What Do YOU TELL THE TEACHER?

[Evan&Kimberly]

Before you answer this post, this is for those that have taken their child or children out of school, or for those that have missed school for vacation. I would like to hear how people have handled missing school, so here goes the question,



I have a 4 yr old son, we go to WDW every year and love the DCL. Our trips last from 1 week to 2 weeks. My son has never been in daycare because I am a stay at home mom so I have taught him at home. This year he will start pre-K and next year he will start Kindergarten at a private school. I will continue to vacation every year to WDW and Disney Cruise Line. So my questions are


1. How long do you take your children out of school for a Disney Vacation?

2. What is the longest time that you have taken your child or children out
of School for a vacation?

3. What reason do you give the school for your child’s absent?

4. How far in advanced do you tell the school that your child will be out?

5. How is missing school work & test handled, or is it even allowed to be made
up?

I know that he is well ahead on his learning for his age but I am
still concerned about him missing school,especially as he gets older. Cant wait to hear what you guys have to say!

 

[GoofyFairie]

First of all, you are going to get a lot of different answers here and some of them probably won't be nice. There are some very strong opinions that will be expressed, they have been many times before. Please prepare yourself for some unsupportative replies.
Second, each school district has it's own policy about vacations and missed school work. You will have to abide by their rules and decisions. I wouldn't worry about missing preschool or kindergarten, unless your child is having learning issues. I took my DD out of school for a week in 1st grade with no problems. My school's policy states that for approved educational absences school work doesn't have to be made up. I did make her read the story she would miss in reading and covered the math topics so she wouldn't be behind when she returned. Also, I had to submit paperwork for approval of the educational trip before we went. In our state if you are out too many days in a row you have to have a doctors excuse to be allowed to return, so you have to be honest.
I'd say as long as your child can handle the missed work then by all means go. Family time and the experiences they can offer are priceless and can't be gained in a classroom. Have fun on your trips!

 

[froggy5657]

I'm a high schooler, so this may not apply as much to your son.

I went on a cruise in mid-May las year. I told my teachers around March, this gave enough notice, but not too much that they forgot.

I reminded them ate the end of April, and asked for work in advance the week before I left.

Most teachers have homework and tests planned at least a week in advance, if you get the homework before you go, you can get it done on the plane. Tests can be made up during lunch or after school.

Most teachers are VERY flexible, and want you to have a great time at Disney as well as not get too far behind in school. Just talk to them.

Side Note: It will make their lives a lot easier if you don't try to get the information through e-mail, talking on the phone will save them the time of writing an email, proofreading it, and making sure it makes sense.

 

[Evan&Kimberly]

Thanks Guys for the information! My son will be in private school which will be different than the public school system. I am not too concerned about him missing preK or kindergarten.

 

[Evan&Kimberly]

First of all, you are going to get a lot of different answers here and some of them probably won't be nice. There are some very strong opinions that will be expressed, they have been many times before. Please prepare yourself for some unsupportative replies.
Second, each school district has it's own policy about vacations and missed school work. You will have to abide by their rules and decisions. I wouldn't worry about missing preschool or kindergarten, unless your child is having learning issues. I took my DD out of school for a week in 1st grade with no problems. My school's policy states that for approved educational absences school work doesn't have to be made up. I did make her read the story she would miss in reading and covered the math topics so she wouldn't be behind when she returned. Also, I had to submit paperwork for approval of the educational trip before we went. In our state if you are out too many days in a row you have to have a doctors excuse to be allowed to return, so you have to be honest.
I'd say as long as your child can handle the missed work then by all means go. Family time and the experiences they can offer are priceless and can't be gained in a classroom. Have fun on your trips!

Thanks, I hope I fixed the problem, I only want to know how to handle the situation, not why not to do it, my mind is already made up, so I really dont want to hear any negative reviews, just want to know how folks went about taking their kids out of school. Thanks for the heads up

 

[lastminutemom]

In GA, public schools have very strict regulations about attendance, enforceable with court action. However, you said your child will be in private school.

You will need to understand the school's policy. My child's private school isn't to tolerant of unexcused absences. Two years ago, one of the families I carpool with wasn't invited back the following year for this reason.

Also, if the pre-k program is funded by the GA lottery (and I am guessing it is not), then you need to be aware that this program also has very stringent attendance policies and children will be kick out for excessive absences. There are long waiting lists for these classes.

 

[myweegirls]

We are going next month with DDs 5 and 3. DD5 is in kindergarten in a private program this year. We talked with her head teacher before firming up our plans to get a sense of her feelings on the matter. Her response was that family time was just as important as kindergarten time, so off we go. I think what PPs have said about knowing the policies at your school is key - I would hate to have a vacation booked and paid for only to find out that we'd be dinged by the school for missing time.

I don't know yet how I'll feel as DD5 gets further into formal schooling - I'd rather she not have to do schoolwork on a vacation. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Have a great time!

