education is very important, more important then the parent's dream vacation. Why don't you wait until retirement to see the world.

Op - wiat and see. Talk to the teacher and the principal.

My parents took us out for trips all the way through school and those are some of the best experiences and memories of my life. Additionally it didn't impact me academically. A trip to NZ is a far more enriching experience that has more meaning in life than 5 days of grade 3.

3rd grade is not like K-2 and AAP is not like non-AAP. You would be doing your child a disservice (not to mention the teacher) to continue scheduling vacations during classtime. 3 days and 5 days in a row would be disruptive for both.

Also do you know your child will be in AAP anyway?

Thumbs up to the OP for giving his/her child the opportunity to explore the world. We are a family who loves to travel as well and you have no idea how much the other parents (similar to posters here) in our son's class fret and fume!!!

We or our son and his teachers have never had problems with missing school due to vacations as we have informed the teacher ahead of time. The teachers have planned for the school/home work and let us know what needs to be done while we are out. My son also submits a detailed trip report. We just got back from a gorgeous 3 week Dec. vacation in South America!! The coursework for 3rd grade AAP is not so significantly higher than 3rd grade non-AAP that your daughter will have to curtail all her after-school and weekend activities! Of course, it is higher than 2nd grade (it better be!!! ), but again, if your daughter can handle it, I would say go for it! At least I do, and I don't give a fig for all the tiger moms at school and on this board!

To some of the posters here, the OP is not asking for your opinion on whether his/her daughter should be missing school for vacations! You can keep your smart alecky and envious comments, and the trip recommendations to yourself!! The questions, very simply, are:

1. Do 3rd grade AAP teachers frown on students missing school due to vacations?
2. Is the school workload and homework for 3rd grade AAP significantly higher than 3rd grade non-AAP?
3. And how is it compared to 2nd grade which we think is extremely light (and my daughter finds it easy)?

If you don't have answers to those three questions. then just zip it! Geography, history, culture, tradition, etc is also a part of a child's overall development; it doesn't always have to be math and science all the time!!

Anonymous wrote:Some principals are more lenient than others.

+1

The issue is the principal and not a specific teacher in a specific grade in a specific program.

swap the trips - NZ in Dec BZ in Mar?

I'd be concerned that you have no idea what days your child will have to miss due to unforeseen circumstances/illness. What if she is also ill next year for another 5+ days throughout the year?

You have 8 days of planned absences? Sounds like you're going to get to know the truancy officer well.

It's not a race around the world OP.

The only trip that concerns me is 5 days for NZ. Your daughter will be extremely jet lagged returning so it could easily transform into performance issues.

You can go to Belize this Christmas and NZ next Christmas.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We make international trips in summer as well. US summer is not always the best time to visit other countries

Then why don't you homeschool or go private where the schedule is more in line with your need to do international travel throughout the year?

Sorry for the incomplete post... ...

OP here. We make international trips in summer as well. US summer is not always the best time to visit other countries, hence the need to see the world during other parts of the year.

Anyway, my daughter has been writing her own travel journal since kindergarten and that is what she has been submitting so far. The teachers have been perfectly okay with it so far. One even said, "Your daughter will be learning way more on these trips than she will be in class!!"

OP here. We make international trips in summer as well. US summer is not always the best time to visit other countries

You have 10 weeks in the summer to jet around the world with your kid, and you're planning to take her out during school for 2 big vacation in 2015 already?

Why can't you go within the times offered? As PP said, winter break next year is 2 weeks? Why can't you go in the summer?

Anonymous wrote:Asking this question since my 2nd grade daughter might make it into the 'pool' based on her NNAT2 score, and in case she gets selected for AAP... ...

Do 3rd grade AAP teachers frown on students missing school due to vacations? My daughter will be out for 3 days before the Christmas break (vacation in Belize) and will be missing another 5 days during the week after Spring break (vacation in New Zealand).

- Is the school workload and homework for 3rd grade AAP significantly higher than 3rd grade non-AAP?
- And how is it compared to 2nd grade which we think is extremely light (and my daughter finds it easy).

Of course, eventually it will be up to her teacher, but I wanted to know if you had any experience regarding absences due to vacations.

Winter break is 2 full weeks next year, why do you need three more days?

Some principals are more lenient than others. You will have to show why the trips are educational and your daughter may have to write up a report for each trip, in addition do doing the work she missed when she was absent. In ES, it is much easier, but I would put a stop to such trips once she hits MS.

Asking this question since my 2nd grade daughter might make it into the 'pool' based on her NNAT2 score, and in case she gets selected for AAP... ...

Do 3rd grade AAP teachers frown on students missing school due to vacations? My daughter will be out for 3 days before the Christmas break (vacation in Belize) and will be missing another 5 days during the week after Spring break (vacation in New Zealand).

- Is the school workload and homework for 3rd grade AAP significantly higher than 3rd grade non-AAP?
- And how is it compared to 2nd grade which we think is extremely light (and my daughter finds it easy).

Of course, eventually it will be up to her teacher, but I wanted to know if you had any experience regarding absences due to vacations.