Possible vacation in October- WWYD ???

DS starts kindergarten in September ...

We have 2 flights we earned with air miles that are going to be expiring and we would like to use them for Disney in mid October...

That would require us taking my DS out of school for 5 days

WWYD ?

Re: Possible vacation in October- WWYD ???

Uggh, I know I will be in the minority with this one.... but I would never take my kid out of school for a vacation. Maybe for a day if that's the way the flights worked out, but it would kill me.

I know I'm in the minority because my son was the only one in his Kindergarten class last year not out for a week or more for a family vacation! Everyone said they did it then since it was "just" Kindergarten...

I don't know, I'm old fashioned.

Re: Possible vacation in October- WWYD ???

I would try to get the miles before they expired.. but during a school break to minimize his time away from school.

If that wasn't an option it would depend on the age... PreK is no issue at all. K, 1 and 2 I might do it. 3rd and 4th grade would be a harder sell.. and 5th or above.. I would have a REALLY hard time with it because things happen so fast and missing school can be so difficult for them.

But that's me - I would never judge someone else for their decision!

Good luck!

Re: Possible vacation in October- WWYD ???

I addition to the air miles, theres a few other factors that are going to be making it hard to go away any time soon....Thats part of the issue ...

The week we have in mind would incorporate Columbus Day which they are off for so thats a plus and aside from Christmas break there are no other school vacations that fall before they expire

I'd hate to lose them because a similar thing happened last time we earned a flight ( we had to cx because of a pregnancy complication) and lost it

Re: Possible vacation in October- WWYD ???

when my kids were that age i always did disney at that time. I truly believe they will always remember those trips. Its when we could afford to go. Im a big school person, but sometimes other things in life are more important. They are older now and honestly it didn't have any effect on their schooling whether they missed or not. So go and enjoy this time with him. Life is way too short

Re: Possible vacation in October- WWYD ???

Re: Possible vacation in October- WWYD ???

I've done it and it never caused a problem. I refuse to go to Disney during school vacations because the crowds are a nightmare.

Kindergarten, yes. Middle school, no.

Re: Possible vacation in October- WWYD ???

I've done it, don't see the harm in it. You can discuss it with his teacher and see if she can put a little packet together to keep him up to date.

Re: Possible vacation in October- WWYD ???

I'm not a fan of taking kids out of school for vacation. My SIL does it and asked us to go on a trip with her and I said no. My DD loves school and the routine of school is very important to her. I'd try to time it differently so that they aren't missing so much school.
I think the teachers really frown upon it too.

Re: Possible vacation in October- WWYD ???

Jacob starts kindergarten in September too.

We already booked our Disney vacation for the 2nd week in November. He will only be off for 4 days since veteran's day they are off.. I was also worried about taking 5 days off but I don't want to go to disney during peak times.. I will be asking the teacher to make a packet for him for the work he missed...

I felt that he needed to get adusted to school , so that is why we did not do it in October. I felt November was a better month.

Re: Possible vacation in October- WWYD ???

Posted by chmlengr

Uggh, I know I will be in the minority with this one.... but I would never take my kid out of school for a vacation. Maybe for a day if that's the way the flights worked out, but it would kill me.

I know I'm in the minority because my son was the only one in his Kindergarten class last year not out for a week or more for a family vacation! Everyone said they did it then since it was "just" Kindergarten...

I don't know, I'm old fashioned.

Re: Possible vacation in October- WWYD ???

I will definately ask for a packet of work to do while we are away...Maybe I'll see if we can push it till November, though I'm not sure thats going to be possible, but it's worth a shot..


Thanks everyone

Re: Possible vacation in October- WWYD ???

I took DS out for 4 days in K, it wasnt a problem. I would hesitate to take him out for that long in 1st or up.

Re: Possible vacation in October- WWYD ???

I took my ds out for vacation for 4 days last year too. I know others who did much longer. I did not feel like my ds was behind at all when we returned and my son's teacher was totally supportive.

School is important, but making family memories is important as well. I remember how excited my son was to be missing school while he knew his friends were there. LOL Pathetic. I am a teacher and really do understand the importance of school.

