What to tell School?

[dsnyfrk5]

We have been saving up for the trip to WDW for two years and my husband can finally take vacation and we booked are trip for November 30 through December 10th of this year and my daughter will be starting 1st grade. I have never had to worry about vacations until now but she will be missing like 7 days of school and she will be back one week before their christmas vacation. I don't think that they do much right before christmas but i am fairly new at this. Has anyone taken their kids out of school for that long and if so how did the school react? Did the teachers give them homework? Does anyone have any suggestions on what to say?
Thanks so much.

 

[MickeyHereWeCome!]

Congrats on finally planning your trip!!

Although I've never taken my kids out of school for that length of time, my son did miss some days for our last trip, and my two oldest will miss 4 days next October. They both do very well academically, so I don't foresee any problems that missing a few days would cause. In our county, kids are "excused" for up to 5 days of vacation/family travel. I would inform the teacher/office, in writing, at least a month before you go. In my note, I requested that any expected work be given to us beforehand, or that we would be very happy to work on missed work afterwards. My son was in a k/1 split, so we had to deal with 2 teachers. Neither teacher sent home any work for him to complete. We did make up a journal that had my ds use many of the skills he was learning (time, calendar, writing), and I did send that in afterwards. I wanted the teachers to know that we still valued his learning time during our trip.

Oh, and I did send in another note about a week before, just to remind the teachers that ds would be gone. And, of course, we followed up with a canister of chocolate covered Mickey pretzels for each teacher.

I'm sure life will get more difficult when they reach high school, when missing those days could cause them to miss truly valuable information that could interfere with progress. But by then, the kids will be old enough to deal with some of the unpleasant issues associated with summer travel.

Good luck, and have fun planning.

 

[5wdwfans]

I've always told teachers we are go to wdw for x amount of days (always been 5 or more) on a family vacation. All the teachers I delt with encouraged family vacations. I tried to get teacher to let my children work ahead so there was not much to bring with us on trip as we never had time to work on it at wdw. It's easier to take them out in elementary. My oldest is now in high shcool and is not easy to miss very many days because there is to much work to make up.

 

[ferris198]

My son is in sk and I took him out for a week last year, and a week this year, both times to go to Disney.
Neither teahcer had a problem and as part of show and tell he showed pictures when we got back.
In fact, I had a teacher in grade 5 who encouraged travel. My mother took me out of school for a week and took me to San Fransico and said travelling is a great way for children to learn,

 

[horsegirl]

I would definitely tell them up front and them go! There have been lots of posts on this, and some very strong feelings on both ends of the spectrum. Many feel it is wrong to take your kids out of school. I hail from the other camp. My parents took us out all growing up, and those are cherished and wonderful memories. It seems as though some states and school districts are incredibly tough on this issue and others are incredibly supportive. Our kids will be out for 2 5 day periods this year. One beginning next week and one week in may, that was out of our control (family function cannot miss). When we told our school, their response was 'great! the kids will learn more on your trip'. One poster had prepped their kids to lie year after year and keep a secret as to where they were going. I think that is an unfair thing to do to kids and poor modeling about honesty and truth. Have fun and enjoy your trip!

 

[welovedis]

I'd be upfront about it and don't make excuses or say that your sorry about her not being there. I don't say any of that because I'm not sorry he's missing class, I'm thrilled he's going to go to WDW again.

We've had terrific luck in our school, no one has ever said Boo about us being gone during the academic year. A few teachers will even comment that they wish they could go then too!

Have a great time, encourage her to do something special on her trip that she can share with the class or her teacher if that is ok & enjoy yourself!

 

[MommaluvsDis]

Our school excuses children for travel if they write a one page about something new that they've learned on the trip. They call it educational travel. Maybe your school offers something like this. We always brought the teacher something from our trip as well as a little something for our sons to share with the whole class. Your child's teacher may be able to give you the assignments and your child can work on them on the way to Disney, that way she'll be caught up when she gets back.

 

[twocjsmom]

We just returned last Friday from a week long trip, and my son's school (also where I work) allowed his days off (he's in K) to be excused as educational travel because he completed the week's homework packet along with an additional work packet, as well as a travel journal he had to write in every day he missed school. He is going to bring in the park maps tomorrow and tell his class about the trip and we made up a little book about his journey using the photos I had taken and he made the text. We uploaded the pics to Shutterfly and made one of their books (it was about $10 for a 20 page book with multiple pictures on each page) and he dictated the text to go along with each picture. He is able to read what he wrote, so he will present that as well. Its kinda cool cause he can keep it then as a keepsake of his trip. It was so easy that I plan on having him do it every trip we go on!

And yes, we did also make sure to bring the teachers a gift (a cute Mickey pen for each of them) and he is bringing in Mickey pencils and lollipops to his classmates tomorrow as well. Monday was his 100th day of school party so we figured it might be better to wait until the end of the week to spread out the excitement.

