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Do you pull your kids out of school?
I pulled my kids out in February and they missed 3 days of school. It was great - low crowds, not too much school work missed, good weather, etc. My daughter will be starting 3rd grade, and I know her who her teacher is going to be an d know this won't be much of an issue. My big problem is that my son is starting middle school in the fall and will be going to a magnet school with the International Baccalaureate program. I know this is going to be a big change for him and most likely much more work than 5th grade. I'd love to plan another trip around the same time in 2011, but don't want to make too much extra work for him. What do those of you with middle school/high school kids do?
Jodi
Many, many trips as a kid with family
Last trip: November 2013
Next trip: June 2014 - Just me and my son!
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I would take DD out of school for a week. She is going into the 5th grade. I don't know though if I would pull her from middle school. At that point I would probably just plan our trips around school breaks. I think a lot would depend on the child, and what kind of student they are. Can they get the homework ahead of time etc?
Good luck with your decision.... happy planning
Marci
Many visits. Live 20 minutes from the parks.
Work at Universal Studios in Diagon Alley. Ollivanders/ wand magic.
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I pull my sons out for 2 days every November, last trip they were 8th and 12th grade. Luckily they are pretty healthy kids so those are just about the only days they miss all year. The teachers have been pretty good, one went so far as to let DS take a mid-term at lunch the day before we left.
- Lynn -
INTERCOT Staff: Theme Parks, DVC
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My DD misses 3-5 school days every year, sophomore next year. At first she stressed a little over it, mostly because her grade school teachers were less than receptive. Now, she's taking all advanced classes, and doesn't miss a beat. We take advantage of the Nov. teacher's conference week (no school Thur. and Fri. the week before Columbus Day). So we get 8 nights and she misses 3 days. This year she chose to miss a 4th day, the Fri. before because she wanted that extra day in the park (we have been flying in Fri. night to get a fresh Sat. start).
May'98-WL
Sept'01-POFQ
Oct'03-ASM
Aug'04-CBR & Charley
Dec'05- WL-Joined DVC
June'06- DL's Grand Californian
Nov '06 SSR
Oct '07 SSR with extended family
Oct '08 Disney Wonder/OKW
Nov '09 AKV @ Kidani
Nov '10 Kidani
Nov '11 VWL
May-June 13 Kidani
Feb-March '14 SSR
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As a teacher, it doesn't bother me when kids get pulled out of class for a few days or a week if their grades are good, they are willing to make up the work, and they don't miss for a lot of other reasons. If a child who was behind or already missed a ton b/c of illnesses missed a week, I might have a bigger issue with it.
Kristin
Momma to two sweet boys: Myers and Jacob
36 trips and counting!
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My DD will be starting middle school...6th grade, in September. Prior to that we took her out of school for our Disney trips. The teachers were always very accomodating, as my DD is a great student. But now that my DD is getting older we will definitly work around her school schedule!
Kim
1984 MAY- OFF PROPERTY Senior Class Trip!!
1985-86 May- OFF PROPERTY
2005 MARCH- OFF PROPERTY
2007 FEBRUARY - POP
2008 AUG.- POP
2009 MARCH - POR
2009 AUG.-POLY
2010 AUG. - POP
2011 AUG. - POP
2012 APRIL - All STAR MOVIES
2013 DEC.-POP
2014 AUG.-AOA
2015 APRIL- CSR
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I'm a middle school teacher and I love when I know my students are going on family trips. I think that family time is so precious and valuable. I have seen huge self-esteem gains in students who have supportive, loving families. As long as your kids aren't gone for too long and aren't missing something like midterms, finals or state testing, I'd say go for it.
Many trips as a child offsite
1995 Disney Cruise/Old key west
New Years 2001 Caribbean Beach Resort
March 2006 Offsite
Sept 2010 Coronado Springs Resort
November 2013 POR
Sept/oct 2014 cars room at AOA
Next trip: too long!
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We always, always pull the kids out of school. This past year we went in September...after they had only been in school 3 weeks. My daughter is in 8th grade and my son is in 5th grade. He had no problems and she didn't either, although her teachers-one in particular-gave us a really hard time at parent teacher conference. Both my kids are on high honor roll every marking period and they kept up with all their work. Totally worth it for low crowds, great weather and lower prices!
