How do you inform teachers of a WDW vacation?

[kodiak5bears]

We are leaving for WDW in 15 days. We are going the week BEFORE Spring Break this year. My question is... Does anyone have a "cute" letter informing the teacher/school of an upcoming vacation or know where I can find one? I thought it would be cute for my 6 & 7 year olds teachers~

 

[Diztechie]

We send a note, usually a week or two before leaving, but if the kids know about it, they've told everyone anyway. The teachers all want to go with them!!!

Appropriately, I just scheduled our second trip since the first of the year, both during school time. I'm a teacher myself (college, however), and all of the kids' teachers have given them work well in advance so that they have time to complete it. I think a note, stating the child will be out of school for a certain time, is good IF you don't have an idea of how the absence will be accepted. If you do, then fire away!! Since they're only kids once, enjoy it while you can!!!

 

[SpeedFigure]

I'm sorry Kodiak5Bears that no one listened to the question you asked. I think it was rude of everyone to start bashing about taking kids out of school. It seems everyone would rather give advice on how to NOT take your kids out of school and not on a cute idea on how to remind the teachers that the kids are leaving. Plus you have YOUNG kids....come on people its not like she's making her 12 yr old take a cutesie note to her teachers. Give advice on the question asked, not on what you think is behind the question!

 

[kodiak5bears]

I'm sorry Kodiak5Bears that no one listened to the question you asked. I think it was rude of everyone to start bashing about taking kids out of school. It seems everyone would rather give advice on how to NOT take your kids out of school and not on a cute idea on how to remind the teachers that the kids are leaving. Plus you have YOUNG kids....come on people its not like she's making her 12 yr old take a cutesie note to her teachers. Give advice on the question asked, not on what you think is behind the question!

Thank you for the last few NICE responses.

 

[rileyspaw]

Thanks SpeedFigure for setting us all straight! I guess we'll all spend alittle time in your "timeout chair"!
:hammer:

 

[Elonwy]

A Cute note for teachers AND some advice

When I was in 3rd grade and went to WDW my mother decided to do a "cute" note as well. I can't remeber exactly but it was along this line...

Please excuse ________ from school for the week of _________. She will be travelling around the world, shooting into space, being chased by dinosaurs, shrunken to the size of a field mouse and dining with variuos rodents and waterfowl.

We would be happy to take along some assignments to complete between splashes, shrieks, squeals and laughs and will have a wonderful report on our adventures when we return.

signed...mom and dad

NOW...the (perhaps unwanted) advice. i always had some assignments to take with me which we did in the hotel room for 1/2 hour before bed on most but not all nights PLUS we did our own special assignments so we could have a little report to show the teacher when we got back just to help make up for the missed time. Some examples are...

ABC photo book of Disney (example...Aladdins flying carpets, Big Al at the Jamboree, China pavilion.....etc)
A project on a country at Epcot (what each building represents, a report on the food, how the souvenirs represent the country and a short interview with a cast member from the country)
A Disney Zoology report...collect as many photos of animals as you can and put them together in a book with their name, a brief description and where the animal was found.

These can be adjusted for younger or older children and the teachers were always impressed at the extra effort and tended to overlook some of the stuff we missed. Also having a Disney project is fun!!!! It's great for the whole family to try to get a photo of something from A to Z (you get really creative photos and see Disney in a different way)

Hope this helps...good luck!
El.

 

[SpeedFigure]

I really like Elonwy's idea for a cute note. That was very creative!

Sorry, but I really had to say something about everyones response. It took 2 pages until Kodiak5bears finally got an answer. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but don't forget why she asked and what the question was in the first place.

 

[robynchic]

Um...I wouldn't inform them that they're going on vacay a week early. At least at the schools I've observed at, they look down on that kind of thing. You're getting a week break, why are you leaving a week early? IIRC, at the schools I went to k-12, if you left for vacation early or something like that, it was considered an unexcused absence.

 

[kodiak5bears]

Um...I wouldn't inform them that they're going on vacay a week early. At least at the schools I've observed at, they look down on that kind of thing. You're getting a week break, why are you leaving a week early? IIRC, at the schools I went to k-12, if you left for vacation early or something like that, it was considered an unexcused absence.

When we booked our trip the 2005-2006 school calendar was not put put yet...yes, I did CALL and ask! I made reservations for the same time the following year. When the school calendar was released- I was a week off. By that time our hotel was booked for the week of OUR Spring Break.

We are staying at Shades of Green resort in Magic Kindom. For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, it is a luxury resort in the MK for Military Personnel.

