Writing letter to school concerning childs absence.

[dixiegirl]

Ok so its that time of the year that I stress on writing a letter to my daughter's teacher and principal concerning her missing school due to our family vacation.. Does anyone have any tips on writing , last year we found a great letter to write concerning how it was going to be a learning vacation as well as a family one, but was curious if anyone had any tips on what they used...any help rather than the normal old standby ..
thanks guys, we leave next Fri 9/14 so I usually liketo get the letters out there early ..

 

[Hakunamatata]

You want to work with the school system? Send your children to school when they're supposed to go there.

Of course on the other hand, the school system should not be the final authority on what is and what is not appropriate school absences. Yes there should be guidelines and maximum numbers of days that can be missed before the semester has to be made up, but for a school administrator to declare themselves as an absolute authority on whats good for any particular child is just as wrong.

 

[mousefan1972]

Yikes, reading threads like this one makes me glad my kids are too young for school.... I have another year until DD is in kindergarten, so that's when the debate will begin: do we or don't we (take her out of school to go to WDW). We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

 

[taylorsmommy530]

I know in my school district, family vacations are considered unexcused absences - can result in the loss of points from the students class participation grade, and they do not provide the opportunity to make up the work missed for credit. You can appeal it, but really, why go through that? They way I look at it, we will just have to plan vacations during time off.

 

[PotteryGal]

Of course on the other hand, the school system should not be the final authority on what is and what is not appropriate school absences. Yes there should be guidelines and maximum numbers of days that can be missed before the semester has to be made up, but for a school administrator to declare themselves as an absolute authority on whats good for any particular child is just as wrong.

Just as a parent, you have to be aware of the school calendar and not schedule vacations during testing times - that's basic common sense. But don't listen to me...I'm just an irresponsible parent taking my straight 'A' daughter on a family vacation.
For what it's worth, I spoke to all my kids' teachers about our plans this October at our meet-the-teacher night last week. And the only restriction we have is to not remove the child during testing next April/May. They just need two days notice otherwise. Everyone was fine with it...and in the end, that is what truly matters. Both parents and school working together.

 

[mousermerf]

It is impossible to package everything that is accomplished in the classroom into a neat little packet that you can take with you on a vacation. Plans change based on how well students grasp material. I'm always revising and rewriting lesson plans as the week goes on. It's simply not as easy as you make it seem.

What age children do you teach?

Perhaps - just perhaps - the entire concept of being in a "classroom" is detrimental to the child's learning and development because they are vying for attention from a single instructor who is overwhelmed with 30+ other children - not to mention cutbacks, the emphasis on standardized testing, and other such obvious drawbacks.

A week traveling to and returning from WDW will teach a child about the world outside of their locality, travel, and new ideas. If anything it should open their mind a bit, and maybe they'll experience some of the more educational bits of Disney. Maybe they'll be like millions of others who found their experiences in the parks at a young age to be inspiring for their future endeavors - many very successful people have attributed Disney parks with sparking their interest in a given field.

So, again - just perhaps - it might be better for the child to spend the week with their family, seeing the world as a bigger place, learning new things.. etc.. then studying for the next standardized test or be forced to learn at the pace of the classroom average, be it too slow or too fast.

 

[Iakona]

Of course on the other hand, the school system should not be the final authority on what is and what is not appropriate school absences. Yes there should be guidelines and maximum numbers of days that can be missed before the semester has to be made up, but for a school administrator to declare themselves as an absolute authority on whats good for any particular child is just as wrong.

I agree and because of such rigid attitudes my son no longer goes to public school. He now goes to a charter school. In addition I am a member of the Board of Trustees that governs the School and I would be inclined to support a more intelligent approach than a lot of school districts are migrating toward. Recognizing the importance of family time in an era when more and more adults forgo any vacation time with their families seems to me to promote a healthier child. Reasonable policies are in order. Keep in mind that I said reasonable.

 

[ConstanceIrene]

Of course on the other hand, the school system should not be the final authority on what is and what is not appropriate school absences. Yes there should be guidelines and maximum numbers of days that can be missed before the semester has to be made up, but for a school administrator to declare themselves as an absolute authority on whats good for any particular child is just as wrong.