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We take DD out of school most years for a couple of family trips, Disney being among them.
We let her teachers know in advance, take homework with us (if requested) and then we don't worry about it.
She works hard at school, is a good student, and our time together and our adventures are most important and will teach her more than a couple of days at school ever could.
Heather aka ibelieveindisneymagic
INTERCOT Staff
Engaged at the castle!
My Disney Home is POFQ
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For several years straight, I attended a conference at the Dolphin in the middle of October. DW and the two youngest boys came along. The boys were in Jr. High and High School. Both were average students. We had no problems pulling them out for a week at a time. We knew it was going to happen when school started and let the school and teachers know about it up front. We did not ask permission, but made it clear we would make sure they did their work and turned it in the first day back in class. The teachers were great about giving them their assignments several days ahead of time (gave the boys a chance to do some extra work before we even left).
One year, one of the boys did all of his Geometry homework for the week on the flight down to Orlando (it's a 6+ hour trip for us). He was so happy he did that, as he didn't have to worry about Geometry (his least favorite subject) for the rest of the week.
We did have some rules - they had to have a list of assignments and a plan for each day of which ones they would do. I went off to my conference each morning, but they didn't get to go to a Park until the day's assignements were completed. They quickly learned to get up early, get their work done and go play. In fact, after the first year, I think we got more dedicated schoolwork out of them on those trips than any other time of the school year.
When they got back to class and turned in their work, their teachers were actually surprised - which made pulling them out the next year even easier.
But the best thing about those trips was the memories the boys have. Ten years later they have both told us just how much those trips meant to them, and those times together are some of the best ones we will ever have.
My advice - don't hesitate to take you kids out of class to make some serious memories. A week of classroom instruction is meaningless by comparison.
Steve
First visit: Disneyland, July 17, 1955 (well, somebody had to be there on opening day!)
Most Recent Visit:
Disneyland - June 21-25, 2017
WDW - Sep 22 - Oct 5, 2019
Next up: WDW - May 9 - 16, 2020 at Riviera!
Dec 5 - 16, 2020 at Poly
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We have taken our kids out of school for at least a week for the past 5 years and we will do it again this fall. Our DS will be a freshman and out DD will be in 7th. We have never had a problem, we always let the teachers know in advance so we can get any prework. However we never do it while on vacation, It is always done before we leave or after we get back. The kids know this and are prepared every year. They also understand that this a priveledge and that poor performance at school might prevent us from going each year. You can't beat the crowds when schoolis in session.
Dean
"Scream like a girl" Expedition Everest
Sept. 2005 Caribbean Beach
Oct... 2005 Animal Kindom Lodge
Sept. 2006 Port Orleans Riverside
Sept. 2007 All Star Music
May 2008 All Star Movies
April 2009 All Star Music
Sept. 2010 Port Orleans French Quarter
Sept 2012 POP Century
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We have pulled our kids out of school without hesitation in years past. We are planning a trip for this year and are hesitant about doing it this year as our twins are going into 7th grade. My son is adament he does not want to go and miss school because he does not want to make up all that work. He works hard in school and takes it very seriously. There is nothing like going when school is still in session, much more enjoyable park experience. It's like a roll reversal....I'm begging him to go to Disney...lol
Recent Trips:
-OKW Aug 16 - Aug 23 / Royal Pacific Resort Universal Studios Aug 23 - Aug 26, 2013
-Universal Studios Hard Rock Hotel Nov 14 - Nov 18, 2014
-Saratoga Springs June 11 -18 2016
Next Trip:
-Port Orleans Riverside / Saratoga Springs Sept 8 - 17, 2017
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Used to when they were in elementary school. Did not when in middle and high school. They are both in college now.
39 trips to WDW (before I stopped counting and bought a house in the WDW area), 1 to DL & 5 DCL
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In elementary school, we would pull them out. After that, it was hard. The attendance policy in our town considers family vacation time as unexcused absence, and the kids can be failed for what they miss with no chance at make-up or doing work in advance. It just wasn't worth it for us to pull them out and risk their grades. We've gone in late August before school starts instead. If you're considering taking them out of school, just check with your school on the attendance policy first.
