opinions-missing the last week of school

[DisneyDorkORama]

My sister is talking about doing a family vacation to D.W in May 2011. But the week she is talking about going my son will still be in school. Her kids get out of school the week before my son. What are your thoughts on him missing the last week of school. I forgot my sisters reasoning behind this certain week

I looked up his school absence info and all it says is that "Missing school due to family vacations is strongly discourage" because they dont want kids to think school isnt important. I cant find anything about how many days he is allowed to miss. This is a new school for us.

But I hate for us to miss out on a Disney trip with family. But then again its the last week of school could he really miss that much?

I know its still early and things could always change but he starts school here soon and if I do decide to let him miss school that week then I want to make sure I try to keep him in school as many days as possible.

soooooooo.....tell me your thoughts!

 

[daisyduck123]

1st grade public school teacher here (20 years now)

I don't know how old your son is, but if he's in elementary school I would definitely SKIP THE LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL. I wouldn't even have to give it another thought.

In my county, elementary final report cards are printed 5-6 days BEFORE the last day of school...so everyone is automatically counted as "in attendance" those days, even if you are absent.

I say, "Go have a fun trip & don't worry about it at all".

 

[epcotprincess]

You will find that this is a very polarizing subject here and you will get an array of opinions. If you're talking about your son in your siggy and he is 5, are you talking about kindergarten?

Personally, if it's just kindergarten, I would go. It will be continually harder to take him out as years go by, and you said yourself you'd hate to miss the big family vacation. He might be young enough to not really be bothered by missing the last week and saying goodbye to his school friends. I am a teacher and honestly, provided there is no testing going on, the last week at the elementary level is heavy on recapping the year and doing fun things, so academically speaking I don't find this to be a big deal (but everyone has differing opinions on this.)

I would talk to his teacher, find out his/her plan for that last week, and base your decision on that information.

 

[taymaesmom]

I too work in a school and the same is true here. All final grades must be turned in the week prior to school getting out. So the only things your son will miss is end of the year activities like class picnics etc. My own kids and I have missed the final week of school 3 times, sometimes just a day but one time we took a week off and then came back in time for report card pick up! I wouldn't worry about it at all!

 

[powellrj]

Not sure where you live, but if you live in a snow area, most years we always have make-up days at the end of the year for snow days. If you plan to miss the last week and end up having to make up snow days so you could end up missing 2 or 3 weeks instead of just one.

 

[Pixie Princess]

I absolutely would do it. At my DD's school there is very little to no new material introduced once the kids take the state standardized test in late April. In fact the system scheduled two furlough days in May to accomodate hosting a state sporting event, so I would have no qualms about taking my DD out for a family vacation.

However, having said that, my DD would be charged with unexcused absences for the entire week which could get sticky depending on the number of other absences she had during the year. I could petition to have the excused saying the trip is educational.. what's not educational about Epcot and AK, right? Whether the principal would go for it is another story.

 

[Jitzy]

If I knew then what I know now, we would be packed for that Disney trip!

It gets harder to take them out of school as they get older. Go with your sister and let the cousins hang out together. That's very important too!!!

 

[diamondpixienc]

I say go for it & enjoy your vacation & time while you can. My DS will be in the 3rd grade next year (2011) when he will have not only more school work but the "standardized" testing too thus making us have to plan the family vacations in the summer months for now on (which i'm dreading). So enjoy it while you can!

 

[Mom2apirate&princess]

We are pulling our 3rd grader and 7th grader out next May for a vacation to Hawaii. They will miss the last 8 days of school. I've already talked with the 7th graders school and he will have the option of doing finals before or after we get back from the trip. Thankfully the school is willing to work with us.

 

[lan3]

Take him out. Nothing goes on the last week of school. In my school, the teachers are cleaning and packing. the kids do busy work. No teacher is going to teach a new concept. Have fun.

 

[MSSANDRA]

He will miss parties, movies and a lot of playground time They might mention them at school but just focus on WDW instead of that and you will be fine. Really, at most schools, the last week is a joke.

WE took DS out K-8 with no issues and not even the last week of school.

 

[dizneechic]

I wouldn't have a problem taking mine out IF there were no other alternatives. From the academic perspective, nothing will be missed, it's strictly fluff time so no real loss. From the social perspective if the class is working towards things for the year usually this is when they are rewarded so class parties, move up days, meet their new teachers (if they are assigned before the year lets out) and things of that nature would be missed. Not a huge deal, but I know mine really look forward to those events so I would try to push it out if I could. Again, not end of the world, so if it's the only option I would absolutely miss the last days of school!

