Pulling 7 year old out of school. What do you do?

[babiektcher]

My father just passed away in sept at the age of 63 and IMO life is too short.Your children are only young once. Life is not all about school or curriculums. The time we spend with our kids is priceless. I will take my kids out 1 week every year. And my 6 and 8 yr old would not choose school and friends over their family and Disney, at least not at this age anyways.

 

[1hero2princesses]

It amazing the differences with attendence policies. Amount of homework etc. Almost shocking really. Probably shows some of the problems with our education system. We are in one of the top districts in Illinois. My son is 7 and in 1st grade. He does not get more than about 40 minutes of homework A WEEK. Basically one math work sheet about 3 nights a week (that take about 5 minutes each) and he is supposed to read every night. I am planning to take him and and his sister out of school for 6 days next fall for a trip. My DH's vacation time is limited but the main reason we are going then is the cost. I tried desperately to go during the summer but the cost difference was literally going to be 1800 dollars. Unfortunately I have saved for 2 years to go again. Another 1800 dollars is a deal breaker and we would not be able to go for another year or two beyond that. Kids are only young once. One time. If we take a vacation every other year how many do I have left with them. I really thought about it. If we wait till my son is 9 or 10 and then go every two or three years after...we would only have a few vacations left till he is an adult. So I made the decision to pull the out one last time. My school doesn't love it, but doesn't do anything about it and a LOT of people here do that. So far this year my son has missed 1 day due to illiness and my daughter (5) has missed a 1/2 a day to perform in the Nutcracker. I know people that keep their kids home because the are "tired". I take school seriously but I agree with all of those who say it is a balance, if this is the only way we can go then we are going, at least one last time. I assume that by 4th or 5th grade homework will be a lot more significant, so I believe this will be the last time I can pull them out without too much concern. It kills me how self righteous people can be about this subject, there are so many things that go into this issue so it really has to be a personal decision. I don't really want to do it, but it is the only way we can afford it. The idea that I may only have 3 or 4 vacations left with my 7 year old (who really is still pretty darn young!) makes me so sad. Don't judge people unless you walk in their shoes. My strongest memories of childhood are those vacations. My parents are gone now (dad died, mom altzheimers). I don't remember day after day of sitting in grade school, but I have a college degree and had a very good job till I quit to stay at home (and I was only an average student). The only thing left is the memories...

 

[Daisy'sMama]

My DD9's teacher said it best "Not all learning is done in the classroom" . We took DD (4th grade) out last week for 5 days to go to WDW and her teacher absolutely supported it. DD was able to share what she learned about alligators (Gatorland w/Grandpa), Manatees (near Tampa), and energy and waves (Disney YES class). It was a valuable trip after a stressful holiday and I wouldn't change it for anything. DD goes to a small private school and they always work with us.

 

[pacrosby]

I'm a high school teacher, married to a high school teacher, so my point of view is pretty predicatable: our kids will never miss school to go to WDW.

And I'm not trying to convince anyone of my point of view. I've realized over the years that it simply isn't going to happen.

But I do question the point of view that nothing much is going to happen in a week.

If I honestly thought that my kids could miss a week of school and not miss anything important, you can be your life I would be asking why. Loudly. And frequently. At PTA meetings and school board meetings and in the principal's office.

Missing a week of school, 1/36 of those precious 180 days, SHOULD make a difference. If I really thought it didn't, I would be way beyond concerned.

If everything that was important could be gotten from the notes, then there would be no point in sending kids to school. We could sit them down with their textbooks and workbooks in the living room and let them get up 12 years later, diploma in hand.

But that isn't how it works, at least not in my class. A kid who has missed more than 2 days of school sick inevitably needs to see me for some serious extra help after he or she has gotten the notes. And even then, he or she will miss the little things-- the references that pop up in days to come that simply weren't part of the notes. The reference to Liz's question or to Devon's joke, or the reference to the problem the kids had with the Do Now problem.

Can a kid still pass? Of course. Can he excel? Sure. But has he missed a piece of the puzzle, in fact a lot of little pieces of the puzzle? You bet your life. My class isn't a correspondance course, or spectator sport. It's a participation sport, one you need to be part of to benefit from.

And then, of course, there are all those little intangibles-- the teachable moments that pop up, unplanned, during each day.