XO
Liz

 

[princesssfws]

1. How long do you take your children out of school for a Disney Vacation?

We take our kids out every year (oldest is 4th gr) for a wk to 10 days.

2. What is the longest time that you have taken your child or children out
of School for a vacation? 10 days

3. What reason do you give the school for your child’s absent? I let them know we are taking a vacation to WDW.

4. How far in advanced do you tell the school that your child will be out? I tell the teachers about a month with a reminder about 1-2 wks before. I tell the school office just a few days before.

5. How is missing school work & test handled, or is it even allowed to be made
up?
Homework is sent with us so they can complete it on the plane. Tests are made up after they get back. My daughter even missed MAP testing this year and they said it wasn't a big deal and she was able to take it when we got back.

Our school system does not get $$$ based on the # of days kids are in school, instead it goes by the number registered by a certain date. This is probably why our school district does not have a problem w/ kids missing school for vacation.

 

[chirogrrl]

We have taken our kids out of school for the past 2 years for Disney vacations. Last year, dd was in 1st Grade and she missed 2 days for our vacation. In MN, we get 2-3 days off for a state-wide teacher's conference every October, so we used that week.

This year, we pulled both kids (kindergarten and 2nd Grade) for a week after Thanksgiving. We would have done the Oct. time again, but we were travelling with my parents and that week didn't work. So they missed 5 days in Dec. and they will miss one day for our upcoming May trip.

We were very upfront with the school and let both the teachers and the office know in advance. They are still young and do very well in class, so I didn't see it as an issue. Both teachers sent a trip journal and homework, so the kids had to keep up.

That being said...I would not be comfortable pulling them out that much next year when dd is in 3rd grade. We will probably work with the October week again. I think you will be fine, I suggest letting the teachers know and taking any work along on the trip!

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

1. How long do you take your children out of school for a Disney Vacation? My son was out of preschool for 2 days but they were gone for 5 days (Sun - Thurs. He will miss 3 days this year (we'll be gone Sat - Thurs).

2. What is the longest time that you have taken your child or children out
of School for a vacation?
I don't think I would go more than 5 school days. I would probably plan on being gone no longer than Fri night/Sat thru the following Sun.

3. What reason do you give the school for your child’s absent?
I told them he would be out of town and would miss class on days x and y.

4. How far in advanced do you tell the school that your child will be out?
2 weeks ahead and then wrote a note for the teacher his last class day before they left.

5. How is missing school work & test handled, or is it even allowed to be made up?
He did not have work to make up, but they did send his class papers home the first day he returned.

... especially as he gets older
Just use your best judgement. When the kids get to the grades where they take on multiple classes in one day (actually changing classrooms) you start to get to a point where they really shouldn't miss anymore than possible.

Good luck!

 

[Evan&Kimberly]

1. How long do you take your children out of school for a Disney Vacation?

We take our kids out every year (oldest is 4th gr) for a wk to 10 days.

2. What is the longest time that you have taken your child or children out
of School for a vacation? 10 days

3. What reason do you give the school for your child’s absent? I let them know we are taking a vacation to WDW.

4. How far in advanced do you tell the school that your child will be out? I tell the teachers about a month with a reminder about 1-2 wks before. I tell the school office just a few days before.

5. How is missing school work & test handled, or is it even allowed to be made
up?
Homework is sent with us so they can complete it on the plane. Tests are made up after they get back. My daughter even missed MAP testing this year and they said it wasn't a big deal and she was able to take it when we got back.

Our school system does not get $$$ based on the # of days kids are in school, instead it goes by the number registered by a certain date. This is probably why our school district does not have a problem w/ kids missing school for vacation.

Thanks, do you mind me asking what state do you live in?

 

[Evan&Kimberly]

Thanks Guys, Great Responses!!!!!

 

[bushdianee]

First grade teacher here. When a parent lets me know they are going to WDW. I usually print out a Disney journal from another site, pull out the math pages they will be missing and tell them to have a great time. I have only had a few go in the 11 years I've been teaching. None for more than a week.

 

[bear_mom]

1. How long do you take your children out of school for a Disney Vacation?
We have taken then out for 6 days. We go Sat through Sun and they miss the following Mon because our flights get in late (~11pm).

2. What is the longest time that you have taken your child or children out
of School for a vacation?
6 days


3. What reason do you give the school for your child’s absent?
I'm honest. I tell the teachers that dds are missing school to take a family trip to Disney World.

4. How far in advanced do you tell the school that your child will be out?
I tell the teachers about a month or two in advance and then again about a week before we go.

5. How is missing school work & test handled, or is it even allowed to be made
up?
Depends on the teacher. We have had no make up work (1st-3rd grades) other than writing in a journal and getting make up work when we got back from vacation (4th grade). Dd had as many days as she missed to make up the work. In the later case, dd's teacher said it was easier to give make-up when she got back than to give it in advance. I said what ever was easier and more convenient for her.

