writing letter to teacher about child missing school.

[mrtoad]

What is the difference between an excused and non-excused absence? I was always under the impression you were aloud X amount of days out of school in a year, if you exceeded it you would fail the year. Can someone explain the differences in the absences as I really have no clue?

Thanks.

 

[wannab@dis]

What is the difference between an excused and non-excused absence? I was always under the impression you were aloud X amount of days out of school in a year, if you exceeded it you would fail the year. Can someone explain the differences in the absences as I really have no clue?

Thanks.

It's different for every district.

 

[amykissangel]

What is the difference between an excused and non-excused absence? I was always under the impression you were aloud X amount of days out of school in a year, if you exceeded it you would fail the year. Can someone explain the differences in the absences as I really have no clue?

Thanks.

In the Ashwaubenon (Green Bay, WI)School District, you can get out of school as long as you have a note from your parents. The note must contain a phone number where the parent can be reached, and the number needs to be one on the call sheet. The secretary calls the parent, discusses the note, then gives you a "I Will Be Absent" sheet, and you go around and have all your teachers fill in the work you'll be missing.

These are Excused Absences. You may have as many as you wish, especially in a medical instance. I'm sure if there are too many, the Principal would get involved.

Unexcused Absences: Not at school and without parental/school knowledge, notification. Ashwaubenon allows 3 of these before you're suspended/expelled.

Those are just our rules, if that clarifies anything at all

 

[mrtoad]

Thanks both. I know where I went to school we were aloud 20 days off per year and if you had a doctor’s note it did not count against the 20. When I was a freshman in HS I was extremely sick and missed over 80 days yet still passed as I was able to do work at home. I could not keep food down and was coughing non-stop. I lost over 60 lbs and actually cracked my sternum from coughing so frequently and hard.

On the other side of the coin my parents later on while I was in school and I went off the deep end and missed a ton of school my junior year being rebellious against my parents and when I hit 21, I failed the year. I had to go to Summer school for 2 classes and then take classes for all 9 periods my senior year (no lunch) including 2 English classes and 2 Gym classes. Needless to say, it was a learning experience of a different kind.

If I could select a period in my life to have as a do over, that is one of the ones right at the top of the list...

 

[fkflintstone]

I would just tell them your child will not be in school from ____ to____ ,if there is anything that the teacher would like to send home to complete during this time you will see that it gets done or your child will make up any missed lessons when you return.Simple as that. I would'nt ask I would tell them you will be gone ,offer to make up for missed school work.They should'nt have any problem becouse he/she is your child and your responsability. Their authority does not reach into your family time, after school ,weekends or vacation time.

 

[JimboJones123]

I disagree a bit.

Of course you shouldn't brag about how much better it will be for the kids to be in WDW than in the classroom, but all of my aunts and my mother are teachers. They would like to know why a child is being removed, where they are going, and what educational experiences they can bring back to share.

I wouldn't send the huge letter (while nicely done, I would think only the very strict schools would need something like that), but my aunts, as well as all of my teachers in Green Bay (K-12) added on little extra assignments for trips.

When we went to DC, I had to take pictures of two of my favorite monuments/buildings, and explain the history. When we went to California, I had to do a report on Alcatraz Island and bring back photos to share with the class. And for every Disney trip (at least until high school), I had to do things like little albums, or mini-reports with pictures, or get sand from a beach, or find out little known facts. The teachers would like to know where the kids are going; at least all the ones I had.

They also want the experience to be shared...a little kid goes on a trip, they want them to be able to share it. I remember 1st-5th grade being a myriad of kids coming back from The Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Disney, Skiing, Europe, California/SanFrancisco, etc. They/we all did big presentations and I remember a lot. And that was....about 15 years ago!

DC is different that WDW. It may be a semi-educational trip. But, really, is shopping for perfume at France really educational? Sure Disney offers some "smarts" perks, but it's really about Mickey and rides. Epcot is full of "some" culture, but not more than you could learn in 1-2 hours of self study. Maybe I see it differently. The vacation to WDW is a sacred time for my family because we don't see eachother EVER for 3 days in a row. It doesn't happen. So, we, my family, will take these trips to actually have family time. End of story. We will of course keep up on studies. It isn't holiday. But family time is VERY rare. How can families be strong if they can't even spend a week together a year? Masking the trip is a learning adventure doesn't do anything but demean the teacher. It's like you are trying to trick them into approval, and to believe they will still get their smarttin'.

 

[gamerboy255]

When I was in fourth grade we had a stuffed bear that you brought on vacation with you and, you would take pictures with it and give a presentation when you got back (showing pictures what you did etc.). When you got back they gave you all your make up work and the teacher excepted it as a excused absence. Ask if your child could do something similar.

 

[slappy magoo]

DC is different that WDW. It may be a semi-educational trip. But, really, is shopping for perfume at France really educational? Sure Disney offers some "smarts" perks, but it's really about Mickey and rides. Epcot is full of "some" culture, but not more than you could learn in 1-2 hours of self study. Maybe I see it differently. The vacation to WDW is a sacred time for my family because we don't see eachother EVER for 3 days in a row. It doesn't happen. So, we, my family, will take these trips to actually have family time. End of story. We will of course keep up on studies. It isn't holiday. But family time is VERY rare. How can families be strong if they can't even spend a week together a year? Masking the trip is a learning adventure doesn't do anything but demean the teacher. It's like you are trying to trick them into approval, and to believe they will still get their smarttin'.

Not to mention, teachers never really fall for it. They have a good laugh at your child's (and your own) expense-"Can you believe they tried to pull that s*** on me?" If they're lenient OR Disney freaks themselves, they'll play along, but never for a moment think that THEY think your WDW vacation will be educational, unless the student is an actual Braniac who would want to take all the backstage tours and learn how things work.