I am defenitely not asking for excused absences! After all... we are going on vacation!

 

[pinkrose]

We are going to take our kids out next fall (Nov. 29 - Dec 6). It will be unexcused, but as my daughters teacher this year said (and she took her kids out to go to WDW this past fall), the time with family is so important and they'll learn a lot. Yes, they will have just returned from a week off for Thanksgiving, but it's hard for my husband to get off work and totally impossable for him to get off during a week in which a holiday falls in.

 

[Elonwy]

From one who really doesn't care what the school says...

As someone who missed a week of school for 9 years between grades primary and 12 (my parents extended our March break for a two week vacation) I have to say that in each and every case there was NOTHING that I missed in school that would have outweighed the time I had on these family vacations.

I may have missed and assignment or the occasional test but to have two weeks with my mother, father and sister in Disney World for each of these trips more than made up for the couple hours of extra work that I did before, during or after the vacation.

I appreciate it more since my father passed away and though I could not name one assignment that I had to make up in school I can tell you every lame joke he told in the long line ups, every ride that he had to see at least twice and every character that he just HAD to take his picture with.

So for anyone wondering what a kid might miss if you take them out of school the answer is nothing that's more important than the adventure they're about to have.

Now, can we stay on track and help this poor poster just write a cute note to the teacher because the trip is planned and there's no turning back now :sohappy:

 

[MickeyTigg]

Personally, I would not go for the "cute" message to the teacher - sort of seems to trivialize that the child will be missing school to go on vacation - and even if homework is given ahead of time there is always something missed in class - and that is just my own opinion. I would write a simple reminder note to the teacher, and leave the cute note for when returning to school. Let the childre write the note and present it with a new pen for grading papers or some other trinket. Even let the child bring a photo album and journal to show the class of the new things that he/she learned while visiting WDW.

Totally agree with this. The only way I would go with the "cute" note would be that if I was sure that the teacher would take it in the manner intended.

In our school...a form from the office needs to be filled out...so the note would either not get read (because the request goes through the office) or the office would not think the note was funny or cute and would be trivializing the child missing school.

 

[MickeyTigg]

I was a school teacher for 35 years and I think family vacations and the time spent together as a family are just as important as anything your kids can learn in school during that time.

Here...Here!!!!

:sohappy:

Not to get off topic but since it got brought up....this trend of schools taking disaplinary action for "family vacations" during school time as long as it doesn't get out of hand or the grades aren't affected is getting out of hand.

 

[Raven66]

As someone who missed a week of school for 9 years between grades primary and 12 (my parents extended our March break for a two week vacation) I have to say that in each and every case there was NOTHING that I missed in school that would have outweighed the time I had on these family vacations.

I may have missed and assignment or the occasional test but to have two weeks with my mother, father and sister in Disney World for each of these trips more than made up for the couple hours of extra work that I did before, during or after the vacation.

I appreciate it more since my father passed away and though I could not name one assignment that I had to make up in school I can tell you every lame joke he told in the long line ups, every ride that he had to see at least twice and every character that he just HAD to take his picture with.

So for anyone wondering what a kid might miss if you take them out of school the answer is nothing that's more important than the adventure they're about to have.

Now, can we stay on track and help this poor poster just write a cute note to the teacher because the trip is planned and there's no turning back now :sohappy:

Very nicely said. It brought a tear to my eyes. :kiss:



We just had a parent/teacher conference with my DD teacher. It's report card time. I was actually worried about it because of us taking that week. I did not need too. She got straight A's. I also thanked her teacher for being so kind about taking her out and she was really cool about it. Maybe just send a reminder note and when you get back, go to the school and personally thank each teacher for their acceptance of you taking the kids out.

 

[kodiak5bears]

Very nicely said. It brought a tear to my eyes. :kiss:


ME TOO!!

 

[kodiak5bears]

As someone who missed a week of school for 9 years between grades primary and 12 (my parents extended our March break for a two week vacation) I have to say that in each and every case there was NOTHING that I missed in school that would have outweighed the time I had on these family vacations.

I may have missed and assignment or the occasional test but to have two weeks with my mother, father and sister in Disney World for each of these trips more than made up for the couple hours of extra work that I did before, during or after the vacation.

I appreciate it more since my father passed away and though I could not name one assignment that I had to make up in school I can tell you every lame joke he told in the long line ups, every ride that he had to see at least twice and every character that he just HAD to take his picture with.

So for anyone wondering what a kid might miss if you take them out of school the answer is nothing that's more important than the adventure they're about to have.

