We had to schedule our vacation like that because of my hubby-to-be's work. They won't let him take time off on "PEAK" time. Schools need to understand that most families are not 9-5, Monday- Friday anymore. I feel that spending time with my kids is far more important. Their dad barely gets to see them as it is.
I make sure my son reads and writes while we are away. I home schooled him before he went to actual school and he is more advanced than other kids his age. I have no worries about him falling a little behind because he is advanced.





Mom Dad Adam(6) Ben(1)

 

[princessmom29]

I think this is one of the reasons why our district leaves it up to the teacher. If the teacher doesn't want to give up their time or have more work for themselves they aren't required to do it. While I think most of the teachers, especially in the lower grades are pretty accomodating, I've heard that some teachers will not give/accept make-up work and give zeros. Its compounded at the high school level as we're on block scheduling.

I would never refuse to give makeup work personally, but there are teachers that would..... I don't mind catching up a child who is out occasionally, but it gets old after the third or fourth "I have to be out for _____ for 3 days" ect. A family vacatiuon that cannot be taken during summer b/c of scheduling is ligit in my book.

 

[J3nn78]

It is definitely much more work for the teacher. I HATE when kids are absent during the school year for extended periods of time. It takes at least a couple hours in advance to gather the work for them and then time again when they return to catch them up.
That said, I do not have any ill will towards families that take a few days off during the year for a trip. It would be hypocritical of me considering I am taking 3 days myself for Disney. The amount of work I prepare for my sub takes more time than if I was there myself, so I do not take off often.
My school is very lax. You just send in a note and let them know. I had a student last year that took almost the entire month of February off for a trip. That was a bit excessive and I could not believe the school just allowed it.

 

[mickeymouse1017]

I will never forget the time that a parent informed me that they were going to DW and asked if I would get their child's work together. I had it all together labeled for each day with the upcoming homework. It was so organized and together. Mom came to me so upset after their trip and swore that they did it (loved the lady and her child so I know that she was telling the truth - she was too upset) but Dad thought that it was completed classwork that had come home and he recycled it.

 

[nilseks]

When I informed my son's 1st grade teacher last year, she said he was well ahead of the curve and this was a great opportunity to learn beyond the walls of the classroom. I loved her, lol! We're going in November so I'll be informing his teacher early on (school hasn't started yet).

DS' school is in a somewhat rural area of Wisconsin, and last year a TON of the older boys were out the 3rd week of November b/c of hunting. The principal and school administrator were gone as well...same reason. I was told the principal takes time off every year to hunt, so I can't envision him having the guts to tell me he has an issue with me taking my kid out of school.

 

[cuppycake]

We are in Saint Louis, MO and i just spoke with my daughter's K teacher this evening about our trip.

She will be missing 4 days (half day Kindergarten). Funny thing is that right now, there is a girl in her class at Disney, there was another mom who will be taking her daughter out the week after mine to go to Disney, and there was another mom who is taking her son out for a week in Oct to go!

The best part? The teacher whispered...well, what can I say, really? I mean, I'm taking off two days at the end of the month and *that's* where I'm going too!!

In general, our school district is quite lenient about missing time for family vacations. DD's teacher was more than willing to give us her seat work and any homework for the week ahead of time so that we can complete it either before we leave or on the plane. She doesn't want us to worry about any other extra work.

I'm interested in hearing more about the "coins around the world" though, as that sounds like a neat idea to bring back! Anyone willing to share some info?

 

[lisadr]

From a teacher's perspective:
Please be polite and willing to work with the teacher, and be prepared that there are teachers out there that will not be happy about losing a week's work. Please keep in mind that it creates more work for teachers taking kids out of school. I teach high school and a kid that misses a week of chemistry or physics means I need to give up at least 3 of my afternoons to reteach the stuff he /she missed. They really can't catch up at that level on that much material without instruction from me, and it is simply not possible to do that much reteaching during the school day. I realize we are talking about a much younger child, but just giving a teacher's perspective on it. I am not saying don't do it, just realize that the teacher IS going to have to work to catch the kid up when he/she returns.

I am always polite and I never expect my DDs(7) teacher to bear the weight of catching my DD up. I understand that a lot of parents expect to take their child out of school and believe it is the teachers job to bring their children up to speed. I am not one of them. But I have also found that a lot of parents also don't want to be involved in teaching their children at all. They feel that's what the teacher gets paid for. I have actually have had a parent say that to me
Beyond vacation, I make sure to supplement my DD education on my own. I don't wait for her teacher to do it in class before I teach her something, and as a result she is 2 grades ahead in reading and math. I am not bragging because I know how much of that is God given- all I did was cultivate it.

I am in no means saying be rude or nasty. I am also not saying to take a struggling child out of class time they can not afford to miss, but if your child can make up the work missed-you can make a vacation fun & educational, and they family time together is priceless!:

 

[princessmom29]

I am always polite and I never expect my DDs(7) teacher to bear the weight of catching my DD up. I understand that a lot of parents expect to take their child out of school and believe it is the teachers job to bring their children up to speed. I am not one of them. But I have also found that a lot of parents also don't want to be involved in teaching their children at all. They feel that's what the teacher gets paid for. I have actually have had a parent say that to me
Beyond vacation, I make sure to supplement my DD education on my own. I don't wait for her teacher to do it in class before I teach her something, and as a result she is 2 grades ahead in reading and math. I am not bragging because I know how much of that is God given- all I did was cultivate it.

I am in no means saying be rude or nasty. I am also not saying to take a struggling child out of class time they can not afford to miss, but if your child can make up the work missed-you can make a vacation fun & educational, and they family time together is priceless!:

In high school chemistry most of the time it is not possible for parents however educated to teach this material to their kids. Someone has to catch them up and that soemone is me b/c most parents just don't have the content knowledge for chemistry and physics. That is why I also offer routine tutoring for my students. Their parents just can't help them with this stuff. I wasn't trying to insinuate anything about anybody here, it was just ment to give you the teacher's perspective on the situation. I was not saying that you were rude, but I have had parents come in or send a note telling me they are taking their kid out of school who were very abrasive and defensive about it. Just a reminder that teachers are ppl too and they do care about your kids. (the good ones anyway)