If you pull your kids out for vacation

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ES I think it's fine. MS and HS, not so much.

That said, don't be the person that pulls their kids out and expects the teacher to spend extra time to give work ahead of time or catch the kids up afterwards.

+1..do not forget you are asking the teacher to go out of their way.

[Anonymous]

Also consider the anxiety level of your kid. For some kids, being lost for a week while they catch up is no big deal. For other kids it's really hard. And even if your kids are smart, they are still missing some things. Let's say the week you are gone they listen to and work on a text. Then the week they are back they work on a second text and compare it to the first text. Well if your kid wasn't there to analyze the first text they won't be able to do the work. When can the teacher spend time catching up your kid? They are busy teaching the new material.

Just saying...I'm not completely against long vacations, it's just not as easy as "my kid won't fall behind" because they may miss material, miss a grade, miss a standardized test that they'll need to make up another day when they may miss more new content.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you let the teacher know in advance if it’s for vacation? Because I know it will be considered unexcused either way?

If you plan to lie and say your kid was sick, you have to count on your kid to lie as well. Larlo can not be talking about Disney at show and share.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In ES we always did a week during the school year. But not in MS and HS.

Agree with this. I teach ES and my own kids are now in middle and high school (not that i could ever pull them out for week long vacations during the school year).

[Anonymous]

For most kids in ES it's a non-issue if you help the kid backfill. For CES it's a little tougher. For MS and HS, don't do it without a really good reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it bad to pull them out for a week 2x a year? They are excellent students and will easily catch up.

Those are unexcused absences, so good luck making up any work, if that is any concern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We pull them out for 5 days, once a year. The school goes berserk on us. My oldest is in 2nd and the others in preschool (preschool doesn’t care).

I will say that my kid got really sick multiple times last year and we ended with 16 days absent (4 days were vacation). The school called me weekly the last 6 weeks telling me to send the kid no matter what, even if they’re vomiting or have a fever. They said they’d take roll and then we could pick them up after. That pissed me off. No wonder my kid got sick so much. Multiple times last year kids vomited in the classroom. School said they were going to lose accreditation if we hit 18 days.

NO school would tell you to send your child to school even if they are vomiting. STOP.

[Anonymous]

We pull them out for 1-2 days for Diwali (it's actually a 5 day festival for many groups). And then maybe 4-5 days around winter break for travel (to India).

It's absolutely painful every time. It was easy in elementary but starting middle school it's something that we do only because we need to. Around Diwali, they basically have to make up everything within 48 hrs (including tests). A couple of nice teachers allow them to do assessments ahead of time so they can enjoy the holiday in peace. For international travel it's just awful but that's where much of our family is, and that's the time that works for them. It doesn't make sense to go for just 8 days where 2 days are in travel.

[Anonymous]

There is no way my kid is skipping school for a vacation. It sends the wrong message about valuing education. I see everyone likes to use the “pulling them out” euphemism but it’s just an unexcused absence, no different than any other truancy. For those who lie and claim an illness, it sends an even worse message.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We pull them out for 5 days, once a year. The school goes berserk on us. My oldest is in 2nd and the others in preschool (preschool doesn’t care).

I will say that my kid got really sick multiple times last year and we ended with 16 days absent (4 days were vacation). The school called me weekly the last 6 weeks telling me to send the kid no matter what, even if they’re vomiting or have a fever. They said they’d take roll and then we could pick them up after. That pissed me off. No wonder my kid got sick so much. Multiple times last year kids vomited in the classroom. School said they were going to lose accreditation if we hit 18 days.

NO school would tell you to send your child to school even if they are vomiting. STOP.

Oh yes they did!!! They called me and told me I needed to send my child even if she wasn’t feeling well. I said she was running a fever and vomiting. They didn’t believe me. They kept saying no way was she sick for several days and I could send her 24 hours after vomiting. They told me that it was even fine if I just sent her the next day after vomiting and I could pick her up at 10am after roll call. They told my neighbor the same.