Emily

 

[princesssfws]

Thanks, do you mind me asking what state do you live in?

We live in Kansas.

 

[Manda]

1. How long do you take your children out of school for a Disney Vacation?

We took our 1st grader out for 6 days this year.

2. What is the longest time that you have taken your child or children out
of School for a vacation?

Just that one trip, so far.

3. What reason do you give the school for your child’s absent?

I called the school secretary and discussed it with her first to find out what the best method would be for reporting the absences - since I knew she was one that collected and reported the daily attendance stuff. She told me just to email the teacher and cc her to let them know the dates he'd be out. I also wanted to verify that there wasn't any policy on vacation absences (i.e. not being excused). She confirmed that our school is totally cool about it as long as it's not excessive.

4. How far in advanced do you tell the school that your child will be out?

I gave the teacher a conversational heads up at the beginning of the school year when we met (vacation was planned for October). I then sent an email reminder a week prior. And then sent the official absence note to her and the secretary the evening before we left.

5. How is missing school work & test handled, or is it even allowed to be made up?

His teacher made him a vacation journal to fill out while he was gone. I, honestly, thought that would be all of it, but then we returned and he had all his worksheets, etc., that he typically does in class plus all the regular homework from the week he missed. I thought that was sort of silly and excessive considering it's first grade and we don't even have grades in first grade, LOL. And the journal she gave him did require a lot of work on his part.

It ended up being a really painful return to the real world. My son is not the type to happily do homework anyway, so I had to force him to do the journal while we were on vacation and then nightly homework in the week after was a nightmare while he had to do 3 x as much work to get all the missed worksheets done. Honestly, I don't know if we'll do it again. Or maybe I just won't bother with the make-up work and just let the teacher think whatever she wants of me...

 

[MiniGirl]

1. How long do you take your children out of school for a Disney Vacation?

Anywhere from 1 day to a week several times a year.

2. What is the longest time that you have taken your child or children out
of School for a vacation?

5 days at one time.

3. What reason do you give the school for your child’s absent?

I never gave a reason. I just let them know that dd would be absent on these days. Of course, the teacher always knew why because my girls would talk about it. Also, if asked, I'd certain answer honestly.

4. How far in advanced do you tell the school that your child will be out?

Our longer trips were in the fall, so I'd usually mention at the teacher conference and then follow up with a note.

5. How is missing school work & test handled, or is it even allowed to be made
up?

All of these trips counted as unexcused absences for us, so there was no need to officially make up the work. Of course, we did as much of the missed work as I felt was needed to catch dd up with the rest of the class.

I know that he is well ahead on his learning for his age but I am
still concerned about him missing school,especially as he gets older. Cant wait to hear what you guys have to say!

Can't help with the older students. My dds are still fairly young. Besides were homeschooling now, so I know their teacher is on board with the family trips.

 

[daisyduck123]

1st grade public school teacher here
I have a DD15 (junior) & DS12 (6th grade).

I have pulled my own kids out every year for the past 6 years.
For these trips, they've missed anywhere from 12-5 school days.
This year is the very FIRST year I have not pulled them out...DD15 is taking 5 AP classes. and 3 Honors classes.

I let their teachers know one week ahead of time...any more is just not necessary.

In elementary school I wouldn't hesitate to do it...no second thoughts.

Btw...I pull myself out as well.

 

[Swimalie]

I have a 5 year old who is in his last year of private preschool before going on to kindergarten (I am also a stay at home mom). We just got back from Disney 3 weeks ago. We went the week before Spring Break because it just happened that his birthday hit the week before and we went for his birthday. I told his teachers about a month in advance. He was out of school for 5 days and when we returned, his teachers had his make up work waiting for him (a letter page and a craft). I'm not sure what we'll do once he starts "full" school about vacations. I am one that believes unless it's an educational trip, it's not something he will miss school over.

 

[JenniJ]

I have a 16 year old and a 2 year old. We are planning on going after Thanksgiving this year.

I wouldn't bat an eye taking the 2 year old out of school. Yes, he does go to school, a Montesorri School. His teachers may ask for us to have him "journal" his vacation, aka drawings.

Now my DD who will be 17 at the time, is very nervous about being pulled from school. She is a very concerned about her school work and performance. She went on a Disney vacation with her Grandma and Aunt when hse was in 8th grade. It was VERY stressful for her. We alerted the teachers ina advance (about one month with a 1 week remonder), so they gave her the homework for the missed days to do on the trip. However, my mom is a don't stop til you drop vacationer at Disney. They would leave for the parks early and arrive back at the rooms late and exhausted. Needless to say, she barely got any homework done and had A LOT of making up to do. Because of that trip she went down a grade in almost every subject!

This year, she is nervous, but she knows we are not a go til you drop Disney vacationers. Well, I am from upbringing but for my DH it is out of the question. Plus, with a 3 year old we will need to have nap times which will give her time to do school work.

It all comes down to balancing out priorities in my book.