School Calender just came out. Would you rebook your vacation?

[dcassetta]

Every year our parish takes fall break the Monday and Tuesday of Columbus day. So we booked our trip around that. We are booked for October 5-9th. The Calendar just came out for next school year and fall break is not until the next Monday and Tuesday!! We are already booked, flights booked, MNSSHP booked and ADR's booked. If we leave it my kids will miss 3 days of school. My DD is going into 3rd grade. I'm not worried about her as much as my son. It will be his first year in middle school. They are both very smart and I don't think would have a problem catching up. I am torn! HELP!!

I don't think I would be concerned about three days of school as long as you let your kids teachers know ahead of time. But, you might also want to check to see if your middle Schooler has extracurricular activities on the calendar. Many activities like sports, band, or drama may have practices or performances that your child may not want to miss.

 

[Ariel Wanna-be]

OK, you said "parish" which means Louisiana and then you said "benchmarks" which probably means Ascension. I'm a middle school teacher in Ascension parish.

Only you can judge what is best for your children, but I'm seeing a lot of "three days isn't that much", and I respectfully disagree. When I was in school, three days wasn't a lot, because we could always make up the textbook work or worksheets. However, school today is light years away from the old days. No textbooks, no worksheets, no "busy" work. With the advanced curriculum and the fast pace of instruction (due to the ridiculous number of standardized testing days, and teachers being forced to cram a 180-day curriculum into the 150 days before the LEAP test), three consecutive days is quite a bit. Most subjects are cumulative, which means missing part of a unit may mean further difficulties down the road in future units, not just the one that we are currently on. And it's not "early in the year" - it is a full quarter in.

That being said, you know your child. If s/he picks up on things quickly and is absolutely dedicated to putting in the time/effort to learn the missed material (not just make up the missed work), then you could make this work. Be prepared to do a lot of catch-up at home, and be aware that it will not just be a matter of filling out a few worksheets. This will be an unexcused absence (despite numerous attempts by parents to convert a Disney vacation in to an excused absence for "educational family trip"). Teachers are not required to allow students to make up work for unexcused absences. Hopefully, your child ends up with teachers who don't particularly care why a student missed the material, just that they master the missed material...but this will require teachers who don't mind giving up their planning periods, lunch breaks, etc. (For what it's worth, most of the teachers that I work with fall into this category, so that is a plus for you.)

I know you said your children were on honor roll, but be aware that honor roll in middle school is much more difficult that primary school. But again - you know your child best. If he is genuinely capable of learning the material on his own, you're willing to put forth the time and effort to help him catch up, then go ahead with your plans. Our students each have a Chromebook, and all teachers use BlackBoard / Google Classroom, so if you want to lessen the impact when you return home, they can try to keep up while they are at Disney.

By the way - if you are in Ascension, our grading period ends on Wednesday, 10/10, and if (that's a big "if") we follow our usual pattern, this will mean that the benchmarks will be on the Thursday, Friday, Monday, and Tuesday before the 10th. Some subjects will be finished with instruction by the days that you will be gone, but others will still be teaching new material (which may appear on the benchmark). Also, it depends on whether your school is on a schedule that has social studies / science in alternating semesters. If that is the case then you will have an additional challenge.

And for the record - I share your frustration about the late publishing of the school calendar. We all do.

 

[firsttimer4]

OK, you said "parish" which means Louisiana and then you said "benchmarks" which probably means Ascension. I'm a middle school teacher in Ascension parish.

Only you can judge what is best for your children, but I'm seeing a lot of "three days isn't that much", and I respectfully disagree. When I was in school, three days wasn't a lot, because we could always make up the textbook work or worksheets. However, school today is light years away from the old days. No textbooks, no worksheets, no "busy" work. With the advanced curriculum and the fast pace of instruction (due to the ridiculous number of standardized testing days, and teachers being forced to cram a 180-day curriculum into the 150 days before the LEAP test), three consecutive days is quite a bit. Most subjects are cumulative, which means missing part of a unit may mean further difficulties down the road in future units, not just the one that we are currently on. And it's not "early in the year" - it is a full quarter in.

That being said, you know your child. If s/he picks up on things quickly and is absolutely dedicated to putting in the time/effort to learn the missed material (not just make up the missed work), then you could make this work. Be prepared to do a lot of catch-up at home, and be aware that it will not just be a matter of filling out a few worksheets. This will be an unexcused absence (despite numerous attempts by parents to convert a Disney vacation in to an excused absence for "educational family trip"). Teachers are not required to allow students to make up work for unexcused absences. Hopefully, your child ends up with teachers who don't particularly care why a student missed the material, just that they master the missed material...but this will require teachers who don't mind giving up their planning periods, lunch breaks, etc. (For what it's worth, most of the teachers that I work with fall into this category, so that is a plus for you.)