I have no idea why everyone was so sick least two years post Covid but they were.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also consider the anxiety level of your kid. For some kids, being lost for a week while they catch up is no big deal. For other kids it's really hard. And even if your kids are smart, they are still missing some things. Let's say the week you are gone they listen to and work on a text. Then the week they are back they work on a second text and compare it to the first text. Well if your kid wasn't there to analyze the first text they won't be able to do the work. When can the teacher spend time catching up your kid? They are busy teaching the new material.

Just saying...I'm not completely against long vacations, it's just not as easy as "my kid won't fall behind" because they may miss material, miss a grade, miss a standardized test that they'll need to make up another day when they may miss more new content.

In Elementary school it's no big deal if they are on target or advanced. The teachers don't catch up kids or give the work to take home, at least that was our experience and it as just a week out, just like they were sick.

In MS, it depends on the classes and parents/teachers. If you are willing help with math, it's ok. Come HS, it would be too difficult and that's when we stopped (technically MS as covid hit and we don't travel anymore).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We pull them out for 5 days, once a year. The school goes berserk on us. My oldest is in 2nd and the others in preschool (preschool doesn’t care).

I will say that my kid got really sick multiple times last year and we ended with 16 days absent (4 days were vacation). The school called me weekly the last 6 weeks telling me to send the kid no matter what, even if they’re vomiting or have a fever. They said they’d take roll and then we could pick them up after. That pissed me off. No wonder my kid got sick so much. Multiple times last year kids vomited in the classroom. School said they were going to lose accreditation if we hit 18 days.

NO school would tell you to send your child to school even if they are vomiting. STOP.

Oh yes they did!!! They called me and told me I needed to send my child even if she wasn’t feeling well. I said she was running a fever and vomiting. They didn’t believe me. They kept saying no way was she sick for several days and I could send her 24 hours after vomiting. They told me that it was even fine if I just sent her the next day after vomiting and I could pick her up at 10am after roll call. They told my neighbor the same.

I have no idea why everyone was so sick least two years post Covid but they were.

Roll Call? That doesn't happen in MCPS so are you with another county. What school said this? No one wants your sick kid at school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ES I think it's fine. MS and HS, not so much.

That said, don't be the person that pulls their kids out and expects the teacher to spend extra time to give work ahead of time or catch the kids up afterwards.

+1..do not forget you are asking the teacher to go out of their way.

Our teachers in ES never gave out the work or had us make it up. We'd ask for it and were told don't worry about it. But, only math and reading are important in ES and ours was ahead as we supplemented at home as the ES curriculum sucks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We pull them out for 1-2 days for Diwali (it's actually a 5 day festival for many groups). And then maybe 4-5 days around winter break for travel (to India).

It's absolutely painful every time. It was easy in elementary but starting middle school it's something that we do only because we need to. Around Diwali, they basically have to make up everything within 48 hrs (including tests). A couple of nice teachers allow them to do assessments ahead of time so they can enjoy the holiday in peace. For international travel it's just awful but that's where much of our family is, and that's the time that works for them. It doesn't make sense to go for just 8 days where 2 days are in travel.

48 hours for a 2 day absence is policy - you get as many days after an excused absence (religions holidays are excused) as you missed. Sorry it's painful. Hope you're enjoying the holiday!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We pull them out for 5 days, once a year. The school goes berserk on us. My oldest is in 2nd and the others in preschool (preschool doesn’t care).

I will say that my kid got really sick multiple times last year and we ended with 16 days absent (4 days were vacation). The school called me weekly the last 6 weeks telling me to send the kid no matter what, even if they’re vomiting or have a fever. They said they’d take roll and then we could pick them up after. That pissed me off. No wonder my kid got sick so much. Multiple times last year kids vomited in the classroom. School said they were going to lose accreditation if we hit 18 days.

NO school would tell you to send your child to school even if they are vomiting. STOP.

Oh yes they did!!! They called me and told me I needed to send my child even if she wasn’t feeling well. I said she was running a fever and vomiting. They didn’t believe me. They kept saying no way was she sick for several days and I could send her 24 hours after vomiting. They told me that it was even fine if I just sent her the next day after vomiting and I could pick her up at 10am after roll call. They told my neighbor the same.

I have no idea why everyone was so sick least two years post Covid but they were.

Everyone is sick as basic precautions are gone and people are going to school and other places sick. You tell the school no. I cannot imagine an mcps school caring.