You entrust your child to a school for training and education. Why shouldn't the administrators be the authority on what are and what are not appropriate school absences? If not in school, when do children learn that life has rules and order is necessary for success?
They have more rights these days than responsibilities and yet, every parent expects their child to come out of school with a scholarship to first rate college. When I read some of the posts on this site, I come to the conclusion that grammar, spelling, and general writing skills are no longer even taught.

You are the parent and, legally, you can do what you want. There are other parents who don't agree. This topic has come up many times and I've never seen both sides come to an agreement. That's just the way it is.

 

[mousermerf]

I, amazingly enough, missed 45+ in a single school year (at my school a quarter was 45 days) but in that period I aced every standardized test, excelled in several classes (I wont lie, i got C's in the ones i didn't care about) and even faced explusion from the school.

Oh, and i was a disciplinary problem. That actually lead to the second time they wanted to expel me.

Anywho, that said, i graduated (and no, not after any sort of amazing turn around - i skipped school right until the last week) and DID come out with a scholarship to a first rate college. I ditched the snotty college after a semester, saw the world a bit, returned to another college, now getting my bachelors and going for my masters soon.

Funny, no?

 

[Zummi Gummi]

What age children do you teach?

Perhaps - just perhaps - the entire concept of being in a "classroom" is detrimental to the child's learning and development because they are vying for attention from a single instructor who is overwhelmed with 30+ other children - not to mention cutbacks, the emphasis on standardized testing, and other such obvious drawbacks.

A week traveling to and returning from WDW will teach a child about the world outside of their locality, travel, and new ideas. If anything it should open their mind a bit, and maybe they'll experience some of the more educational bits of Disney. Maybe they'll be like millions of others who found their experiences in the parks at a young age to be inspiring for their future endeavors - many very successful people have attributed Disney parks with sparking their interest in a given field.

So, again - just perhaps - it might be better for the child to spend the week with their family, seeing the world as a bigger place, learning new things.. etc.. then studying for the next standardized test or be forced to learn at the pace of the classroom average, be it too slow or too fast.

Not that it matters in the least, but I teach middle school science.

I don't disagree with you that a trip to WDW can be a valuable learning experience. Obviously, I think it's a great place, or I wouldn't go as often as I do, and I wouldn't be posting on these boards.

However, there is plenty of time to visit WDW that does not interfere with the school schedule. This is why students receive vacations from school- to participate in these sorts of activities. Students are in the classroom for a precious few 180 days a year- that's not that long. We're living in an era where our students' test scores (as a national average) continue to fall, not rise. These statistics suggest students need to be spending more, not less, time in the classroom.

There is plenty of time to visit WDW throughout the year- Christmas break, spring break, during the summer, etc. No they're not the ideal touring times, but isn't your child's education more important than going to WDW when it is not crowded?

By the way, I don't have a problem with a child missing a day or two right before a vacation or weekend to go away. My issue is with the people who take an entire week off.

 

[Iakona]

You entrust your child to a school for training and education. Why shouldn't the administrators be the authority on what is and what is not appropriate school absences?

My child's training and education are my responsibility. The school system should be my partner. The same administrators you speak of have also supported many additional policies that I find highly questionable; they are not absolute in their knowledge. Mandating that you may not take your child out of school for any family vacation is not reasonable in my opinion; setting limits on how long they may be taken out is more logical and appropriate.

If not in school, when do children learn that life has rules and order is necessary for success?

Teaching rules, order and the importance of family time should start at home.

They have more rights these days than responsibilities and yet, every parent expects their child to come out of school with a scholarship to first rate college. When I read some of the posts on this site, I come to the conclusion that grammar, spelling, and general writing skills are no longer even taught.

I have come to the conclusion that the responsibility for this deplorable aspect of our educational system is shared by uninvolved parents, teachers that no longer care (before teachers gang up on me please consider that I am not concluding all teachers fall under this category), administrators that cannot seem to get out of the teachers way and politicians too intent on passing feel good laws so our kids learn to pass a standardized test in lieu of learning critical thinking and analytical skills.

