Nah, it's there for families who want to take advantage of it. For parents who want to meet the teacher or for kids who may get anxious who like to feel prepared for the first day by knowing who they are looking for and where they are going. The school definitely does not expect all families to attend.

We are missing it this year - at least 30% do if not more.

it is ok. Don't come back from vacation. It is no big deal.

Totally fine. We never do it because we are always on vacation.

We have plan for vacation, and we could come back early for that 1 hour. My kids would probably want to not coming back 1 day earlier. Is it bad to skip school sneak peak to meet new teacher/classroom/classmates for an hour before school start?