Sherri
Next: Aulani Celebration 10/2018 (50th)
Past Stays: Contemporary, GF, Poly, BC, POP, POR, Dolphin, AKL Kidani, BLT
1990 August Honeymoon- GF
Delighted Disney Return Guest since 1981, DVC (BLT) since 2014
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We have in elementary, but now that DD is entering middle school, we likely will not. And yes, I am sad.
Carrie
CBR: 2/21-2/25/17
POR: 6/4-6/11/16
POFQ: 11/15-11/19/15
8/28-9/1/14 -DL-Dumbo 19.3 C2C
POR: 1/7-1/14/14 -Dopey 48.6
POR: 6/11-6/17/13
ASMu: 1/11-1/15/13 -1st Full 26.2
ASMu: 9/22-9/28/11
ASMu: 6/7-6/13/11
Pop: 1/30-2/6/10
Pop: 2/1-2/7/09
Pop: 1/08
ASMu: 05/06
Off-site: 12/93
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Such a tough call... I think it all depends on the child and when you take them out.
My kids have gotten perfect attendance in the past, so I'm not one to take them out, I work vacation around their schedules...HOWEVER, we decided to take a little family trip in early December to Disney, and the maximum we decided to take them out of school for was three days, this way they went back on Thursday and got a few days in. We finished up all of the homework by Sunday afternoon, which at that point, was more me standing over them giving them the answers to get it done. The learning part was LONG over. My girls are in the 2nd and 3rd grade.
It worked out OK, and after Sunday afternoon's homework session was over, it was fine.
Good Luck!
Julie
Next Up:
Summer 2018... WE ARE BACK!!!
2 families
4 teenagers and Larry
Taking on the parks!
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As long as our kids worked hard at school and got good grades, we never hesitated taking them out for a few days. As they got a little older (middle school and high school), we had to go through more hoops to get the approvals - but we did it - and we never regretted it.
Each family has their own situation and their own decisions to make - sometimes based on the school district's policies. But I think some of the districts get a bit arrogant with their strict policies that seem to indicate the kids can only learn while sitting in a classroom. We always thought school best prepared kids by teaching them to learn on their own, and a family trip offered so many other learning opportunities. They learned to manage time better, study on their own, and became very comfortable with traveling through US airports. Not that we ever would have done it, but by the time our boys were 13-14, I could have dropped them off at an airport with their luggage and they could have safely gotten to their destination. Now they are older, it's second-nature for them to travel, which they've done quite a bit.
Then there were the obvious advantages - mostly going when there were lighter crowds and it wasn't 95 degrees and humid!
Sorry if I went off on a tangent!! Good luck with your decision....
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Yeah, it's a tough call. We have always done it, and our oldest (DS) is in middle school. We let the teachers know at the beginning of the year that they would be missing a solid week, and we've tried to get the assignments much like everyone else.
As they start to get up into High School, we'll have to wait and see. A lot will depend on their grades, I think. If they are doing well and keeping up as it is, then we'll probably do it. We love Disney, but they've got to learn that school is top priority right now.
2002 - 2022: 20+ visits (POR, BW, All Stars, VWL, CSR, BLT, BC, SSR, CB, Dolphin, OKW, Poly, offsite x8)
DL - 1996, 2019
Next up - January 2023 short trip! We just want to try that 50th Anniversary chocolate monstrosity at Mexico!
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We have pulled our 2 boys out of school for our last 2 trips, Oct. 2008 & April 2010. This year, our oldest missed a week of Jr. College (he's a great student) and our youngest missed a week of 4th grade (he's a struggling student). In future trips, we will probably not go during the whole week, but maybe try to coordinate it when they have a couple days off school already. We enjoy Disney so much more with better weather and lower crowds!! But to avoid issues with school as time goes on, we may have to (gulp!) go during our Spring Break.
Melinda
Trips:
Offsite - June 1997
WL - October 2008
POFQ - April/May 2010
RPH - Universal - May 7th-11th 2014
POFQ - Sept. 27-30, 2014 (just the two of us!)
Royal Pacific Hotel - Universal - June 27th - July 1st, 2015
POFQ - Sept 2017
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