I know you said your children were on honor roll, but be aware that honor roll in middle school is much more difficult that primary school. But again - you know your child best. If he is genuinely capable of learning the material on his own, you're willing to put forth the time and effort to help him catch up, then go ahead with your plans. Our students each have a Chromebook, and all teachers use BlackBoard / Google Classroom, so if you want to lessen the impact when you return home, they can try to keep up while they are at Disney.

By the way - if you are in Ascension, our grading period ends on Wednesday, 10/10, and if (that's a big "if") we follow our usual pattern, this will mean that the benchmarks will be on the Thursday, Friday, Monday, and Tuesday before the 10th. Some subjects will be finished with instruction by the days that you will be gone, but others will still be teaching new material (which may appear on the benchmark). Also, it depends on whether your school is on a schedule that has social studies / science in alternating semesters. If that is the case then you will have an additional challenge.

And for the record - I share your frustration about the late publishing of the school calendar. We all do.

You are correct we are in Ascension. I am definitely concerned. My kids never miss school unless they have to. This year they only had 3 unexcused absences for the year. I am very torn and don’t want to put them behind. I have looked Into what it would take to reschedule. I was hoping the calendar was a mistake and they would actually have Columbus Day off!!

 

[NYCgrrl]

I would reschedule since I think it sends a contradictory message to children when school is missed for frivolous reasons.
JMHO.

 

[WorldWalker18]

I would reschedule since I think it sends a contradictory message to children when school is missed for frivolous reasons.
JMHO.

With all due respect, I don’t consider family vacations to be “frivolous”. When our kids were growing up, we always attempted to work around their school and activity schedules the best we could. Due to work obligations, it is not always possible to vacation when school is not in session and in our school district, teachers are allowed personal days to accomodate things they themselves cannot take care of during school breaks.

By all means, I would try to avoid end-of-term or testing absences, but the real world sometimes determines when families can spend vacation time. Just my opinion, of course.

 

[firsttimer4]

I would reschedule since I think it sends a contradictory message to children when school is missed for frivolous reasons.
JMHO.

With all due respect, I don’t consider family vacations to be “frivolous”. When our kids were growing up, we always attempted to work around their school and activity schedules the best we could. Due to work obligations, it is not always possible to vacation when school is not in session and in our school district, teachers are allowed personal days to accomodate things they themselves cannot take care of during school breaks.

By all means, I would try to avoid end-of-term or testing absences, but the real world sometimes determines when families can spend vacation time. Just my opinion, of course.

Yes I agree I tried my best and thought I was scheduling this when they would be out of school. My kids love school. And never miss. They understand the importance of school. It would be different if I let them miss all the time for no reason. I use to not value the importance of family vacations but I do now!!

 

[alliecat523]

I wouldn’t rebook. I’ve pulled my daughter out a few times over the years. She’s still in Honor Society and still has a 4.0.

Everyone knows what’s best for their own family. If you feel your kids won’t suffer from missing a few days, then go for it.

 

[DISNEYSQUIRRELS]

I would NOT re-book - go & enjoy your trip! Aside from the time & $$ you have invested in making these plans, your children's overall educational success should not hinge on missing 3 days of school, especially at these young ages.
Speak with the teachers in advance to let them know, get their work in advance if the teacher(s) will cooperate with that & have your kids hand it in when you return.
Life is too short, none of knows whats around the corner & we get far too few days to enjoy our kids when they are little

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I stopped pulling DS out of school for vacations when he hit 9 years old. DD has never been pulled out. DD will be missing 3 days during Jersey Week this year. She will be in 7th grade. Two of those days are half days (Monday and Wednesday with school being closed the Tuesday, Thursday and Friday). They watch movies on those half days. She will miss the Friday before also, which is a full day.

If I were you I wouldn't rebook.

 

[2019TripIdeas]

Can you call the district about the testing calendar? I know as a former teacher, the school had an academic calendar (which was sent home to families) and a separate testing calendar with all testing windows (usually, depending on if the testing is online, nationally-normed, etc, there is a certain window in which it must be done). The district may have access to this prior to your child's individual school, particularly if they are using the same metrics as they have in past years. If, for example, there was a long window in which tests can be done, it then shouldn't be a huge deal.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I had a slightly similar situation happen. I booked Labor Day week, because the school is usually out that Friday for in service day and an early dismissal Thursday, too. Well they went and changed it for the fall to the following week! Not changing a thing. She would have only missed 2.5 days, but now she'll miss 4. I've done my stressing about it. In the end it won't matter at all.


