School Excuse Letter

[Mbrthelegend]

I concur there is certainly an opportunity to make the trip quite educational for your children. I also highly value family time. I would expect the school administration to excuse my child with a clear outline of the educational activities they would have and clear expectations on journaling and completing makeup work. I would expect an EXCUSED absence. What I would not expect is awarding my child for perfect attendance when he was not in fact at school everyday.

 

 

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[CCC3]

To the OP...if you really want to teach your child something, let it be honesty! I am a 30+ year elementary school teacher and here's my take on this. You in good faith booked a cruise when your school was not in session! Thank you! Excellent planning! The fact that it snowed, and the district rescheduled a snow day make-up for your departure day is not your fault. I would honestly tell the administration what has happened...it sounds like from the original post your child misses one day of class. Yes, it will probably be unexcused, but perhaps the teacher can give you some worksheets or whatever for that day. (Maybe she can give them to you in ADVANCE, and you can be done with it before you have to leave! That's what I do, so families will have an awesome vacation). The idea of being "vague," or finding some kind of "note" online about why he/she will be gone just isn't honest. It's a VACATION! Kind of sends the message that it's okay to hedge and skirt the truth--which is something nearly every parent I've ever met does NOT want their child to do! Unless your child has many unexcused absences, having one on their record shouldn't be a tragedy! I say, go, enjoy! But be honest with your school and let your child know that's what you did! What an excellent example you'll be setting. Just MHO.

[sippican]

Okay, so I realize most of the people up here feel like this educational trip stuff is complete bs, but what about schools who actually support families taking trips with educational aspects to it?

 

When we took our girls out of school last May (they were in pre-K and kindergarten at the time) for their first cruise, I purposefully wanted to create educational experiences for them. Not just to get some absences excused, but because I couldn't imagine traveling to different countries and NOT doing something educational. Our school system has a form you complete to get pre-approval for an educational trip. You just have to write a few sentences describing how your trip will be educational for your child. And if approved, the school also states the child should keep a journal, write a brief report, and complete any work assigned by the teacher. On our cruise, we went to the Butterfly Conservatory in Key West, the Turtle Farm and bird aviary in Grand Cayman, and Playa Mia in Cozumel - so I felt it was a nice balance of some educational time, as well as some just fun time. I encouraged the girls to ask many of the cruise staff we encountered what countries they were from, and we kept a list and found them on maps when we got home. Even at Playa Mia, the girls got to keep parts of a pinata, with real Mexican candy and I tried to pick out some Spanish words I knew in the newspaper from the inside of the pinata! My kindergartener put together a picture journal and I helped her write sentences about her experiences, including one thing each she learned about turtles and butterflies. Her teacher loved it.

 

We're looking at a possible Disney cruise the week before Christmas break this year, when they'll be in 1st and 2nd grade. And this time I'm looking into some cultural things to do in Cozumel, because we've only done beaches in Cozumel and "I" want to do some more cultural experiences. And they can learn some things along the way too! :) I want to do some more in-depth activities involving the countries staff are from, I had thought about creating an autograph book for people to sign, write their country, and write something in their native language, because that seems like it would be a cool keepsake to have. Again, our school system seems to value these experiences. Of course it's not the same as being in class! I'm not saying it is. But I guess I'm glad that our school system at least sees some value in these, by giving you a specific way to request pre-approval for an educational trip.

 

I always said (before I had kids) I would never take my kids out of school for vacation. And I probably won't once they get a bit older and work is a lot harder to make up, at least by middle school. But that was before I started cruising! I guess it's just opened my eyes to a lot of the cultural and educational aspects there are in cruising. It IS possible for schools to recognize that and appreciate that some families actually like doing educational things on vacation. I will admit, I contacted their principal about possibly taking the girls out of school for a WDW trip (which we've decided not to do). And even though she was fine with it, it just felt like I was trying too hard to make it educational, which bothered me. So yeah, I do feel like some of those letters are stretching it a bit, lol. But I just don't feel that way with cruising, or at least the way we cruise. Just my opinion.

 

I concur there is certainly an opportunity to make the trip quite educational for your children. I also highly value family time. I would expect the school administration to excuse my child with a clear outline of the educational activities they would have and clear expectations on journaling and completing makeup work. I would expect an EXCUSED absence. What I would not expect is awarding my child for perfect attendance when he was not in fact at school everyday.

 

 

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If you schedule these wonderful experiences during school breaks your children would have the best of both worlds without missing a day of school or asking staff to do extra for them. Why on earth do you feel you are entitled to an excused absence when there are plenty of times to take your vacation when school is not in session? It is your choice.

Let's face it, when we pull kids out of school to take a trip it is usually for the pure convenience or needs of the adults involved, not the children. (Fewer crowds, cheaper costs, work schedules, etc.) Then the adults scramble to find "learning experiences". How many actually look for a cruise thinking, "Where can we take the kids this year to learn some things they cannot experience near home, or during school vacation breaks?"