You are the parent and, legally, you can do what you want. There are other parents who don't agree. This topic has come up many times and I've never seen both sides come to an agreement. That's just the way it is.

Agreeing to disagree is sometimes the mark of an intelligent person. :wave:

 

[Wilt Dasney]

In the long run, what's going to mean more to a kid: Spending a week of quality time with his family and seeing a bit of the world he wouldn't normally, or spending yet another week in school? I don't see why this is controversial.

Obviously, if parents are dragging their kids off every month or more to the point they can't keep up in class, there's a problem...but no parent should feel the need to justify a vacation or 2 during the year...or feel obligated to do all their traveling over the hot, crowded summer. :shrug:

 

[Hakunamatata]

You entrust your child to a school for training and education. Why shouldn't the administrators be the authority on what are and what are not appropriate school absences? .

We dont entrust my childs education to any school. We send our child to a private Christian school to learn the basics. We continue our childs education at home, on vacations, with the programming they watch on television, with the games and the toys they play with and with the time that we spend with them every day.

If not in school, when do children learn that life has rules and order is necessary for success? .

Um, at home?

They have more rights these days than responsibilities and yet, every parent expects their child to come out of school with a scholarship to first rate college. When I read some of the posts on this site, I come to the conclusion that grammar, spelling, and general writing skills are no longer even taught. .

First, mistakes in grammer, spelling, and general writing skills on a message board should not be considered the guage by which you judge someones intelligence. If you are, well, then, ....nevermind. I absolutely do not expect my child to come out of school ready to go to Harvard on scholarship. I expect my child to do the best that she possibly can. If that warrents a scholarship, great. If it doesnt, great.

You are the parent and, legally, you can do what you want. There are other parents who don't agree. This topic has come up many times and I've never seen both sides come to an agreement. That's just the way it is.

Ah, something that we can agree on.

 

[Zummi Gummi]

Agreeing to disagree is sometimes the mark of an intelligent person. :wave:

And when it comes to an issue like this, there is never going to be a consensus, either on this board, or anywhere else.

 

[Iakona]

However, there is plenty of time to visit WDW that does not interfere with the school schedule. This is why students receive vacations from school- to participate in these sorts of activities.

Nick, as a teacher you probably already know this, but the school schedule is outdated and inefficient for modern times. Students receive vacations when they do because the calendar was designed in during a time when the children were need to work on the family farms. We, as a country, want to deliver a modern education using an agrarian based school calendar.

Students are in the classroom for a precious few 180 days a year- that's not that long.

I agree, which is why my son now goes to a school that starts earlier, ends later and has about 45 minutes extra for each day.

We're living in an era where our students' test scores (as a national average) continue to fall, not rise. These statistics suggest students need to be spending more, not less, time in the classroom.

While time in the classroom is essential there are additional factors. Funding is a major issue; unfunded mandates pushed on states by the federal government and on local districts by the states have also stressed the system to the point where teachers are extremely frustrated at not having the tools available to effect the results demanded.

There is plenty of time to visit WDW throughout the year- Christmas break, spring break, during the summer, etc. No they're not the ideal touring times, but isn't your child's education more important than going to WDW when it is not crowded?

Not only are they not ideal touring times, they are much more expensive and the breaks are not designed to fit the culture we currently live in today. Businesses no longer shut down for weekends and many of us cannot take vacation during holiday's.

By the way, I don't have a problem with a child missing a day or two right before a vacation or weekend to go away. My issue is with the people who take an entire week off.

Reasonableness should be the guide. A child having issues in the classroom is a different case from a straight A student. We have taken my son out during MLK week and have been lucky enough to have also had a teacher's professional development day included in that week. The decision to go on that vacation is always dependent upon the reports we receive from his instructors.