ETA: My daughter is still in primary school.

 

[SaintsManiac]

OK, you said "parish" which means Louisiana and then you said "benchmarks" which probably means Ascension. I'm a middle school teacher in Ascension parish.

Only you can judge what is best for your children, but I'm seeing a lot of "three days isn't that much", and I respectfully disagree. When I was in school, three days wasn't a lot, because we could always make up the textbook work or worksheets. However, school today is light years away from the old days. No textbooks, no worksheets, no "busy" work. With the advanced curriculum and the fast pace of instruction (due to the ridiculous number of standardized testing days, and teachers being forced to cram a 180-day curriculum into the 150 days before the LEAP test), three consecutive days is quite a bit. Most subjects are cumulative, which means missing part of a unit may mean further difficulties down the road in future units, not just the one that we are currently on. And it's not "early in the year" - it is a full quarter in.

That being said, you know your child. If s/he picks up on things quickly and is absolutely dedicated to putting in the time/effort to learn the missed material (not just make up the missed work), then you could make this work. Be prepared to do a lot of catch-up at home, and be aware that it will not just be a matter of filling out a few worksheets. This will be an unexcused absence (despite numerous attempts by parents to convert a Disney vacation in to an excused absence for "educational family trip"). Teachers are not required to allow students to make up work for unexcused absences. Hopefully, your child ends up with teachers who don't particularly care why a student missed the material, just that they master the missed material...but this will require teachers who don't mind giving up their planning periods, lunch breaks, etc. (For what it's worth, most of the teachers that I work with fall into this category, so that is a plus for you.)

I know you said your children were on honor roll, but be aware that honor roll in middle school is much more difficult that primary school. But again - you know your child best. If he is genuinely capable of learning the material on his own, you're willing to put forth the time and effort to help him catch up, then go ahead with your plans. Our students each have a Chromebook, and all teachers use BlackBoard / Google Classroom, so if you want to lessen the impact when you return home, they can try to keep up while they are at Disney.

By the way - if you are in Ascension, our grading period ends on Wednesday, 10/10, and if (that's a big "if") we follow our usual pattern, this will mean that the benchmarks will be on the Thursday, Friday, Monday, and Tuesday before the 10th. Some subjects will be finished with instruction by the days that you will be gone, but others will still be teaching new material (which may appear on the benchmark). Also, it depends on whether your school is on a schedule that has social studies / science in alternating semesters. If that is the case then you will have an additional challenge.

And for the record - I share your frustration about the late publishing of the school calendar. We all do.

Small world! We live in Ascension

 

[NYCgrrl]

Everyone has to do what they think is best for their family members.

Family time can happen anywhere that it fits into the school and parents' work schedules for my way of thinking and transcends trips to the Caribbean, Yosemite, and Disney. Staycations did my childhood good and I never felt like I "suffered" for the experience.
Again, to each their own and I will stay with my core belief that school exists for a reason that goes past good, bad or indifferent grades.

 

[MelissaMonicaDrake]

My kids will be in 3 different schools next year. They are always late on putting their calendars out in our district. I wouldn't be able to book our fall trip until August. I booked it for Oct and am just hoping for the best. Coordinating 3 schools schedules is going to be hard as it is, along with approved time off my husband and I. They will also be missing 3 days. We haven't taken a family vacation in over 5 years. We're going.

 

[Deb & Bill]

In early middle school our son asked us not to plan any trips where he would miss school days. He told us it was too hard getting back on track after missing a few days. So after that, we only scheduled trips at the very end of the school year (end of May). He went to Catholic school and they were far beyond the public school where we lived. He is currently in graduate school getting a Masters in Landscape Architecture. Ask your kids what how they feel about missing school and if they have any concerns.

 

[Macprincess]

If it's not going to cost a small fortune I would re-book if possible. This is the first year of middle school. It's already a huge adjustment for a student to jump from primary school to middle school. The amount of work and the level of work is vastly different then what we encountered in school. Missing even a few days can take quite a bit of time to recoup even for the best of students. It may also effect their grades if they are gone at the end of the quarter when grades are posted and if they miss turning assignments in when they are due. While middle school for the most part doesn't effect their transcripts their performance in middle school classes and grades/test scores do play into the levels of class they are allowed to take the following year which does eventually play a part in what classes they are placed in High School.