Notwithstanding the quality family time and pure fun, finding the educational value of a Caribbean Cruise or a trip to a WDW is like trying to squeeze water out of a stone. Do children learn during vacations, absolutely! But as an earlier poster pointed out, even a trip to a store is a learning experience. Would you expect an excused absence if you kept your child home to go to Walmart?

[LuCruise]

If you schedule these wonderful experiences during school breaks your children would have the best of both worlds without missing a day of school or asking staff to do extra for them. Why on earth do you feel you are entitled to an excused absence when there are plenty of times to take your vacation when school is not in session? It is your choice.

Let's face it, when we pull kids out of school to take a trip it is usually for the pure convenience or needs of the adults involved, not the children. (Fewer crowds, cheaper costs, work schedules, etc.) Then the adults scramble to find "learning experiences". How many actually look for a cruise thinking, "Where can we take the kids this year to learn some things they cannot experience near home, or during school vacation breaks?"

Notwithstanding the quality family time and pure fun, finding the educational value of a Caribbean Cruise or a trip to a WDW is like trying to squeeze water out of a stone. Do children learn during vacations, absolutely! But as an earlier poster pointed out, even a trip to a store is a learning experience. Would you expect an excused absence if you kept your child home to go to Walmart?

 

The problem with vacations during Christmas and March breaks are that the price goes way up. DCL goes up by a couple thousand (and DCL is pricey to begin with). Other cruise lines it depends. And even if you find a reasonable cruise, then the flight cost also goes way up. For the summer, you have heat and more chance of hurricane to deal with.

 

Then you've got crowds. I don't think it matters as much for a cruise since they mostly sell out anyways and have a capacity by the number of cabins, but say for a trip to Disney World, it makes a huge difference. Christmas and March break crowds are insane. Summer is bloody hot.

 

We took our kids out of school this past October for Disney World for lesser crowds, great weather and reasonable cost. And April of 2016, we'll be taking them out. Both are in grade school. Our cruise may be the last time we pull them out since our older one will be in grade 5.

 

But I have to agree with you that I don't really try and pull these off as educational. A cruise, I suppose a bit to see the ports (if do a tour of the city as opposed to a beach day). Disney World or a resort trip, not. However, these years with our kids are short, so pulling them out of school for a week at a time, is reasonable compromise. And it's a decision that is to be made with each family what works best for them.

Edited January 19, 2015 by LuCruise

[moki'smommy]

If you schedule these wonderful experiences during school breaks your children would have the best of both worlds without missing a day of school or asking staff to do extra for them. Why on earth do you feel you are entitled to an excused absence when there are plenty of times to take your vacation when school is not in session? It is your choice.

 

If I'm interpreting OP's post correctly, she DID schedule to cruise on a school vacation. Then the school changed the schedule, placing a snow make up day on their departure day.

 

That's not OP's fault. She was trying to do a vacation when school was not in session.

 

No where did she ask the staff to do extra work.

 

OK, I have a problem with the kid getting a perfect attendance award when he was not in school, but that's a matter of the school's policy. If the administration counts "educational events" as being in school, mom is entitled to attempt to qualify. If you have to have your behind in the chair at school to be "in attendance," that makes more sense to me. But I didn't write their policy.:)

[minerva78]

If you schedule these wonderful experiences during school breaks your children would have the best of both worlds without missing a day of school or asking staff to do extra for them. Why on earth do you feel you are entitled to an excused absence when there are plenty of times to take your vacation when school is not in session? It is your choice.

Let's face it, when we pull kids out of school to take a trip it is usually for the pure convenience or needs of the adults involved, not the children. (Fewer crowds, cheaper costs, work schedules, etc.) Then the adults scramble to find "learning experiences". How many actually look for a cruise thinking, "Where can we take the kids this year to learn some things they cannot experience near home, or during school vacation breaks?"

Notwithstanding the quality family time and pure fun, finding the educational value of a Caribbean Cruise or a trip to a WDW is like trying to squeeze water out of a stone. Do children learn during vacations, absolutely! But as an earlier poster pointed out, even a trip to a store is a learning experience. Would you expect an excused absence if you kept your child home to go to Walmart?

 

I understand your opinion, I was simply trying to explain of my own experiences. I do NOT and have never felt entitled to having excused absences for a cruise vacation. Last year I was fully fine with having the absences unexcused. I figured one child was in pre-K, where attendance didn't really matter, and the other was in kindergarten, and she hadn't missed any days in school up to when I booked two months before. I found out later that I could complete a pre-approval letter for an educational trip, so I did. And now that the girls are at a different magnet school this year, I was informed that there is a new policy if you have more than 5 unexcused absences, then they could lose their spot at that school. I can only assume that at a school in which my girls have already been on 4 field trips each since the start of the school year, they are just a bit more tolerant of excused absences for trips.