Again, I'm really not trying to convince anyone. But I do think that anyone who thinks their kids won't miss much if they're out for 5 days should become a very vocal presence in the office of their schools. Missing 1/36 of a school year SHOULD make a difference. If not, then your tax dollars are being wasted.

You're certainly not wrong but this has actually been addressed (although who could blame you if you chose not to read all 17 pages). Of course a student will miss something........no matter where you are you are always going to be missing what is going on somewhere else LOL. The question becomes are they going to be missing something that cannot be made up? And, if they are, what if anything is that going to mean in the big picture? Let's not forget that not all high school students take the same classes. A great many students are already missing out on what is being taught in that Honors English class simply because they are not taking Honors English (or Calculus, or Art History or whatever). And even the 'same' classes are going to be presented somewhat differently when taught be different teachers. Liz's question/Devon's joke/Mrs. Smith's unplanned teachable moments? Well, the students in Mrs. Jones' class are going to miss out on those too aren't they? And yet, at the end of the day, they will all be considered ready to move on into the real world.

You've said it yourself - that even with such time away from the classroom kids can in fact pass and many will even continue to excel. Will they miss something? Of course they will but think of what they are getting in return. Every decision in life is a trade off.

 

[mhconley]

We plan to take our DS out of school for a week next September; he'll be 8 and in the 3rd grade. We taken him out for vacation before. We always let the teacher know the week before. Sometimes they have the homework ready for us to take, sometimes they don't and he gets caught up when we get back. Almost all have given special assignments for the trip - reports, etc. When he returns to school he always brings trinkets for the other kids, last time they were the Mickey-head shaped pencils, and something special for the teacher.

Martin

 

[princessmom29]

I'm a high school teacher, married to a high school teacher, so my point of view is pretty predicatable: our kids will never miss school to go to WDW.

And I'm not trying to convince anyone of my point of view. I've realized over the years that it simply isn't going to happen.

But I do question the point of view that nothing much is going to happen in a week.

If I honestly thought that my kids could miss a week of school and not miss anything important, you can be your life I would be asking why. Loudly. And frequently. At PTA meetings and school board meetings and in the principal's office.

Missing a week of school, 1/36 of those precious 180 days, SHOULD make a difference. If I really thought it didn't, I would be way beyond concerned.

If everything that was important could be gotten from the notes, then there would be no point in sending kids to school. We could sit them down with their textbooks and workbooks in the living room and let them get up 12 years later, diploma in hand.

But that isn't how it works, at least not in my class. A kid who has missed more than 2 days of school sick inevitably needs to see me for some serious extra help after he or she has gotten the notes. And even then, he or she will miss the little things-- the references that pop up in days to come that simply weren't part of the notes. The reference to Liz's question or to Devon's joke, or the reference to the problem the kids had with the Do Now problem.

Can a kid still pass? Of course. Can he excel? Sure. But has he missed a piece of the puzzle, in fact a lot of little pieces of the puzzle? You bet your life. My class isn't a correspondance course, or spectator sport. It's a participation sport, one you need to be part of to benefit from.

And then, of course, there are all those little intangibles-- the teachable moments that pop up, unplanned, during each day.

Again, I'm really not trying to convince anyone. But I do think that anyone who thinks their kids won't miss much if they're out for 5 days should become a very vocal presence in the office of their schools. Missing 1/36 of a school year SHOULD make a difference. If not, then your tax dollars are being wasted.

As another high school teacher, ITA with you, but it is like talking to a brick wall. You are not going to get through, believe me I have tried. Some parents are going to do what they want to do and continue to insist that everything missed is unimportant. You and I KNOW differently, but convincing a parent of that in the face of a very tempting low crowd trip to WDW is often an impossible task. It is just easier for some to bury their head in the sand with the argument that "I won't matter when they are 30", or "but they can still pass/ do well so it doesn't matter". They really truly don't care that their children are missing pieces of their education as long as it doesn't affect the bottom line, their grades/diploma/college admission. It is not suprising to me that so many students are so focused on "what do I need to do tho get an A,B, or C" and not actually learning the material. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard "how many points is this worth" or "are you going to grade this" as a litmus test for wether a student will do the assignment.

 

[powellrj]

My kids have only missed school for school trips and I have to say, its still hard.

3 years ago DS missed a week for a trip to WDW for show choir and it was a hard semester to make-up for him.

