writing letter to teacher about child missing school.

Yes I know i'll probably be bashed by someone for (gasp) taking my child out of school to go to disney and at the begining ofthe school year but....oh well...What I'm asking about is what to put in a letter to the teacher for my child missing school...and ideas?? we always go to disney in september ..and always will as long as my children do well in school..and all that lovely stuff , but this is the first year..well aside from last year (which she was in kindergarten missed school told the teacher in advance still had many phone calls on our answering machine...later the truency stopped by..yeah this is for kinder ..thats the short story) so just curious if any one had any suggestions?? On a cute note yesterday was my daughters first day back at school, the principal went to all the classrooms to welcome back all the children, my 6 year old took it upon herself to let her know that we're going away in a couple of weeks..I guess at first the principal had told my daughter "oh no way."..(kidingly..is that a word?? well you know what I mean) then laughed and said "well ok"....who knows if she even believed my daughter...sorry that I've been ranting..
I'm just so excited that we're leaving in..............14 more days.....ok seriously, i'm open for any suggestions..thanks again...

Just tell them you are taking her. She's your child and they can't tell you that you can't. If they ask why tell them that it's because it's the best time for your family to go.

This can get ugly. People, she is not asking if she should take them out of school. That appears to be a done deal, so offering opinions one way or another will not contribute to the discussion. She only wants advice on how to WORD the request.

As Judge Judy always says, if you tell the truth, you don't have to have a good memory. And there is no way that your child isn't going to talk about your trip, both before and after. So be honest with them, and see if there is anything you and her teacher can do to keep up with missed classwork

If your school called the truancy officer for a kindergartener, you may be in for a rough time.

sorry, at work, trying to read posts quickly...

you say she is six? I would just word it that you are taking your daughter on a family trip to Florida. As The Mom said, this COULD get ugly, but shouldn't... especially with a six year old, I think taking kids out of school shouldn't be an issue until Middle School anyways...

I'd just word it that you're taking a family vacation though and she'll be out from x to x. Hope you have a great trip!!!

dixiegirl said:

Yes I know i'll probably be bashed by someone for (gasp) taking my child out of school to go to disney and at the begining ofthe school year but....oh well...What I'm asking about is what to put in a letter to the teacher for my child missing school...and ideas?? we always go to disney in september ..and always will as long as my children do well in school..and all that lovely stuff , but this is the first year..well aside from last year (which she was in kindergarten missed school told the teacher in advance still had many phone calls on our answering machine...later the truency stopped by..yeah this is for kinder ..thats the short story) so just curious if any one had any suggestions?? On a cute note yesterday was my daughters first day back at school, the principal went to all the classrooms to welcome back all the children, my 6 year old took it upon herself to let her know that we're going away in a couple of weeks..I guess at first the principal had told my daughter "oh no way."..(kidingly..is that a word?? well you know what I mean) then laughed and said "well ok"....who knows if she even believed my daughter...sorry that I've been ranting..
I'm just so excited that we're leaving in..............14 more days.....ok seriously, i'm open for any suggestions..thanks again...

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I know you're from my general area - I'm guessing Cranston? - and from my own experience I can tell you that a lot depends on the school or the teacher. I would just tell them that she will not be in school from __ to __ because it is your family vacation time. Give the teacher plenty of time to come up with a suitable amount of work to be done, and don't go in with a bad attitude.
Have a great trip!

i'm not sure if your British (i'm guessing your american). If your British then you are allowed to have 5 days of school before the school can do anything about it. anything more than 5 days in any one school year and you should seak permission from the school beforehand.

I'm sure teachers have "heard it all" in regards to parents writing clever notes about taking their kids to Disney during the school year.

I'm planning to take my son out next year when he's in 1st grade for a week. I'll probably just stop in and talk to the teacher and see what she recommends.

Does your school have a handbook that the kids bring home at the beginning of the year? It should clearly state what the policy is for your school district regarding vacations. In our situation, we need a minimum of two days notice prior to leaving. If you keep lines of communication open with the office and her teacher there should be no problem. It all depends on the attitude of the people you're dealing with.
We're pulling the kids out of school the week after Thanksgiving. Our oldest is in 4th grade and in the advanced class, so I will be talking to her teachers about bringing back some educational tidbits from Epcot, perhaps some interesting animal tidbits from AK. I think we can make world showcase fun in learning about countries of the world. Our youngest is a preschooler, so not as big a deal.
As long as you stay on top of the info that your child is learning and make appropriate arrangements for making up work, there should be no problem. Just state,'we're going to WDW on (dates included),and would be grateful if you can give us any school assignments prior to leaving'. State the reason you're going at this time of year if you feel you must, but if your daughter is a good student there shouldn't be any concerns. Schools also have a policy as to when made up work is due.
As for us, we're going immediately following Thanksgiving, when crowds are a little smaller, as well as the chance to see Disney decorated for Christmas and attend MVMCP! Hope your vacation is a good one!

Letter

As an earlier post said I would let them know that this is the family vacation time and she will be gone from x to y and that you would like any work she will miss so that she can get it done while out. Thanks and be cheerful and all should be fine.

As a school principal I always tell the parents to tell the truth - just say family trip. The issue is that it may or may not be excused depending on the local policies. Generraly speaking work during an excused absence is made up with no penalty. The other thing to think of is that it could contribute to a truancy issue later if there is some illness or something and you have already "burned" x number of days on this trip.

hankhill said:

As an earlier post said I would let them know that this is the family vacation time and she will be gone from x to y and that you would like any work she will miss so that she can get it done while out. Thanks and be cheerful and all should be fine.

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just so you know, not all school districts require teachers to give work in advance for a student who will miss time...