 

[Mom to Jordan]

I always tell the teacher early in the year that we have a WDW trip planned for XXdate. I remind with a short letter a few weeks before. Remind them we are going and ask that any work that they have prepared ahead of time to be sent home ASAP so we can get ahead before the trip. Also reasure them I will be sure that any missed work or test will be made up ASAP.
teachers in K, 1, 5 gave DS NO work but just said go have fun. Third grade he had a lot of make up work but we got through it. Just be sure that you inform and not ask permission.

JOrdans'mom

 

[polly p]

We usually go to WDW for 10-14 days and I have always told the teachers the truth. They have all been great. We give them lots of notice, especially when my kids were in middle and jr high. Often they brought all their work with them. Sometimes they had to stay after school to make up tests afterwards but the kids were OK with it.

Don't stress about it and do it while you can. No crowds. It's different for us now. My dd is in 10th grade and we can't pull her out anymore. We're forced to go during school breaks or summer.

 

[disney-super-mom]

Your child really won't miss too much in first grade by going on vacation. We took my son, who's in first grade right now, on a trip to Disneyland, and he missed 5 days of school. The teacher didn't mind at all. She gave us a list of spelling words for the week to go over with him on the plane if we wanted (I think the spelling list was words ending in "it" like hit, mit, sit, bit, etc...) and that was it.

Elementary school is the time to enjoy taking a trip now and then with your daughter - SO ENJOY!

 

[LaLa]

We took DS out for a week last year when he was in first grade. The teacher begged us to take her along.

She was great about it. We got his work ahead of time and finished it before we went. We brought back a chocolate covered apple all the way from Germany for her and her assistant for being so good about it all.
We also picked up some Mickey candy for DS to share with the class when he came back. He thought that was pretty cool.

We were blessed in the teacher department, but there are some that I have heard can be kind of witchy about it. Just be upfront and let them know well in advance, don't spring it on them.

Have a great time

 

[KristiKelly]

I have taken DS out of school for a week every years since kindergarten, he's now in 3rd grade. This year I had to take both DS 3rd grade & DD K'garten out for a week. We've never had any problems. This year was the hardest with the 3rd grade teacher only because she's very "old school" and strict, the other teachers would've been easier. I always speak to the teacher several weeks in advance to prepare them, then the week before I write the teacher & the principal a letter. Usually they will give them work for the week and we either get it done before we leave or spend a little time each day for homework & reading. I think most teachers in that age group are very used to this. The week we were out, I know there were at least 4 other families in our school that went to WDW the same week.

 

[LUVCHIPNDALE]

I have taken my daughter out almost every year for vacation. I have never had any problems she is now in 4th grade and we are getting ready to leave again. Her teacher was excited for her and didnt want her to do any work on her trip and he is a VERY strict teacher. He usually discourages absences, but he said family vacations are the exception to rule, because they need that time with there family......

 

[camdensmom]

ETA: My original post was missing half so I'm updating...

I have taught in 5 schools (grades K, 1 and 2) and wanted to offer a "fly on the wall" look into the teacher's room. In my experience most teacher's have always smiled and said, "have fun" to the parents, but are bitter about several things. I think the key is to be proactive and approach the subject well...

• Since this is our career and most feel passionately about what we do, it is insulting when people say "he/she won't miss anything because it's ONLY 1st grade/2nd grade/etc." Admittedly some teachers coast through the year, but for those of us who pour our hearts into each and every day saying the child won't miss anything belittles our efforts.
• On that same token don't make a statement like that in front of the child. There is nothing worse than having a kiddo quote the parent. i.e. "My mom told my grandmother that we aren't going to be doing anything in school anyway."
• It is a hassle to try and gather up assignments ahead of time. Be sensitive to that.
• Give as much notice as possible.
• Pay attention to weekly/daily routines and be proactive in planning work. For example, we do a daily writing journal and number of the day activity as well as a daily reading log. These are all easy to while away and I appreciate when parents continue them even when the child is absent. It shows they are involved.
• Personally I would LOVE to take a week off of work that isn't part of a school vacation to go to Disney. My family could use the off-season discount and would like to avoid the crowds. However, I can't imagine my student's parents being at all pleased if I sent home a note reading, "The students will have a sub for the next seven days because I am going to Disney World. It's only 2nd grade so I figured they wouldn't miss anything. We can always make up the work when I get back." My point is if you have a good reason why you are going then and not during a school vacation week then share it with the teacher. There are good reasons, but when a parent comes to me and says we're going now because it is too expensive or too crowded during school vacations it's hard to keep the smile on.
• Lastly, find out the school's policy. Some districts are fine with it. Others view it as an unexcused absence and a truancy issue.

I would suggest writing a note prior to going that reads something along the lines of...

Dear Ms.______,

I just wanted to remind you that ____ will be absent --/--/06 - --/--/06 because we will be taking a family vacation to Disney World. I apologize that she will be missing school, but we chose this week because it was the only time my husband could take from his job (or whatever the reason). I realize that we will not be able to duplicate all of the lessons and activities you will be doing with the class while we are gone, but I would be most appreciative if you could set aside any work that can be completed outside of the classroom. We will continue to have her compose a daily journal entry and will still be reading with her nightly. We are looking forward to some quality family time together, but also hope and anticipate that this trip will also provide ____ with some excellent real world learning opportunities.