DD is missing 3 days next month for another choir trip and I worry about her getting behind. She is a great student, but I worry about what she will miss while she is gone. What will be presented and what will she fall behind on.

Even good students need to be in class to keep up. I know about life being too short and everything, but also school time is short and you only have so many days to learn so much. My kids are all spread out age wise with my oldest and youngest being 14 years apart, so I know how short childhood is, but I also know its hard to get caught up when you get behind.

 

[WantToGoNow]

My kids have missed several weeks for Disney since they started school (dd7 is in 1st grade and ds9 is in 4th grade). Dd7 missed a week in December for Disney - didn't hurt her at all. She will be missing 2 weeks in March when her tonsils are removed - I was worried about this but when I talked to the teacher she said it was no big deal and dd7 was ready for 2nd grade anyway. I've always had the teachers send home the work they would miss so they could keep up and return it when they returned to school.

 

[jodifla]

Most people aren't talking about pulling out high-schoolers, though. They are talking about their elementary-aged children. At that age, it really is easy enough to take along their reading books, math worksheets and some science material and stay fairly caught up.

Again I always wonder how my parents generation did it, when they were routinely out for weeks with the measles or mumps, or even just working the fields -- or hunting!

 

[tartemis]

As another high school teacher, ITA with you, but it is like talking to a brick wall. You are not going to get through, believe me I have tried. Some parents are going to do what they want to do and continue to insist that everything missed is unimportant. You and I KNOW differently, but convincing a parent of that in the face of a very tempting low crowd trip to WDW is often an impossible task. It is just easier for some to bury their head in the sand with the argument that "I won't matter when they are 30", or "but they can still pass/ do well so it doesn't matter". They really truly don't care that their children are missing pieces of their education as long as it doesn't affect the bottom line, their grades/diploma/college admission. It is not suprising to me that so many students are so focused on "what do I need to do tho get an A,B, or C" and not actually learning the material. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard "how many points is this worth" or "are you going to grade this" as a litmus test for wether a student will do the assignment.

My dad is a university professor and my mom teaches second grade -- so I come from a family of teachers. Education is extremely important in our family. My brother and I both have advanced degrees.

Yet, my parents always pulled us out of school for vacations. There is nothing in school that you would miss in one week that you can't make up. Frankly, my parents taught me most of the foundation for what I know anyway and school was simply an "enrichment" of sorts.

It isn't as black and white as you are trying to make it. As a teacher, you should know that the #1 predictor of success of a child in education is family involvment. If you have a familiy that values and supports education, you shouldn't care that they are taking a child out of school for a week.

 

[tartemis]

- The Cornell University Board of Trustees
Our financial aid initiatives make Cornell accessible and affordable. Read more...
Cornell awards financial aid on the basis of demonstrated financial need rather than on merit. There are no scholarships for merit, athletic or other talents.

As someone recruited to play sports by Ivy League schools, I can tell you that they certainly offer "athletic" scholarships. Sure they aren't strictly named that, but I was offered a very generous grant package (read not loans) to come to their schools -- and so were all of the other recruited athletes.

It drives me nuts when the Ivy League claims they don't offer athletic scholarships -- um, sure. You just offer hefty financial aid packages for all of your recruits, but don't label them "athletic" scholarships.

 

[princessmom29]

My dad is a university professor and my mom teaches second grade -- so I come from a family of teachers. Education is extremely important in our family. My brother and I both have advanced degrees.

Yet, my parents always pulled us out of school for vacations. There is nothing in school that you would miss in one week that you can't make up. Frankly, my parents taught me most of the foundation for what I know anyway and school was simply an "enrichment" of sorts.

It isn't as black and white as you are trying to make it. As a teacher, you should know that the #1 predictor of success of a child in education is family involvment. If you have a familiy that values and supports education, you shouldn't care that they are taking a child out of school for a week.

this is exactly the attitude I am talking about. The whole, I don't need school because I know it already, it is just "enrichment" so that entitiles me to be able to take a week off. You are STILL missing what went on in the classroom. To me, an family that "values education" would be one that sees that all aspects of education is important, even the learing the happens in the classroom, and would choose to minimize the loss of that. Anyone who intentionally chooses to remove thier child from school for an esxtended period when they could have done otherwise is showing where their priorities lie. IMO, it is pretty black and white. Either you value the education that is going on in the clasrrom enough to see that your childs misses as little of it as possible, or you don't. If you don't, that is OK, but don't travilize it by saying "nothing important" is going on because, to some, it IS important!

