Also, I truly don't really care what everyone's stance is on this, since this is obviously a personal decision that doesn't really affect anybody outside the family, BUT can we not compare an international trip to reading a book? Come on now, lol.
I actually think it's a fair point.
That from birth we do all kinds of things that build into our kids & enrich their lives & make them who they are, whether or not (usually NOT) they will remember the actual moments when they are 35 years old.
lol i think my DD is a few days younger than @starry 's DD, and she won't start K until 2018 too. SaveSave
Lol I'm sensitive and worried you guys! My poor baby will be so little and potentially behind
You know how I feel about red shirting, DD started K last year after turning 5 just a week before. And she was fine, she had a great year, zero concerns entering 1st grade this fall.
That being said, the first few weeks are a LOT in kindergarten! Getting into routine, riding the bus, getting to know new friends and a teacher. Personally, I would have a lot of hesitation about pulling a kid out of a school they just started for the first time just a few weeks in, but gah, free trip, that's hard to pass up. I'd really try and work your dad into trying another time. Or maybe pushing it back a year if he's really insistent about Oktoberfest. I wouldn't care as much about DD missing a few weeks in the fall of 1st grade for example. But kindergarten is SUCH a big step.
Post by redheadbaker on Aug 3, 2016 14:24:34 GMT -5
I tend to lean heavily toward "no vacation during the school year" like Velar Fricative and @mrswindycity. Growing up, my parents never took us out of school for family trips.
The PA code regarding school attendance allows districts to pursue prosecution for excessive unexcused absences (family vacations without prior approval are considered unexcused), though I don't know which (if any) districts have used that punishment.
I'm taking my kids out of kindergarten for travel at least 2x this year. I wouldn't do that every year because I wouldn't want their coursework to fall behind. But I'm milking the last year we have before school gets "real."
Post by teatimefor2 on Aug 3, 2016 14:40:34 GMT -5
Yes, in a heartbeat. Also she might surprise you. My kids adjust really well to time changes (we are actually in Copenhagen now); I'll let you know how they adjust on our return. But so far, it's been fine.
We don't get to travel often, and I would jump at the opportunity. I love the idea of making her do an artistic journal. She can draw something that she saw or learned that day that she liked and show it off to the class. If you need to make the trip educational.
Coming from a Kinder teacher- yes I would. I would in any other grade as well. My family always took a vacation and left the day after Christmas, typically we would miss a few days coming back from break. My brothers and I all graduated, got jobs and became functioning adults. Lol!! I personally think the family time, world experience and cultural experience is worth it. And antidote, but when I was a student teacher one of my students moved to a foreign country for a month because her parents had to go for work. It was awesome for her and a wonderful experience. The school didn't bat an eye. But, apparently, we have incredibly lax school truancy rules where I live. And kids are never held back for any reason. Ever.
Post by loreleigilmore on Aug 3, 2016 14:51:29 GMT -5
I'd do it but I'd aim for late October. That way she has her rhythm done with school and has made some friends. I feel like the first few weeks are crucial for establishing behavior and just meeting other kids. Just my two cents.
Post by polarbearfans on Aug 3, 2016 15:01:04 GMT -5
I would absolutely. My best childhood memories are the vacations we took and I had to miss school fairly often for them. I always had homework to do on the vacations so I didn't really miss much of anything. How often do you really have the chance to visit another country?
Yes, though I'd probably try for later in the year if possible for adjustment purposes.
As for not remembering family trips, we traveled several weeks of the year growing up. We didn't miss school for them (though we did for sports), and they were all domestic road trips, so by MMM standards, they were probably barely "real" travel and not entirely relevant to this thread, but whatever. I don't remember a whole lot of the details of a lot of the trips we took, but they absolutely shaped me as a person. I remember nothing of the natural history museum we went to on the trip when I was 5 (I don't even know which one it was), but my parents tell me that I never stopped talking about the stuff I saw there, which made them seek out more stuff like that the next time, and the time after that, etc. If you ask my parents, they will tell you that I picked my graduate degree on that trip when I was 5. Obviously that is an exaggeration on their part, but would I have been as interested in my field without the constant encouragement that came as a result of that one experience when I was 5? Maybe, but maybe not.
On top of that, my grandparents went on many of those trips with us. My grandma just turned 90, and she recently told me that traveling with us as kids are some of her favorite memories. So it's not just about what the kid(s) will remember.
Post by barefootcontessa on Aug 4, 2016 0:11:28 GMT -5
I have not read the replies so this may have been addressed, but you might want to be prepared for a letter stressing the importance of attendance from your district and maybe even a citation of your state's truancy laws. I took my son out for a week and got a nasty gram from the district -- even though I cleared it with the teacher and principal (and we did work while away). It really irritated me.
As a parent of a kid who just finished k, absolutely!! Once your child is older it will be so much harder to take any kind of trip during the school year unless on ab real, but this limits international to only Christmas or summer. Also the cost difference when traveling during school breaks can be huge. I think you will regret it if you don't go. Once your kid is in like 2nd or 3rd grade this wouldn't even really be an option with how strict schools are.
Yup, no questions asked. My district allows it if you ask permission, IME. My oldest missed a week of kindergarten 3 weeks after it started to go to WDW and this year my 2nd grader & kinder kids will miss the whole week before thanksgiving to go to Disneyland & California. It's highly likely they'll miss for a Europe trip in the next year or 2.
Oh and like others suggested, look at the calendar and see if you can plan around days off for Jewish holidays (they're early October this year), Columbus Day, etc.
Post by curbsideprophet on Aug 4, 2016 9:41:49 GMT -5
For now my answer is yes. DD will be missing three days of kindy at the beginning of the year (not the first three days but within the first month). It is not ideal and I tried to avoid it. We debating trying to move out trip but after talking to the school decided to keep it as planned.