Next year we are trying to avoid missing school for first grade. However if the flights are too expensive sunday night, we will be flying home on Monday and then he will miss a day of school.

I hope you make a decision that you are happy with.

Re: Possible vacation in October- WWYD ???

I would take him out of school. While I don't like to, I'd hate to have miles expire.

no chance you could go in August?

Re: Possible vacation in October- WWYD ???

Re: Possible vacation in October- WWYD ???

Absolutely go and have a great time.

Ask for the schoolwork/home work packet. DS can do so some on the plane to keep him busy.

Re: Possible vacation in October- WWYD ???

I would absolutely go!! In fact, I am doing it in December and mine are in kindergarten, 2nd and 4th!!

I don't do it every year, but when I have, I had spoken to the teachers first, got work in advance and usually got as a response "Go, have a great time and enjoy"

Once my oldest enters high school, I won't pull them out anymore but I just despise going during a school holiday or summertime.

Re: Possible vacation in October- WWYD ???

I would try during a school break in Oct. and if not, enjoy!

Re: Possible vacation in October- WWYD ???

I would take him out. Kindergarten is the easiest year to do it, and you will be surprised to see how many other parents do it. They tell the teachers that they are going away, and the teachers will give them some work to do while they are away.

Re: Possible vacation in October- WWYD ???

I'd probably do it but it would be a struggle to be OK with it. And because I'm the kind of person who would painfully overexplain myself when I feel guilty, I'd probably make my DH deal with the school. I don't like the idea of it but I understand the various reasons for doing it, the least of which is the cost of vacation spots during school breaks vs. during non-school breaks. My DH is talking about booking a Disney trip next Spring during non-vacation time. My oldest will be in 3rd grade and will be in his first year of standardized tests so DH doesn't know it yet, but I will definitely not be willing to do that. I think your son will be fine academically if you do it, it's just one of those hot button issues with the schools. I know people who do it all the time.

Re: Possible vacation in October- WWYD ???

Not that anyone's asking, but I'll just add a teacher's perspective. (but, I'm also a mom!!)

Depending on your child, missing a week of school can be completely harmless or completely detrimental. In Kindergarten, learning is primarily experiential, so no "packet" can ever make up for what your child is missing in school. If your child is struggling, missing that many days can REALLY set him/her back even further. As the teacher, playing catch up is nearly impossible, and it is frustrating for both the child and teacher to have to deal with. However, if your child is doing fine academically, it's usually not a big problem, BUT, if any projects or special events are happening the week you are on vacation, your child will be missing out (and sometimes are very sad and disappointed when they return).

That said, to me, it also sends a message about the importance of school. I was raised with a "school is your priority and you don't miss it for any reason other than sickness" - so I guess I also have that mentality. If it's a rare occasion, I can understand, but I have had families who CONSTANTLY had their children missing school for vacations (whether it was 2 whole weeks or a day before and after vacation on a regular basis). In those cases, I really believe the parents are doing their children a disservice in terms of teaching priorities (granted, I know this isn't what the OP is talking about).

Re: Possible vacation in October- WWYD ???

Posted by InShock

Not that anyone's asking, but I'll just add a teacher's perspective. (but, I'm also a mom!!)

Depending on your child, missing a week of school can be completely harmless or completely detrimental. In Kindergarten, learning is primarily experiential, so no "packet" can ever make up for what your child is missing in school. If your child is struggling, missing that many days can REALLY set him/her back even further. As the teacher, playing catch up is nearly impossible, and it is frustrating for both the child and teacher to have to deal with. However, if your child is doing fine academically, it's usually not a big problem, BUT, if any projects or special events are happening the week you are on vacation, your child will be missing out (and sometimes are very sad and disappointed when they return).

That said, to me, it also sends a message about the importance of school. I was raised with a "school is your priority and you don't miss it for any reason other than sickness" - so I guess I also have that mentality. If it's a rare occasion, I can understand, but I have had families who CONSTANTLY had their children missing school for vacations (whether it was 2 whole weeks or a day before and after vacation on a regular basis). In those cases, I really believe the parents are doing their children a disservice in terms of teaching priorities (granted, I know this isn't what the OP is talking about).