ETA: Just because someone is a teacher doesn't mean they aren't guilty of burying thier heads in the sand where there own children are concerned, sometimes more so becuase of the attitude that "I am a teacher, so I can get the m caught up better than other parents" I have caught myself thinking that way before, and had to take a step back.

 

[princessmom29]

As someone recruited to play sports by Ivy League schools, I can tell you that they certainly offer "athletic" scholarships. Sure they aren't strictly named that, but I was offered a very generous grant package (read not loans) to come to their schools -- and so were all of the other recruited athletes.

It drives me nuts when the Ivy League claims they don't offer athletic scholarships -- um, sure. You just offer hefty financial aid packages for all of your recruits, but don't label them "athletic" scholarships.

I worked at the athletic department of a division one school while I was in college. You are correct. There is always money involved in playing division one college sports, even when they claim there is not.

 

[Colleen27]

You're certainly not wrong but this has actually been addressed (although who could blame you if you chose not to read all 17 pages). Of course a student will miss something........no matter where you are you are always going to be missing what is going on somewhere else LOL. The question becomes are they going to be missing something that cannot be made up? And, if they are, what if anything is that going to mean in the big picture? Let's not forget that not all high school students take the same classes. A great many students are already missing out on what is being taught in that Honors English class simply because they are not taking Honors English (or Calculus, or Art History or whatever). And even the 'same' classes are going to be presented somewhat differently when taught be different teachers. Liz's question/Devon's joke/Mrs. Smith's unplanned teachable moments? Well, the students in Mrs. Jones' class are going to miss out on those too aren't they? And yet, at the end of the day, they will all be considered ready to move on into the real world.

You've said it yourself - that even with such time away from the classroom kids can in fact pass and many will even continue to excel. Will they miss something? Of course they will but think of what they are getting in return. Every decision in life is a trade off.

Exactly. I do value education, but not strictly the type that happens in the classroom - much of that is forgotten or simply irrelevant in the long run. When was the last time you needed to know the stages in the life cycle of a butterfly or had to diagram a sentence?

If my child can still excel, which to me indicates mastery of the subject matter, without knowing Liz's question or Devon's joke how important are those things really in the big picture? (And conversely, is there no value at all to the things learned through travel? Not speaking strictly of Disney here, though I'm not excluding it either, but rather of travel in general).

 

[tartemis]

this is exactly the attitude I am talking about. The whole, I don't need school because I know it already, it is just "enrichment" so that entitiles me to be able to take a week off. You are STILL missing what went on in the classroom. To me, an family that "values education" would be one that sees that all aspects of education is important, even the learing the happens in the classroom, and would choose to minimize the loss of that. Anyone who intentionally chooses to remove thier child from school for an esxtended period when they could have done otherwise is showing where their priorities lie. IMO, it is pretty black and white. Either you value the education that is going on in the clasrrom enough to see that your childs misses as little of it as possible, or you don't. If you don't, that is OK, but don't travilize it by saying "nothing important" is going on because, to some, it IS important!

ETA: Just because someone is a teacher doesn't mean they aren't guilty of burying thier heads in the sand where there own children are concerned, sometimes more so becuase of the attitude that "I am a teacher, so I can get the m caught up better than other parents" I have caught myself thinking that way before, and had to take a step back.

I couldn't disagree more. And to say that either you value what is going in the classroom and you minimize missing it or you don't ignores the value of learning outside of the classroom and oversimplifies the issue.

Heck, every year my SCHOOL organized various trips abroad for the foreign language classes and the kids that went on them missed two weeks of school. Clearly in that instance the school's own view is that kids can make up what is occuring in all of the other classes. I also missed a week of school for a band trip, a week of school for an academic competition and several weeks of school (although not in a row) for various athletic competitions. My time definitley wouldn't have been better spent sitting in a classroom where half the time the teacher was explaining stuff to kids that I already knew -- even in the advanced classes.

As I said, I come from a family of teachers and a good teacher is invaluable. But I also think a lot of teachers overstate their importance -- most kids aren't missing that much by being out of school for one week, and the stuff that is missed can certainly be made up.