 

[Zummi Gummi]

Nick, as a teacher you probably already know this, but the school schedule is outdated and inefficient for modern times. Students receive vacations when they do because the calendar was designed in during a time when the children were need to work on the family farms. We, as a country, want to deliver a modern education using an agrarian based school calendar.

I understand that. But, try attempting to lobby politicians, and yes, the teacher's union to change this. I'm grudgingly a member of my union (because you can't get hired if you're not), and when a group of teacher's presented them the statistics for attending school year round (with scattered breaks throughout the year) we were rebuffed by the union (who wouldn't allow their teacher's to miss out on lucrative summer jobs) and parents, who wanted to keep the traditional summer vacation.

So, we're trying to work with what we're given.

While time in the classroom is essential there are additional factors. Funding is a major issue; unfunded mandates pushed on states by the federal government and on local districts by the states have also stressed the system to the point where teachers are extremely frustrated at not having the tools available to effect the results demanded.

You can have all the resources in the world and it won't matter if the teacher is not effective. You can teach just as well with a piece of chalk and chalkboard as you can with fancy manipulatives. However, I essentially agree with your point- the government and bureacrats are making education related decisions that they know NOTHING about. They're not educators, and shouldn't claim to know what is best for students.

Not only are they not ideal touring times, they are much more expensive and the breaks are not designed to fit the culture we currently live in today. Businesses no longer shut down for weekends and many of us cannot take vacation during holiday's.

I can't argue that it's not more expensive, because I know it is. I still maintain that given the climate we live in today, it's not beneficial for most students to miss large amounts of school for family vacations.

Reasonableness should be the guide. A child having issues in the classroom is a different case from a straight A student. We have taken my son out during MLK week and have been lucky enough to have also had a teacher's professional development day included in that week. The decision to go on that vacation is always dependent upon the reports we receive from his instructors.

You sound like a reasonable parent. In NJ, we always get the Thursday and Friday of Veteran's Day off for teacher's conventions. That Wednesday is usually a professional development day. So, it's a two day week for students. That would obviously be the ideal time to take a vacation.

From my experiences, the kids that miss extended time in school are the ones who can't really afford it academically. The ones that wouldn't be terribly affected by a day or two away, are the ones who don't miss.

 

[minnie2000]

My 2 girls are both still in primary school.

We try to book holidays in the school holidays, but it is not always possible, due to restrictions when we can take our holidays, and also cost is a factor.

When we go to Disney this year, we are going over a school holiday, and the girls will miss 2 days at the end of the term to go early. The last week in school, they do hardly any work - they watch videos, have games and toy days when they take toys into school and play all day. If they are going to miss any school at all - they are the best days to miss!

As a family we love to ski, and it is very difficult to book a ski holiday without them missing school. We could go over Christmas and New year, but that is very expensive. They have a week off school in February, and we have gone that week in the past. It was nearly double the price, you can't get the child discounts, it is very hard to book, because all the teachers who ski have to book that week too, and when we were there it was so busy! We had long waits at the lifts, and the slopes were so crowded, we didn't feel very safe. The other week that is possible is around Easter, but depending when it falls, there may not be enough snow, and of course it is busy and expensive.

Luckily our headmaster is a keen skier, and has always allowed our girls to miss a week to go skiing. He told us that they learn far more in one week skiing than they do at school. It also helps that I speak French and German, and as we usually ski in France, Austria or Switzerland, I try and teach the girls more French or German, and they get to try it out in the country! They love it!

 

[Iakona]

I understand that. But, try attempting to lobby politicians, and yes, the teacher's union to change this. I'm grudgingly a member of my union (because you can't get hired if you're not), and when a group of teacher's presented them the statistics for attending school year round (with scattered breaks throughout the year) we were rebuffed by the union (who wouldn't allow their teacher's to miss out on lucrative summer jobs) and parents, who wanted to keep the traditional summer vacation.

So, we're trying to work with what we're given.

I agree on all points. This is why my son is no longer in a public school ruled by the teachers union and politicians.

You can have all the resources in the world and it won't matter if the teacher is not effective. You can teach just as well with a piece of chalk and chalkboard as you can with fancy manipulatives. However, I essentially agree with your point- the government and bureacrats are making education related decisions that they know NOTHING about. They're not educators, and shouldn't claim to know what is best for students.