 

[gamerboy255]

Also, my sixth grade teacher took off work her self to go to WDW more than 3 times a year!:lol:

 

[BCNHF]

Man not to turn this totaly around but I feel bad for those of you who have problems taking peeps out of public schools. I missed about 68 days last year all out of boredom (Junior year) and still passed .

 

[gamerboy255]

Man not to turn this totaly around but I feel bad for those of you who have problems taking peeps out of public schools. I missed about 68 days last year all out of boredom (Junior year) and still passed .

Where I live you can't miss more than 10 days of school or they send a truend officer, for all grades.

 

[BCNHF]

Like I said, I feel bad for you all.

 

[PotteryGal]

Not to mention, teachers never really fall for it. They have a good laugh at your child's (and your own) expense-"Can you believe they tried to pull that s*** on me?" If they're lenient OR Disney freaks themselves, they'll play along, but never for a moment think that THEY think your WDW vacation will be educational, unless the student is an actual Braniac who would want to take all the backstage tours and learn how things work.

I don't make a habit of trying to put things over on my daughter's teachers. If we explore World Showcase in hopes of learning something, then that's what we'll do. Please remember not everyone can afford a yearly trip to WDW and while we're there, we will want to take as much in as we can. Even if we actually LEARN something - imagine that!
For what it's worth, my daughter told me one of the first things she wants to see at MK is 'Hall of Presidents'. And yes, she was serious!

 

[lcsrig]

As a first grade teacher who takes 2 days every Feb to visit Mickey's House, I would make the note short and sweet. Truly, it is none of their business where you are going. I take my son out of school for those 2 days and the letter is something like this:

Dear _________
PLease excuse _________ from school from _____ to _____. He/She will be out of town. If you have any work that prepared, we would appreciate it. OTherwise I will help him with the work he misses when we return.

All my collegues know where we are going so its really not that big of a deal.
Good luck and enjoy!

 

[jonesenon4]

:sohappy: YES WE ARE ALSO TAKING OUR CHILDREN OUT OF SCHOOL FOR A WEEK TRIP TO DISNEY.WE HAD ORIGANALLY PLANNED FOR THE SECOND WEEK OF OCT. BUT WHEN DISNEY OFFERED THE FREE DINING WE DECIDED TO RESCHEDULE FOR THE LAST WEEK OF SEPT. BOTH OF MY CHILDREN ARE "A" HONOR ROLL STUDENTS SO WE WERE NOT WORRIED ABOUT GRADES BEING AFFECTED. WE JUST TOLD ALL THIER TEACHERS THEY WOULD BE ABSENT THAT WEEK ,NOT WHERE OR WHY THEY WOULD BE ABSENT AND THAT SEEMED TO SUFFICE.24 MORE DAYS TILL THE MAGIC BEGINS AGAIN CAN HARDLY STAND THE WAIT.:sohappy: :sohappy:

 

[pinkrose]

What is the difference between an excused and non-excused absence? I was always under the impression you were aloud X amount of days out of school in a year, if you exceeded it you would fail the year. Can someone explain the differences in the absences as I really have no clue?

Thanks.

The Alabama State Department of Education states excused absences as ...

1) Illness
2) Death in the immediate family
3) Inclement weather which would be dangerous to the life and health of the child as determined by the principal
4) Legal quarantine
5) Emergency conditions as determined by the principal
6) Prior permission of the principal and consent of the parent or legal guardian

If the absences are unexcused, you do not get to make up your work and you receive a zero for all of it. After 5 unexcused absences, you go to court. After 7, legal action may be taken.

 

[mrtoad]

Wow, that is really harsh.

The Alabama State Department of Education states excused absences as ...

1) Illness
2) Death in the immediate family
3) Inclement weather which would be dangerous to the life and health of the child as determined by the principal
4) Legal quarantine
5) Emergency conditions as determined by the principal
6) Prior permission of the principal and consent of the parent or legal guardian

If the absences are unexcused, you do not get to make up your work and you receive a zero for all of it. After 5 unexcused absences, you go to court. After 7, legal action may be taken.

 

[GenerationX]

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!

Agree that spending quality time with your children is critical. There's winter break, spring break, and summer break. Many, many opportunities during those periods to enjoy a WDW vacation.

Dear _________
PLease excuse _________ from school from _____ to _____. He/She will be out of town. If you have any work that prepared, we would appreciate it. OTherwise I will help him with the work he misses when we return.

This is a far better letter than the one earlier in the thread listing all of the "learning" opportunities at WDW. It's a vacation - don't try to pass it off as anything else. Obviously, any educational aspects of WDW can also be experienced during winter break, spring break, and summer break.

 

[Braves323]

First let me start by telling you I am a teacher that lives in FL. I get the I am going to Disney escuse all the time. We've been in school for three weeks and I have already had one kid out of school for a trip to Disney. Teachers dont like it as there is plenty of time during vacations to make these trips but it is a parent's decision. It is especially hard at the beginning of the year because classroom routines and procedures are being established and that is something that cannot be "made up".
BE HONEST. Little kids have big mouths and if you dont tell the teachers you are going to Disney, they will find out anyway. Another piece of advice, DONT ask for her work that she will be missing unless you intend to do it while on vacation. It takes a lot of time for teachers to plan ahead if they know a child is going to be gone and get the work together. As a teacher I dont mind doing it but I dont want to be up until the early morning hours getting work together if it is not going to be done.
Have a great time on your trip.

 

[BCNHF]

Can I ask a question? Why do teachers care if someones gone or not?