Please help me with school excuse letter!

[pinkdragonfly]

Thanks for all the advice. I just want to make sure that I do it right. We're in Texas and we have pretty strict attendance law here.
My kid had a tummy ache one morning and was late for school. I sent him a note to bring it to school the following day and they sill marked as Tardy. They just didn't seem to care. So I don't think using going to Disney as education opportunities is gonna fly with them.
I want to be honest with school about this and not getting trouble. I mean we just don't get vacation time during school break. However, I just want to make sure that I put in the right wording, which is something that I'm just not good at.

 

[realityland]

I always find it ironic that school districts are so hard on attendance, yet have no issue whatsoever squandering instructional time teaching to a standardized test - or better yet, taking up an afternoon with an "assembly" to promote something to sell as a school fundraiser.

I would be polite and sincere, yet relatively unapologetic. It is your child/children, and you ultimately know what is best for them.

We are very pro-teacher, BTW.

 

[Mommy2Emmy]

I always find it ironic that school districts are so hard on attendance, yet have no issue whatsoever squandering instructional time teaching to a standardized test - or better yet, taking up an afternoon with an "assembly" to promote something to sell as a school fundraiser.

I would be polite and sincere, yet relatively unapologetic. It is your child/children, and you ultimately know what is best for them.

We are very pro-teacher, BTW.

I believe (not 100% sure) in TX, that schools lose money from the state if they attendance slips below certain percentages! At least that was what I was told in high school, when my class pulled off the most successful senior skip day in school history!

 

[carpenta]

just write...." A family member has been bitten by a mouse and we as a family have to take time to attend to this situation".......That should cover it.....

 

[ZoeBell]

I never used to take my kids of out school for vacations. It never seems to be worth the hassle. But this past summer my whole attitude changed when my youngest(going into 8th, only one left in school) was given an obscene amount of work to do over the summer. So I thought if she doesn't mind ruining the summer then I won't care about taking her out in January for a week.

I'm pro-school. But I'm also pro-summertime and pro-fun/family time.

 

[divaprincess]

We are going on our first cruise & January. I am a former school employee & it's really NOT a big deal. It's pretty common for kids to miss a week of school for family vacations. I just sent an email to each of my kids principles & told them when the kids would be gone & where we were going. No need to lie because you KNOW your kids is going to make you look a fool when you get back & they tell EVERYONE where they went Our schools responded back with, "what a great opportunity & have fun!" I will contact the teachers 1 week before & ask them to send homework in advance so the kids can turn it in before we leave.

 

[NWmom]

We're part of a public school co-op that is also part homeschool. She has regular classes she attends that have to be excused from for our trip.

I can truthfully say that my child's off campus history and science classes have a field trip. Our trip has been approved for over a year now and the school advisor is completely on board with our experience based learning.

We are studying the New World, both history and geography including any natural formations. I planned our curriculum for this fall around our destinations.

We will be visiting a Mayan Ruin on our Western and the oldest fort in the New World in San Juan.

For science, we will be exploring a cenote (underground cave with stalactite and stalagmites=Secret River) on the Western as well as getting up close and personal with stingrays and the limestone formations in Hell.
My child will also swim in saltwater for the first time ever. Hopefully she will see fish in their natural habitat.

Added to this will be petting Casey at CC and observing the plants to see if she can identify any signs of Hurricane Sandy having come through.

Most of the school part is done in what we study before and after the trip. She knows she has some official "output" to do on the trip. She has chosen a photo journal to be made into a power point presentation. Underwater camera is part of the equipment.

We always wanted to be one of those families that sailed around the world and learned history by going to Egypt or the Roman Colisseum.

Best wishes on your trip.

 

[syrumani]

I talked to my kids' principle here in San Antonio the other day. Told her that the only time we could work it out was in May after the state testing stuff was over. She said that the 5 days would be unexcused, but would not be a problem unless the kids have attendance issues (which they don't). She also said that the teachers would put a packet together of the work that the kids would miss during that week, to take with them - if we gave enough notice.

 

[racingfandj]

I agree with the others who have said "be honest". The kids will talk when you get back, so the teachers and administrators are bound to find out.

From reading all these posts, I'm thankful the girls go to a private school that is very flexible. They both have very good grades and seldom miss school. We do take them out a couple times a year for long weekends to go to NASCAR races. I plan well in advance and communicate with their teachers and the office staff. This fall, the oldest wanted to stay home because she doesn't really like racing so we made arrangements for her to stay with friends. I sent a lengthy email to the office giving them everyone's schedule, contact numbers and reminding them that the car picking her up (with a description of it) was someone on our approved list. The office sent me a note appreciating all the additional information and effort we provided and the younger DDs teacher prepared and sent her assignments with us to do while gone.