 

[pacrosby]

this is exactly the attitude I am talking about. The whole, I don't need school because I know it already, it is just "enrichment" so that entitiles me to be able to take a week off. You are STILL missing what went on in the classroom. To me, an family that "values education" would be one that sees that all aspects of education is important, even the learing the happens in the classroom, and would choose to minimize the loss of that. Anyone who intentionally chooses to remove thier child from school for an esxtended period when they could have done otherwise is showing where their priorities lie. IMO, it is pretty black and white. Either you value the education that is going on in the clasrrom enough to see that your childs misses as little of it as possible, or you don't. If you don't, that is OK, but don't travilize it by saying "nothing important" is going on because, to some, it IS important!ETA: Just because someone is a teacher doesn't mean they aren't guilty of burying thier heads in the sand where there own children are concerned, sometimes more so becuase of the attitude that "I am a teacher, so I can get the m caught up better than other parents" I have caught myself thinking that way before, and had to take a step back.

With regards to the first bolded portion - so, "to you" all parents whose children miss more than a handful of school for a vacation are parents that do not value education? IDK.........seems quite the inflammatory statement. Perhaps they just define education differently. Perhaps they do not feel the number of hours their children spend in a classroom is the be all end all. Perhaps they believe in the 'big picture'. Their heads aren't in the sand. They simply believe what they believe. It's kind of scary to me that a high school teacher has such a hard time allowing people to own a different opinion than her own.

As to the second - perhaps people should step back and stop taking other's point of view so personally. Why is it so painful to hear that others don't value the things that you do in the same manner that you do? We all have to stop equating that with some kind of personal insult. Nevermind the fact that there's a huge distinction between not important 'at all' and not 'important enough'. In many people's minds what their child will miss is simply not 'important enough' to justify not going; the potential 'loss' does not negate the potential 'gain'. If someone else thinks it is, that's ok too. How is that soooo very hard to understand? It CAN be made up. It WON'T stall their academic progress. It WON'T matter when they are 30. To say "so what, that's not the point"? Yes it is the point! LOL

IDK....it just all starts to sound like a classic case of inflexible thinking to me.

 

[princessmom29]

With regards to the first bolded portion - so, "to you" all parents whose children miss more than a handful of school for a vacation are parents that do not value education? IDK.........seems quite the inflammatory statement. Perhaps they just define education differently. Perhaps they do not feel the number of hours their children spend in a classroom is the be all end all. Perhaps they believe in the 'big picture'. Their heads aren't in the sand. They simply believe what they believe. It's kind of scary to me that a high school teacher has such a hard time allowing people to own a different opinion than her own.

As to the second - perhaps people should step back and stop taking other's point of view so personally. Why is it so painful to hear that others don't value the things that you do in the same manner that you do? We all have to stop equating that with some kind of personal insult. Nevermind the fact that there's a huge distinction between not important 'at all' and not 'important enough'. In many people's minds what their child will miss is simply not 'important enough' to justify not going; the potential 'loss' does not negate the potential 'gain'. If someone else thinks it is, that's ok too. How is that soooo very hard to understand? It CAN be made up. It WON'T stall their academic progress. It WON'T matter when they are 30. To say "so what, that's not the point"? Yes it is the point! LOL

IDK....it just all starts to sound like a classic case of inflexible thinking to me.

So I am not entitled to "own my opinion" either, since it doesn't agree with yours??? I siad it was MY OPINION, and that if someone feels differently that is ok. No, quite frankly I don't think people who continually allow thier children to miss class just becuase they want to go on vacation, out of town, or anywhere else truly value the clas time that their children are missing, and I feel that they are teaching thier children that that class time is NOT valuble enough to be inconvinenced for. I see the results of that all the time when my high school students expect to come back form a week of vacation and not be held accountable for what was missed. They are genuinely shocked when I tell them that ,yes, you do have to take the test you missed, and if you don't get the material you missed, you cannot expect to function in class from this point out because in this course topics are actually connected. Again, if parents feel that school is not important enough to minmize time missed then that is OK, but you cannot have it both ways. If you don't think school is important, then own that opinion. You are more than welcome to it, but you can't randomly decide that school is sometimes important and sometimes not, either it is or it isn't. Iti s not magically less important the week you choose to vacation.