 

[Mickeypooh99]

Not sure where you live, but if you live in a snow area, most years we always have make-up days at the end of the year for snow days. If you plan to miss the last week and end up having to make up snow days so you could end up missing 2 or 3 weeks instead of just one.

Yikes- that would be a lot of snow days to make up! We live in an area with lots of snow, and we have never had to make up snow days let alone weeks worth. Last year my kids had 6 snow days. Plus the school closed for 1 swine flu day. We didn't have to make up any time.

Besides if OP was taking off the last week for Disney why would they have to miss all those days. They could just return to school when they get back (if there was makeup time.)

To the OP- I would for sure do it. I'm always annoyed by the last week of school anyway. Kids do nothing educational. They have field day, field trips, class parties, watch movies etc. The report cards come home BEFORE the last day so I know it doesn't count. My kids would much rather go to Disney.

 

[mickey&minniealways]

We are in southern nh. One year we had so much snow that the superintendant had to ask permission from the state to not make up some of the snow days. Otherwise they would have been going into July. It also depends on the age of your kids. My DD would have died if she missed saying goodbye to teachers and friends. Or not getting her yearbook signed. The don't get it till they last week. Finals are ususally the last week. At this age they mail the reportcards to the home. We don't end the school year till the 16th or 17th of June in a normal year. She starts high school in the fall. I would ask school administration about it. Better yet ask the sister about moving plans out 1 week. It is alot easier for her to do that then you. All that being said we are planning on going in May but DD also has a number of learning disabilities and is graded on her own performance not the rest of the class. She also gets ESY(extended school year) for reading and math. So they give us a bit more wiggle room. In the past if we are taking a summer vaction they work around us.

 

[3princesses+aprince]

I"m taking my kids out in May next year as well. Either the 1st or 2nd week. I would take my kids out for the last week of school considering they wouldn't be missing too much. Unfortunately my kids go until June 17 and that's prime Disney time.

If your sister cannot wait an extra week, I would GO FOR IT!!! They will never remember that last week of school, but they sure will always remember their disney trip with the cousins.

 

[Mkrop]

We have done it twice, at my kids's school, they did not miss a thing.

 

[MM27]

This year, our marking period was over on June 14th and our last day of school was June 23rd. While attendance was taken, they also had our awards assembly where students received their perfect attendance awards. So technically, they could have been absent the whole last week of school and still gotten the award.

I teach 4th grade and I would encourage the last week of school over the first week.

 

[Schmeck]

We had 4 snow days added onto our school year once, and it corresponded to a family trip - DD19 still talks about how sad she was to have missed those 4 days of school, 10 years ago! It was her last year in elementary school, they had a big 'moving up' cookout, awards, etc.

Middle School gets a bit tricky - the only B my daughter received was for missed work (big mess with one really careless teacher, who I think wanted to punish us for taking DD out for a week) during that trip. High School - no way, exams are the last week of school, grades don't close until the very last day!

But for Elementary School? As long as the kid doesn't mind missing that last week of fun, I'd say go for it!

 

[disprincessatheart]

Find out if there will be a big kindergarten graduation ceremony - the private school I went to had them and my niece had one this year in public school. I would think that would be sad for you and your DS to miss. I'd try to get your sister to move the trip out a week.

 

[sam_gordon]

The first thing I would do would be talk to Sis and see if the vacation can be postponed a week. Maybe she didn't think about your DS's school going a week later. If nothing's been booked yet, it shouldn't be a problem.

Granted, the last week of school is usually "throw away" time. BUT, as PP have pointed out, is there a chance of makeup days? We had to make up 9 days last year because of snow, ice, flu, and flooding. If you have to make up days, the "last" week of school on the schedule right now could end up the "next to last" week.

As a parent...

Find out if there will be a big kindergarten graduation ceremony - the private school I went to had them and my niece had one this year in public school. I would think that would be sad for you and your DS to miss. I'd try to get your sister to move the trip out a week.

DW & I went to our DS's K-garten "graduation" in the spring (I think it was the last week of classes). The kids had worked for the previous 2-3 weeks to learn songs and dance moves, and they put a slide show together of various activities through the year. DS really enjoyed being in the program, and I even teared up watching the slide show. In fact, I videotaped it and we watched again that night and I teared up again.

If sis isn't willing to change dates, I'd say "pack up", but I'd be pushing hard to change the dates.