 

I did not mean to come across as sounding "entitled" but more "fortunate" that our school has a very specific process for dealing with educational trips. And that if I were in the OP's situation it wouldn't be a huge deal, especially considering she planned this at a time when they were supposed to be out of school. With our new magnet rules, if the trip I'm planning isn't approved, then we just won't go - which is why I plan to get it approved well before final payment. If that happens, then it's back to the drawing board of finding something affordable to do over a school break. It sure won't be a Disney cruise though! The only reason I'm looking at one now is that I found something close in the range of what I could afford to pay, and I just figured it was a good time to take advantage of it, especially because I really wanted to do some cultural things the next time we went to Cozumel. But there are plenty of options out there if a Disney cruise doesn't work.

 

At any rate, I'm glad everything worked out for you OP!

[BullDawg91]

My kids are rarely out of school. I'd guess no more than 3 days a year if that. I'm a reasonably involved parent.

 

When I took my kids out the day before fall break started a few years ago, they weren't even marked absent. I spoke to their teachers ahead of time to be sure they weren't doing anything but goofing off (ie watching a movie of a book they

read), busy work.

 

 

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[moki'smommy]

My kids are rarely out of school. I'd guess no more than 3 days a year if that. I'm a reasonably involved parent.

 

When I took my kids out the day before fall break started a few years ago, they weren't even marked absent. I spoke to their teachers ahead of time to be sure they weren't doing anything but goofing off (ie watching a movie of a book they

read), busy work.

 

 

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Yeah...and then there was the day my daughter's class watched a video of "Finding Nemo" and the teacher called it science.

[babyher]

Yeah...and then there was the day my daughter's class watched a video of "Finding Nemo" and the teacher called it science.

 

 

 

My daughters class watched" The Notebook" on one of their make up days. Teacher actually asked her to bring it in I guess the teacher figured "notebook" ...."classroom" it all kind of tied in together *LOL*

[sippican]

If I'm interpreting OP's post correctly' date=' she DID schedule to cruise on a school vacation. Then the school changed the schedule, placing a snow make up day on their departure day.

 

That's not OP's fault. She was trying to do a vacation when school was not in session.

 

No where did she ask the staff to do extra work.

 

OK, I have a problem with the kid getting a perfect attendance award when he was not in school, but that's a matter of the school's policy. If the administration counts "educational events" as being in school, mom is entitled to attempt to qualify. If you have to have your behind in the chair at school to be "in attendance," that makes more sense to me. But I didn't write their policy.:)[/quote']

 

Agree completely, and I have responded to the OP earlier in the thread.

The quote above was in response to other poster (who were quoted in my post).

[ljandgb]

FWIW, we're pulling our kids out the week of finals to go on the Baltic cruise. Finals, schminals. :) This includes two high schoolers, one in jr high, and one in 3rd grade.

 

I've been waiting for that itinerary to come up for years. My two oldest will be gone in 2 years, and due to cost and scheduling, the other sailing dates were not possible. We decided it was now or never.

 

We are not asking for excused absences, per se. I made no bones about the fact that we were pulling them out to go on a really cool vacation. The kids will be allowed to re-schedule their finals. Perhaps I can show them that form letter and that can count as finals, especially for AP History? LOL

[slightlysilly]

I hate to bump up this EXTREMELY delicate topic again, but I just wanted to say that this thread has amused me greatly AND the topic (at least for me) is 100% moot as my son succumbed to the stomach flu around 3am this morning. No school for him today! Perfect attendance FAIL!!!

 

So tragic.

[GUT2407]

I hate to bump up this EXTREMELY delicate topic again, but I just wanted to say that this thread has amused me greatly AND the topic (at least for me) is 100% moot as my son succumbed to the stomach flu around 3am this morning. No school for him today! Perfect attendance FAIL!!!

 

So tragic.

 

 

My wife hates [and I do mean hates] perfect attendance schemes, to the degree that when she was a principal she refused to have them, she says that some kids will come to school when they shouldn't trying for such awards, disrupting the rest of the class and spreading the disease to other students and staff.

[Ex techie]

I hope your son makes a speedy recovery.

(and for his and your sakes as few "protein spills" as possible!)

 

ex techie

[ljandgb]

Hope he feels better, but at least you don't need to worry about what the trip will do to his record!

[Ex techie]

Hope he feels better, but at least you don't need to worry about what the trip will do to his record!

 

I agree.

I hope he feels better, but at least you don't need to worry about writing any excuse notes to the school.

 

You can check that one off the list!

 

Now you can relax and enjoy planning your cruise! Woohoo! :)

 

ex techie

[strykes]

Hope he feels better! Better now than later, right?