Now, can we stay on track and help this poor poster just write a cute note to the teacher because the trip is planned and there's no turning back now :sohappy:

Thanks so much for the beautiful reply!


By the way, I sent in the notes today...

 

[SpeedFigure]

What did you end up doing??!?!

 

[EnchantedPrincess]

Dixiegirl I love that form you made it is great! My DD has learned alot at Disney. Anyway she is in kindergarten full day and I got read the riot act for taking her out. The people in the office said why can't you go during fall break? I said because it is crowded then and unless your waiting on line with cranky 1 yr.old DS then you would not understand. My DD can only miss 5 days of school per YEAR! It's true becuase I had a huge problem with this becuase people send there kids to school sick and puking and everything. I'm not saying they should miss alot of school but a week for Vacation is reasonable as well as when they are sick. We are going in October during fall break this year and I heard it will be busy , but the teacher said she shouldn't miss all those days during 1st grade. So we are taking her out 3 days befrore fall break to get there a few days early, that our compromise. Go figure I was out of school every year for vacation and it was never a problem. DD's principal is so against this!

 

[alya922]

I honestly don't understand everyone's complusion to jump on Kodiak for taking the kids out of school. As someone who was taken out of school for 5-7 days every year, K-12 (a couple years we actually did it twice), I can tell you that I definitely didn't suffer for it. I still grew up an intelligent, well-adjusted person who more than successfully graduated from high school. I went to college and took the same amount of time off there as well. I have my degree and none of my trips sacrificed my intelligence or GPA.

Life is short and you have to enjoy it! Is education important? Of course! But is it the end of the world to miss some school? Of course not. I have a greater vision and motivation for my life because of those trips! I'm in my mid-twenties now and my parents and I still try to go at least once a year to WDW. It's not always easy to get out of work but family is important and so is spending time together.

 

[pintraderpayee]

When I was in 3rd grade and went to WDW my mother decided to do a "cute" note as well. I can't remeber exactly but it was along this line...

Please excuse ________ from school for the week of _________. She will be travelling around the world, shooting into space, being chased by dinosaurs, shrunken to the size of a field mouse and dining with variuos rodents and waterfowl.

We would be happy to take along some assignments to complete between splashes, shrieks, squeals and laughs and will have a wonderful report on our adventures when we return.

signed...mom and dad

NOW...the (perhaps unwanted) advice. i always had some assignments to take with me which we did in the hotel room for 1/2 hour before bed on most but not all nights PLUS we did our own special assignments so we could have a little report to show the teacher when we got back just to help make up for the missed time. Some examples are...

ABC photo book of Disney (example...Aladdins flying carpets, Big Al at the Jamboree, China pavilion.....etc)
A project on a country at Epcot (what each building represents, a report on the food, how the souvenirs represent the country and a short interview with a cast member from the country)
A Disney Zoology report...collect as many photos of animals as you can and put them together in a book with their name, a brief description and where the animal was found.

These can be adjusted for younger or older children and the teachers were always impressed at the extra effort and tended to overlook some of the stuff we missed. Also having a Disney project is fun!!!! It's great for the whole family to try to get a photo of something from A to Z (you get really creative photos and see Disney in a different way)

Hope this helps...good luck!
El.

Go with this one.
I take some of my high school students to Disney every Easter break and they participate in Disney's Youth Education Series (Y.E.S.). They actually take a 2 1/2 to 3 hour class where they learn Physics, Natural Science, History, etc. as reflexed in various attractions. It is great.
If I received this note from a parent about their vacation, I would be thrilled. This would indicate to me that.... 1. My student has both parents at home (indicator of success) 2. They get to visit and LEARN at the "happiest place on earth." 3. My students are learning lessons that cannot be taught in a traditional setting. 4. My students see first hand that there is a great big ole world outside of their little Louisiana town. Just my two cents worth. Have a terrific time.

22 days until the "yellow limo" is ºoºrlando bound (27 teens-school bus-930 miles:sohappy: :hammer: )

 

[Kadee]

What a cute note! I like that. I would not even think anything about taking my daughter out of school for a vacation........except I have a BIG problem: I am a teacher and would get fired if they found out I was on vacation. I don't get vacation days, only 2 personal days.

I have a question for those of you who say your school has a policy against or a problem with giving out work ahead of time. WHY? What is the big deal? My principal approves days (excused absences) all the time for vacations and asks that we DO give work ahead of time. It is easier than making it up and does not cause near the problems that make up work does. My daughter was out for 2 weeks after a knee surgery and all of her teachers gave her the work she was going to miss ahead of time. I am very curious as to their reasoning. It just doesn't make sense NOT to.