Again, we agree. The most dedicated, effective teacher in the world cannot be 100% effective when they are deprived of the tools necessary.

I can't argue that it's not more expensive, because I know it is. I still maintain that given the climate we live in today, it's not beneficial for most students to miss large amounts of school for family vacations.

My point is geared more toward the districts that try to absolutely forbid any time off during the school year. I agree that large amounts of missed classroom time is detrimental.

You sound like a reasonable parent. In NJ, we always get the Thursday and Friday of Veteran's Day off for teacher's conventions. That Wednesday is usually a professional development day. So, it's a two day week for students. That would obviously be the ideal time to take a vacation.

This would be a period I would try to take advantage of.

From my experiences, the kids that miss extended time in school are the ones who can't really afford it academically. The ones that wouldn't be terribly affected by a day or two away, are the ones who don't miss.

This is why our decision is always based on performance in addition to other factors. If my son's teacher said she believed he really could not afford to miss the classroom time because he was struggling then there would not even be a question of taking him out. However, an arbitrary decision that no "unexcused time" is allowed made by an administrator or politician trying to shoe horn a general solution for individuals does not cut it with me.

 

[ConstanceIrene]

We dont entrust my childs education to any school. We send our child to a private Christian school to learn the basics. We continue our childs education at home, on vacations, with the programming they watch on television, with the games and the toys they play with and with the time that we spend with them every day.

My daughters have always attended parochial schools. Actually, my older daughter will begin her college education at a private university tomorrow. They learned far more than the "basics" at their schools. A certain code of conduct was taught and a certain level of participation and success was expected. From the homefront, their education was enhanced with exposure to museums, opera, theater, church and a daily example set my husband and myself.

Um, at home?

What is taught at home should be reinforced in the school atmosphere.

First, mistakes in grammer, spelling, and general writing skills on a message board should not be considered the guage by which you judge someones intelligence. If you are, well, then, ....nevermind. I absolutely do not expect my child to come out of school ready to go to Harvard on scholarship. I expect my child to do the best that she possibly can. If that warrents a scholarship, great. If it doesnt, great.

It's "warrants", not "warrents" and "gauge", not "guage"

Ah, something that we can agree on.

Absolutely.

 

[Laura]

There is plenty of time to visit WDW throughout the year- Christmas break, spring break, during the summer, etc. No they're not the ideal touring times, but isn't your child's education more important than going to WDW when it is not crowded?

By the way, I don't have a problem with a child missing a day or two right before a vacation or weekend to go away. My issue is with the people who take an entire week off.

Have you ever compared the price of traveling during a Christmas break to traveling, say, in early December?

We have a Disney cruise planned and the cost of going on a 3 night cruise during Christmas break was over $6,000. The same cruise on a day when schools are in session is only $2,000. You can bet we decided to save $4 grand and take the kids out of school.

Not everyone has flexible work schedules that align with school's time off and not everyone can afford to pay 3x as much to travel during those times either. Those families have every right to a vacation with their kids as anyone else does. :shrug:

Like Wilt Dasney said, what is gonna make a more positive impact on a kid? A week away having quality time with the family, or yet another week at school? And what difference does missing a week matter in the long run?

I was taken out of school for a week every year as a kid and I never fell behind and those vacations I had growing up really helped to shape who I am today, where 80% of what I learned at school has absolutely no impact on my life now as an adult.

 

[MIDisneyFamily]

We took our kids out of school for a week to go to Disney(mid february because my wife is a college prof. and her spring break is off of thiers by a week) We just told them we can go when it fits in our overall schedules as a family , and we never had a problem. Every school district, and school's policys are different. Of course EVERY kid is different to. Not all kids can miss a week and not fall behind. Some grades are more difficult to miss a week, such as High School or Jr. High. Its a parents call. Only a childs parents can make that call for thier own children. We would go in the summer, but our work schedules, as well as other conflicts dont allow a family vacation.