Our January trip is a surprise for the kids. The oldest's class is to be serving at a "formal" the weekend we are gone and I've apologized for the lack of information, but told her she would be unavailable (not knowing is driving her crazy!). They will miss the first day back after Christmas break because the flights were significantly cheaper and that's exactly what I plan to tell the school.

 

[ThePicketts]

I'm very sorry if I repeat anyone's comments, but I'm being lazy this morning.

Be honest.

Be firm. This is part of YOUR child's learning experience of the world. Asking permission allows them to say no. You ARE the parent who knows your child the best.

Be proactive. This is what you ARE going to do and therefore you require your child's assignments because you desire your child to maintain classroom excellence.

Be kind. Understand that this may be a headache for teachers to prepare this information, so be sure to thank them in advance and maybe ask if any collect any knicknacks (magnets, pens, etc).

Be prepared. This one may be controversial. If a fuss is raised, remove the child just prior to your cruise, homeschool until the cruise is over, then reinstate in the school.

Enjoy your life with your family!!!

 

[ThePicketts]

We just sent this to our son's teacher last week for his coming absence. We were truthfully and sincere. It was received very well.

The reason I am writing you tonight is to let you know that XXX will be absent from school on Monday, November 12th through Thursday, November 15th. My wife and I thought long and hard about the decision to remove XXX from school. As you know, we are very supportive of XXX and his education. Unfortunately, this was the only time that we could arrange travel. We had decided (after much discussion) that we would not travel b/c of school. We couldn't bring ourselves to remove XXX from school. But after considering it at length (and carefully weighing out everything,) we decided to move forward with our plans. This was not an easy decision for us to make. And since we have no family nearby, XXX and the baby must travel with us.

Any work that you are able to prepare for XXX in advance will be helpful. We will work with him to get him caught up.

We have not mentioned anything to XXX about traveling or being absent from school, and we will not be saying anything to him until this Saturday. With the baby, our plans could change or be cancelled at any time. So we figured that it would be best to just wait until the day before we leave to tell him. And secondly, as mentioned above, we did not take this decision lightly - and therefore don't want XXX going around school telling the other students that he will not be coming to school "b/c he is going away."

We hope that you are understanding of our decision.

Great letter!

 

[ThePicketts]

School Excuse Sample Letter

DATE:

TO: [school official]

FROM:

RE: [students name and vacation dates]

Please be advised that [student] will be out of school during the week of [date]. We ask that his absences be excused.

The reason for [student]'s absence is that our family will be out of the state during this week. While we are gone, we will be visiting Walt Disney World. We believe that [student] will be learning many things during this trip and that his education will continue in his absence from school.

Some things [student] will learn about:

* Different cultures of the world, including architecture, language, diet, and dress, by visiting the different countries in the Epcot World Showcase (Japan, China, Germany, Mexico, Norway, Canada, France, etc.) [student] will have the chance to explore the exhibits for each country and speak with natives from each country who work as cast members.

* American history by viewing the Hall of Presidents presentation in the Magic Kingdom and the American Adventure show in Epcot.

* Nature and conservation at Animal Kingdom.

* Science by exploring the Mission:Space ride in Epcot where he will have a chance to see and feel what it would be like to travel by rocket to Mars and by experiencing the Universe of Energy exhibit which teaches about fossil fuels, energy, and conservation.

* Economics by managing his own spending money and making budget decisions on how to spend his money.

[student] will also be learning about map reading by navigating in and to the different theme parks, as well as the resorts and water parks via the Disney bus system, sociological aspects of crowds including patterns and behavior, physics of the different rides, breakthroughs in technology at the Innoventions computer lab in Epcot, art and animation and the history of film, and mathematics.

We believe this will be a wonderful and educational experience for [student] and hope you agree not to charge him with unexcused absences as a result. If it is possible for [student] to take any assignments with him to be turned in when we return or to turn in before we leave any work that will be due while he is gone, please let us know as soon as possible.

Thank you for your attention to this. If you have any questions or need any further information, please feel free to contact me.

[Parent's Signture]

And they have a downloadable one here:
http://www.themouseforless.com/downloads/kids/SE.shtml
You'd have to tailor it a bit for the cruise, but it's the general idea.
Happy sails!

I like this one too!