Hi our school excuses trips to WDW they consider it an educational trip. So make sure you say WDW not just Flordia.

musketeer said:

just so you know, not all school districts require teachers to give work in advance for a student who will miss time...

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Agreed. It sometimes will vary within the school; my son's school does not require them to give work in advance, but many do. Some also expected my child to make up all missed work after his return.

Check to be sure that there is not a specific vacation form you'll need to fill out from the office. I know I wrote a letter to DS's kindergarten teacher all about our trip and the week he'd miss and thought all was well, as she sent work with us, etc. Then I got a call from the AP a few weeks after our trip about my son's unexcused absences. Even after an explanation, she refused to go back and excuse the days. The next trip (we take our trips during the school year every year...), I got the official form from the office, filled it out, and the same AP I'd had the problem with a few months before approved it with no problem.

If you don't have to fill out an official form, then just list some of the learning experiences the child will have. And there are plenty. We always talk about the learning that takes place at Animal Kingdom (even though they don't realize they are learning), as well as culture differences at Epcot, etc.

Our school only requires 3 days advance notice (i gave 2 weeks) but here is a copy of the letter that i sent to my son's teacher. (I found it on the internet and changed it a little to suit our needs.

DATE: 08/14/06
TO:
<O
FROM:
<O
RE:
September 1 - September 8, 2006
<O
Please be advised that (childs name) will be out of school beginning September 1 thru September 8th. He will return to school September 11, 2006. We ask that his absences be excused and are giving well over three days notice of this absence.
<O</O
The reason for Caleb's absence is that our family will be out of the state during this week on vacation at Disney World, SeaWorld and many other stops in the state of Florida. We believe that Caleb will be learning many things during this trip and that his education will continue in his absence from school.
<O</O
Some things Caleb will learn about:
<O</O
- Different cultures of the world, including architecture, language, diet, and dress, by visiting the different countries in the Epcot World Showcase (Japan, China, Germany, Mexico, Norway, Canada, France, etc.) Caleb will have the chance to explore the exhibits for each country and speak with natives from each country who work as cast members.

Here is the rest of it.


- American history by viewing the Hall of Presidents presentation in the Magic Kingdom and the American Adventure show in Epcot.
- Nature and conservation at Animal Kingdom.
- Experiencing the Universe of Energy exhibit which teaches about fossil fuels, energy, and conservation.
- Marine life and conservation by exploring the exhibits at SeaWorld
- Experience the wonders of the Gulf by snorkling and swimming with dolphins off the coast of Florida.
- Economics by managing his own spending money and making budget decisions on how to spend his money.
<O</O
Caleb will also be learning about map reading by navigating our trip to Florida, in and to the different theme parks, as well as the resorts and water parks via the Disney bus system, physics of the different rides, breakthroughs in technology at the Innoventions computer lab in Epcot, art and animation, the history of film, and mathematics.
<O</O
Also, it will be a time for developing strong family values and bonding by spending exclusive, uninterrupted time with each other something that as a family is very important to us.
<O</O
We believe this will be a wonderful and educational experience for Caleb. If it is possible for Caleb to take any assignments with him to be turned in when we return or to turn in any work before we leave that will be due while he is gone or take any tests before we leave, please let us know as soon as possible.
<O</O
Thank you for your attention to this. If you have any questions or need any further information, please feel free to contact me.
<O</O

That letter was awesome! Gives me ideas for mine. :animwink: Also, if you go on allearsnet.com under their planning section, there are ideas of actiivities for school aged kids at WDW. Might also help in writing your note.

Education is important in a child's development. That's a simple fact that I believe most will agree to. However, I feel that a family spending quality time together on a vacation is just as important or even moreso in today's society. Many families rush around during their normal routines and forget to have quality time with their children. They take them to all the different school or church activities, birthday parties, etc and forget to actually spend time nurturing their child and helping them adjust and learn about the "real" world.

A vacation time is a perfect opportunity to slow down (well, we're talking about WDW, but it can still be relaxing) and forget about the worries and interruptions of everyday living. That time is very important to a child's development and hopefully they will have the same experience as I did as a child and look back on those vacations as times when they bonded with their family and learned how to relax and enjoy time spent with those that love us.

While a school should be diligent and require that parents have their kids in school as much as possible, they should also understand that "family time" is just as important to a child as education. In addition to spelling out in the letter that your child will keep up or make up their missed work, learn about the world around them and experience other cultures and innovations, you should also highlight the fact they need to spend quality time with their family. Children grow up fast and the years pass by quickly. They need to learn more than the "three R's" to be responsible and successful adults. Many experts have said the lack of quality family time contributes to many of the issues facing tweens and teens today.

Ok... went a little long there, but I'm learning every day that my little ones are the most important thing in my life. Time spent with them is more important than the best toys money can buy or a few missed days of school. A happy and nurtured child who spends quality time with their family and *knows* they are loved will always learn more in the long run!

That is an excellent letter!!! You may also consider going to meet the teacher and looking at some of the specific things that will be missed that week (books that you can read together, math problems, etc.).

We will be pulling our children out for a week also in December. We fortunately are blessed with having a Disney lover for a principal. However, I have already notified DD's teacher(I did it last year when we planned our trip), and will be sending in a note probably about a month before giving her the exact dates. She did say that she generally doesn't send work with the kids because if they don't get to it in class, she doesn't want the kids to be a head when they come back, but our school gives them the amount of school days missed to make up the work. Ex. we will miss 5 days, she will have 5 days to make up the work.

If the school gives you a hard time just explain that while education is important to their development and growth so is family bonding and quality time, especially at this young age, and going at this particular time was what was best for your family. Besides going during school vacation is aweful. But don't tell them that.:wave: