Missing first week of school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you do this, make sure to inform the school in advance. Otherwise, they will dis-enroll your kids when they don’t show up on the first day.

This happened to a neighbor of mine who had car trouble and got back a day late from a vacation. With everything going on, she didn’t think to call the school. She had to completely re-enroll her kids on the second day, since they had been removed from the school’s list of students.

How long ago did this happen? They have all the info in OASIS, the online management system. Even if the secretary did dis-enroll a student (which they dont do on the 2nd day), all they have to do to re-enroll is literally click a button. Every student MCPS has had in the past 20 years is listed in OASIS, including the ones that never showed up. If you turned in paperwork and your child has a student number, they're there.

That said, missing the first week of school is a bad idea and not something I generally encounter as a K teacher.

[Anonymous]

I think it's terrible to miss the first week, and its terrible parenting to do it just so you can go on a long vacation. Guess you don't value education.

[Anonymous]

It’s pretty hard on the kids and lasts a long time. Like it takes weeks to make up the social part. Not worth it.

[Anonymous]

When my DD started K, back when the start was before Labor Day, she missed the Friday before and Tuesday after Labor Day for my brother's out of town wedding. So she went to school Mon-Thurs of the first week, then missed two days, then was back for Wed-Fri of the second week. It worked out fine.

Actually the same thing happened the next year when my cousin got married Labor Day weekend out west. Maybe for my brother's she only missed Friday and for the cousin she missed Friday and Tuesday. Either way, it worked out fine, but it wasn't the whole week and it was for events that we didn't have control over scheduling.

[Anonymous]

A school is a community. What a terrible message, that your vacation is more important than education and community. You have MONTHS to take a summer vacation.

It's one thing to take an extra day or mayyyybe two after school begins and at least you're in the groove. But what a horrible way to start things off with a new teacher and new classmates. The whole first WEEK?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like anything, depending on what the reason is and if it's something that is unavoidable of course it will be fine, the kids and teachers will figure it out. But especially if we're talking elementary, if you have a choice of a week I actually think this is a very difficult one. The first week is when norms and routines are set by the teacher. The class is learning the expectations for the classroom, this teacher etc. But I guess it depends on the grade. In high school as long as it's not freshman year probably wouldn't be as big of a deal, but I'm not there yet.

Completely agree with this as an ES educator. The first week is difficult to miss because of the community building and routines that are established. Your child will miss out on a lot. If it's unavoidable that's one thing, if you are missing for vacation, I wouldn't.

Another elementary teacher here, chiming in. The first week of school is the WORST week of school to miss. I had a student go on vacation for the first week one year, and it was so hard. I had just spent an entire week teaching the routines. This student comes, and I had to research all of last week’s lessons. She didn’t know where to get work, when to turn it in, anything. It took so much time away from the class, made the child anxious, and put me behind the other teacher in the grade, in terms of pacing. Seriously, unless someone is dying, don’t miss the first week. Go the third or fourth week instead. Still not a great idea, but not nearly as disruptive and chaotic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A school is a community. What a terrible message, that your vacation is more important than education and community. You have MONTHS to take a summer vacation.

It's one thing to take an extra day or mayyyybe two after school begins and at least you're in the groove. But what a horrible way to start things off with a new teacher and new classmates. The whole first WEEK?

Hmm. McJudgypants, perhaps you could reframe this. It's OK to say that the health of your family and each individual in it is more important than school or the broader community. I would absolutely miss school for a large family event. Or even if I thought my family needed down time together. There are many reasons why this might be important. For example, my DH travels extensively for work and the kids might not see him for months at a time. Our vacation may be much more important to keeping our family together, which is the foundation of everything else -- school and broader community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1st and 2nd grade.

I’d worry about the fast friendship that form in the first week at that age. Line buddies, who you eat lunch next to. That can lead to sadness and stress.

[Anonymous]

As a teacher I would never go the extra mile for a kid whose parents deliberately made them miss the first week of school. Let the parents take the burden.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you do this, make sure to inform the school in advance. Otherwise, they will dis-enroll your kids when they don’t show up on the first day.

This happened to a neighbor of mine who had car trouble and got back a day late from a vacation. With everything going on, she didn’t think to call the school. She had to completely re-enroll her kids on the second day, since they had been removed from the school’s list of students.

How long ago did this happen? They have all the info in OASIS, the online management system. Even if the secretary did dis-enroll a student (which they dont do on the 2nd day), all they have to do to re-enroll is literally click a button. Every student MCPS has had in the past 20 years is listed in OASIS, including the ones that never showed up. If you turned in paperwork and your child has a student number, they're there.

That said, missing the first week of school is a bad idea and not something I generally encounter as a K teacher.

You will not be disenrolled for not showing up on the first day. Every year, I have to fill out a form on the 9th school day and then the registrar starts calling. Students drop from my roll around day 12.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A school is a community. What a terrible message, that your vacation is more important than education and community. You have MONTHS to take a summer vacation.

It's one thing to take an extra day or mayyyybe two after school begins and at least you're in the groove. But what a horrible way to start things off with a new teacher and new classmates. The whole first WEEK?

A couple of years ago my DD came down with pneumonia during the first week of school and had to miss two days in the middle of the first week. She is very social and adapts easily, but it was not great for her. I recommend attending the first week if you can!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher I would never go the extra mile for a kid whose parents deliberately made them miss the first week of school. Let the parents take the burden.

You are the kind of teacher who should retire. Shame on you for punishing a child who has no control over parental choices and for judging a family decision whose basis or motivation you have no knowledge of.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher I would never go the extra mile for a kid whose parents deliberately made them miss the first week of school. Let the parents take the burden.

What a great teacher you are, to punish a CHILD for a decision they had zero control over, a decision squarely made by the parents.

WOW. Go complain some more about your salary and benefits. With your attitude, I hope you find zero support from parents, colleagues, administrators and the state. Let YOU take the burden.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When my DD started K, back when the start was before Labor Day, she missed the Friday before and Tuesday after Labor Day for my brother's out of town wedding. So she went to school Mon-Thurs of the first week, then missed two days, then was back for Wed-Fri of the second week. It worked out fine.

Actually the same thing happened the next year when my cousin got married Labor Day weekend out west. Maybe for my brother's she only missed Friday and for the cousin she missed Friday and Tuesday. Either way, it worked out fine, but it wasn't the whole week and it was for events that we didn't have control over scheduling.

Your brother's wedding? Fine. Your cousin's wedding? You should have gone solo and left DH at home to get the kids to school. So dumb.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When my DD started K, back when the start was before Labor Day, she missed the Friday before and Tuesday after Labor Day for my brother's out of town wedding. So she went to school Mon-Thurs of the first week, then missed two days, then was back for Wed-Fri of the second week. It worked out fine.

Actually the same thing happened the next year when my cousin got married Labor Day weekend out west. Maybe for my brother's she only missed Friday and for the cousin she missed Friday and Tuesday. Either way, it worked out fine, but it wasn't the whole week and it was for events that we didn't have control over scheduling.

Your brother's wedding? Fine. Your cousin's wedding? You should have gone solo and left DH at home to get the kids to school. So dumb.

You're the self-appointed arbiter of family wedding attendance decisions for anonymous DCUM posters?