 

[jillgunter]

My school has a education form you can fill out. Last year they excused Disney, my husband put down all the educational stuff we did at Epcot and Animal Kingdom. I talked to the principle before we booked the cruise and he said he would excuse it. Ask your school if they have a education form.

 

[mammacaryn]

I let the teachers know via email about a month in advance, and then call the attendance number like any other absence.

We are honest, tell them we are going on vacation. Nothing major.

We have never been provided with vacation homework-even when we asked for it (this year might be different since my son is in 4th grade) but the teachers have always asked the kids to keep vacation journals.

 

[Raspberry Beret]

Be aware not all schools or teachers will give missed work ahead of time.

 

[pinkdragonfly]

Thank you all very much for your help.

 

[belkisima]

My kids very rarely miss school, and they never get sick (knock on wood). But the last two years, both in May of 2011 and May of 2012, I pulled them out for crusing. The first time was for the Disney Dream for 2 days and the following year it was for the Disney Fantasy for 5 days. I filled out a form that the school provided 3-4 months in advance explaining that they would be out for a family trip on a Disney Cruise. The principal did not designte them as excused absences, but their teachers made sure they had all their work and they did not really miss anything, especially since it was so close to the end of school. Originally we were going to cruise in July, but the price difference made it more worthwhile for us to cruise in May instead and it was totally worth it!!!

 

[MKwatercraftPilot]

School Excuse Sample Letter

DATE:

TO: [school official]

FROM:

RE: [students name and vacation dates]

Please be advised that [student] will be out of school during the week of [date]. We ask that his absences be excused.

The reason for [student]'s absence is that our family will be out of the state during this week. While we are gone, we will be visiting Walt Disney World. We believe that [student] will be learning many things during this trip and that his education will continue in his absence from school.

Some things [student] will learn about:

* Different cultures of the world, including architecture, language, diet, and dress, by visiting the different countries in the Epcot World Showcase (Japan, China, Germany, Mexico, Norway, Canada, France, etc.) [student] will have the chance to explore the exhibits for each country and speak with natives from each country who work as cast members.

* American history by viewing the Hall of Presidents presentation in the Magic Kingdom and the American Adventure show in Epcot.

* Nature and conservation at Animal Kingdom.

* Science by exploring the Mission:Space ride in Epcot where he will have a chance to see and feel what it would be like to travel by rocket to Mars and by experiencing the Universe of Energy exhibit which teaches about fossil fuels, energy, and conservation.

* Economics by managing his own spending money and making budget decisions on how to spend his money.

[student] will also be learning about map reading by navigating in and to the different theme parks, as well as the resorts and water parks via the Disney bus system, sociological aspects of crowds including patterns and behavior, physics of the different rides, breakthroughs in technology at the Innoventions computer lab in Epcot, art and animation and the history of film, and mathematics.

We believe this will be a wonderful and educational experience for [student] and hope you agree not to charge him with unexcused absences as a result. If it is possible for [student] to take any assignments with him to be turned in when we return or to turn in before we leave any work that will be due while he is gone, please let us know as soon as possible.

Thank you for your attention to this. If you have any questions or need any further information, please feel free to contact me.

[Parent's Signature]

With all due respect, if I were a teacher reading this, I would roll my eyes and be far less likely to want to accommodate your child by providing them with their missed work or allowing them to make up tests. It just seems entirely too phony to me. All teachers know what Disney World/Disneyland/DCL is... if they want the child to learn on vacation, they will provide them with the work that the rest of the class is doing.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Be prepared. This one may be controversial. If a fuss is raised, remove the child just prior to your cruise, homeschool until the cruise is over, then reinstate in the school.

Enjoy your life with your family!!!

How does this work, exactly? We'd love to do a PC or TA sailing but they are always during school. One PC is in May and DD would miss the last 3.5 days of the school year...which is exams of course. The other is Sept 14 and she would have to miss 10 days, which I believe is the max. How can I get around it. I'm not against the withdrawing idea if that works. If I just homeschool her from the beginning of the year to Sept 30, what do you have to prove to re-enroll?

 

[bahacca]

For our school, they prefer(for pure monetary reasons) that you miss 5 or more days. If you miss less than 4, the school isn't paid for your student those days. However, if it is 5 or more, you can sign a contract and receive work for the child to do while out on vacation or otherwise. The school IS paid for these days.
Depends on the school, district, state, teacher, etc. I'd inform the teacher and principal and see if something like this can be done.
ALso-for people who miss due to illness or shorter vacations, our district has an amount in the handbook for each day and if you WANT TO, you can write a check to pay back what the district/school didn't get from the state for your child missing school. I'd like to see how many parents have written those checks!