I would also not let this slid with the district/parish especially since you were trying to work with the school schedule to avoid having your child miss school. Why on Earth are you just now getting the school calendar for next school year? If districts don't want parents pulling their children out of schools for family vacations they need to send out approved calendars that stick, with the acceptations of emergencies, they should not change. I have children in two different districts in Florida one gets their approved school schedule posted two years in advance. The other district post the approved schedule in January for the following school year. I would not expect the district to excuse your child for this vacation. However, I would attend some board meetings and let them know about the issues their poor planning caused for your family. Unfortunately, there isn't anything that can be done to improve your situation but moving forward if enough people complain and bring this to their attention perhaps it can change for the future.

 

[firsttimer4]

I had a slightly similar situation happen. I booked Labor Day week, because the school is usually out that Friday for in service day and an early dismissal Thursday, too. Well they went and changed it for the fall to the following week! Not changing a thing. She would have only missed 2.5 days, but now she'll miss 4. I've done my stressing about it. In the end it won't matter at all.


ETA: My daughter is still in primary school.

I don’t know why the schedule is so different for this upcoming year.

 

[firsttimer4]

If it's not going to cost a small fortune I would re-book if possible. This is the first year of middle school. It's already a huge adjustment for a student to jump from primary school to middle school. The amount of work and the level of work is vastly different then what we encountered in school. Missing even a few days can take quite a bit of time to recoup even for the best of students. It may also effect their grades if they are gone at the end of the quarter when grades are posted and if they miss turning assignments in when they are due. While middle school for the most part doesn't effect their transcripts their performance in middle school classes and grades/test scores do play into the levels of class they are allowed to take the following year which does eventually play a part in what classes they are placed in High School.

I would also not let this slid with the district/parish especially since you were trying to work with the school schedule to avoid having your child miss school. Why on Earth are you just now getting the school calendar for next school year? If districts don't want parents pulling their children out of schools for family vacations they need to send out approved calendars that stick, with the acceptations of emergencies, they should not change. I have children in two different districts in Florida one gets their approved school schedule posted two years in advance. The other district post the approved schedule in January for the following school year. I would not expect the district to excuse your child for this vacation. However, I would attend some board meetings and let them know about the issues their poor planning caused for your family. Unfortunately, there isn't anything that can be done to improve your situation but moving forward if enough people complain and bring this to their attention perhaps it can change for the future.

Agreed! I have no idea why this upcoming year is so different than the past. We have looked into rebooking and we would loose my DD’s BBB reservation She is very upset about the thought. Our flights would be more. We could probably work out everything else. I talked to an 8th grade teacher at the school he’ll be attending and she said it should not be a problem. I just need to give his teachers enough notice to work with us. Still stressful!

 

[NYCgrrl]

Agreed! I have no idea why this upcoming year is so different than the past. We have looked into rebooking and we would loose my DD’s BBB reservation She is very upset about the thought. Our flights would be more. We could probably work out everything else. I talked to an 8th grade teacher at the school he’ll be attending and she said it should not be a problem. I just need to give his teachers enough notice to work with us. Still stressful!

Sorry to hear your DD might lose her appt at the beauty parlor. Maybe they can put her name on a waiting list since you've a bit of time between now and what..October?
I'm waiting until Memorial Day to book our plane tickets since some airline experts claim the price might go down. At this point the price is certainly higher than it was at this time last year.

 

[kreckl]

We bought into the mantra "Don't take your kids out of school for vacations" for most of my oldest DD's grade school years. When she was in her second year of middle school, we had had enough of blistering heat and afternoon thunderstorms so we pulled both kids out in November (DS was in 4th grade so he wasn't an issue). That trip was an epiphany. We lamented that we had wasted her first six years of school going during the summer, and with no regrets went again the next November. Then she started HS so we had to bow to the school calendar again.

Her "track" in middle school took algebra in 7th and 8th grade, and she confessed to us while she was in HS that during the 7th grade trip, she missed an important concept in algebra that took her a few years to recover from, but she didn't want to tell us because she wanted to go back to WDW in November of 8th grade.

She went on to take Calculus BC her junior year of HS, and graduate Summa Cum Laude from a top 20 university. In our experience, missing a week of middle school is not something from which a student cannot recover.

Wow! What possible algebraic concept could that be, to take years to recover from?
It doesn't have to be that way at all.