Sincerely,
_________

Basically, just acknowledge that the child will be missing something, show interest in working with the teacher to make the trip educational and don't add burden to her workload by requesting work ahead of time. Offer to take it if it's available, but also be willing to let the teacher gather it as it occurs. I have a "while you were out" folder for each child and when they are absent we put work into it as we pass it out to the class.

Anyhow, I hope my post helps. I don't mean it to sound like I disagree with parents pulling kids out of school, but I just wanted to share an insider look and offer tips for how to approach the teacher. Enjoy your trip. December is a great time to visit.

 

[beattyfamily]

What I do is write a VERY short note, a couple of weeks beforehand, saying that my DD will be out from -- to -- and will return on -- and if she has any questions to just ask. That is it.

I don't appologize, I don't ask for permission, I don't explain why and I don't ask for work. If they want to give her work great, if not that's fine too. If they do give her an assignment or work, I make sure she does it ASAP. We, on our own, do a journal for every trip.

 

[kathy320]

We are going to disney in March and my daughter will be missing 8 days of school. SHe is in the first grade. I told the teacher and she didn't seem to have a problem with it and gave me the option of getting the work or just having my dd write in a journal everyday.

 

[Sunny37]

ETA: My original post was missing half so I'm updating...

I have taught in 5 schools (grades K, 1 and 2) and wanted to offer a "fly on the wall" look into the teacher's room. In my experience most teacher's have always smiled and said, "have fun" to the parents, but are bitter about several things. I think the key is to be proactive and approach the subject well...

• Since this is our career and most feel passionately about what we do, it is insulting when people say "he/she won't miss anything because it's ONLY 1st grade/2nd grade/etc." Admittedly some teachers coast through the year, but for those of us who pour our hearts into each and every day saying the child won't miss anything belittles our efforts.
• On that same token don't make a statement like that in front of the child. There is nothing worse than having a kiddo quote the parent. i.e. "My mom told my grandmother that we aren't going to be doing anything in school anyway."
• It is a hassle to try and gather up assignments ahead of time. Be sensitive to that.
• Give as much notice as possible.
• Pay attention to weekly/daily routines and be proactive in planning work. For example, we do a daily writing journal and number of the day activity as well as a daily reading log. These are all easy to while away and I appreciate when parents continue them even when the child is absent. It shows they are involved.
• Personally I would LOVE to take a week off of work that isn't part of a school vacation to go to Disney. My family could use the off-season discount and would like to avoid the crowds. However, I can't imagine my student's parents being at all pleased if I sent home a note reading, "The students will have a sub for the next seven days because I am going to Disney World. It's only 2nd grade so I figured they wouldn't miss anything. We can always make up the work when I get back." My point is if you have a good reason why you are going then and not during a school vacation week then share it with the teacher. There are good reasons, but when a parent comes to me and says we're going now because it is too expensive or too crowded during school vacations it's hard to keep the smile on.
• Lastly, find out the school's policy. Some districts are fine with it. Others view it as an unexcused absence and a truancy issue.

I would suggest writing a note prior to going that reads something along the lines of...

Dear Ms.______,

I just wanted to remind you that ____ will be absent --/--/06 - --/--/06 because we will be taking a family vacation to Disney World. I apologize that she will be missing school, but we chose this week because it was the only time my husband could take from his job (or whatever the reason). I realize that we will not be able to duplicate all of the lessons and activities you will be doing with the class while we are gone, but I would be most appreciative if you could set aside any work that can be completed outside of the classroom. We will continue to have her compose a daily journal entry and will still be reading with her nightly. We are looking forward to some quality family time together, but also hope and anticipate that this trip will also provide ____ with some excellent real world learning opportunities.

Sincerely,
_________

Basically, just acknowledge that the child will be missing something, show interest in working with the teacher to make the trip educational and don't add burden to her workload by requesting work ahead of time. Offer to take it if it's available, but also be willing to let the teacher gather it as it occurs. I have a "while you were out" folder for each child and when they are absent we put work into it as we pass it out to the class.

Anyhow, I hope my post helps. I don't mean it to sound like I disagree with parents pulling kids out of school, but I just wanted to share an insider look and offer tips for how to approach the teacher. Enjoy your trip. December is a great time to visit.

What a great post!

 

[nickelsfamily]

I would not worry about it. Just be upfront and let the teacher(s) know as soon as you can with a reminder just before the trip. My son is five and we will be taking him out of pre-k for 5 days in march for our trip to disney.(we live in florida 2hrs away) I am a little embarased as we were just there last weekend and the teachers know it! But he didn't miss any school then.
I look at it as family bonding and there is nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to that. Plus, there are many learning experiences at Epcot if that makes you feel any better!

Relax and enjoy your time with your family!
Julie

 

[melag]

I teach high school and when kids are gone for a week it could be a big issue however at the first grade level you could teach them anything they need to know for a week and I wouldn't hesitate to tell my child's teacher exactly what I was doing and tell them that you have the child do anything they need to do to stay on track. JM2C