 

[mrsr2ro]

this is exactly the attitude I am talking about. The whole, I don't need school because I know it already, it is just "enrichment" so that entitiles me to be able to take a week off. You are STILL missing what went on in the classroom. To me, an family that "values education" would be one that sees that all aspects of education is important, even the learing the happens in the classroom, and would choose to minimize the loss of that. Anyone who intentionally chooses to remove thier child from school for an esxtended period when they could have done otherwise is showing where their priorities lie. IMO, it is pretty black and white. Either you value the education that is going on in the clasrrom enough to see that your childs misses as little of it as possible, or you don't. If you don't, that is OK, but don't travilize it by saying "nothing important" is going on because, to some, it IS important!

ETA: Just because someone is a teacher doesn't mean they aren't guilty of burying thier heads in the sand where there own children are concerned, sometimes more so becuase of the attitude that "I am a teacher, so I can get the m caught up better than other parents" I have caught myself thinking that way before, and had to take a step back.

Nothing irritates me more than a "one size fits all" attitude about parenting.

My DH and I value education. It is a priority. We live a lifestyle that promotes learning in many ways. We also spend a good chunk of our money on private school because we think (in our area) it will give them a better education. We already have thousands of dollars set aside for college for our FOUR children. We sacrifice quite a bit, because we think education is important. I would think many people looking in our life would agree.

Yet I don't seem to have a problem with my 6yo missing a few days of 1st grade for a trip (he missed 3 days for WDW and 2 days for a local beach trip). Did he miss something? Of course! But I as parents, we weighed the pros and cons and made the decision to have him miss. He has missed more for being sick several times this year. It has not affected him. He is a bright child who is excelling even in this advanced school.

So you really want to call me out and tell me I have my priorities wrong, my head in the sand, and don't value education? Really? It's that black and white? To me people who think so rigidly and judge others have their heads far up somewhere else.

 

[cheshireqt]

Let me put it this way. I have three children, one of whom died two years ago. The fondest memories my other two children and I have of him are from family trips, where, yes, we pulled them out of school at various ages (last one about 2 years before my son died).

Life is short. God, then family, then everything else. Go.

When you lose a child, you NEVER say "I wish he'd spent more time at school..."

Oh my goodness. I am so sorry for your loss I also happen to agree with you. Life is short. God, then family, then everything else. Go.

OP go for it. Have a wonderful time, make lots of memories and take lots of pictures.

FYI, Here is our experience:
We took our children out of school for a week at the end of September of 2007 to celebrate our 15th Wedding Anniversary. We talked with quite a few other people who had taken their kids out of the same school for a week or more for various reasons, usually vacation, with no problems. We told the teachers at the back to school night and both told us they wished they were going with us. One sent assignments, one did not. DS was in 5th grade and DD was in 2nd. Both kids kept a daily journal, which they turned in for credit.
The following school year they missed one day in February when we went to Universal, adding that day to a weekend and 2 teacher workdays. DDs teacher again was understanding and wonderful about it. DSs teacher, however, gave my son a ZERO on all tests and work that day, turned the matter over to the Principal, who sent us a strongly worded letter threatening to turn it over to the county if he missed more than the acceptable number of days before the end of the year. Yeah, whatever, my son was a good student and had not missed a single day of school at that point and it was end of February! But like most people, I don't usually respond well to threats! Started to schedule a teacher/parent/principal conference and then thought, meh, he is in 6th grade, is doing well in school, is moving on next year, they did not mention boo about DD...threw that letter in the trash where it belonged and never thought of it again until today! I am glad I just ignored those grumpy gusses. DS went on to all Honors classes in 7th grade the following year, with zero further issues from that one day of zeros in 6th grade.

 

[camdensmom]

I'm a teacher.

I see that you are in CT so I am assuming you are starting school around Labor Day.

I totally get not wanted to pay high prices and deal with crowds.

I certainly think she'll be fine in the long run and will not be behind, but there are a few things you may not have considered. That time of year is crucial for community building, learning routines, transitioning, getting to know the teacher/students. While she will be OK when looking at the big picture, please be advised that she may become anxious or unhappy. It could feel overwhelming to her when she returns and others know what is going on and have formed new friendships. She may feel out of the loop and it could have a lasting effect for a bit.

Speaking as a parent and a teacher, I absolutely would never go at that time. I'm not opposed to taking kids out of school to beat heat/crowds/prices, but I do feel that those first weeks are extremely crucial to her being in the classroom for social reasons and for comfort.

How about going in November? Prices are great, crowds are low, weather is fabulous and she'll be settled and eager to go.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.