Letter to School

[Mickey'sGirl]

Here's the one we used last year....

Teacher's Name
C/o School

October 17, 2005


RE: December 5 – 12, 2005

Dear Mrs. x,

Back in June, I briefly mentioned that our family would be taking a trip to Walt Disney World in Florida at the beginning of December. Restrictions at my work this year prevented us from taking our holiday during regular school vacation time.

Family holidays are very important to all of us, and we feel that the rewards reaped are felt for years afterward. With this said, we want to make it abundantly clear that we do not take Harry’s education, nor his placement in your class for granted. Therefore, we have attached our proposal for work assignments for Harry to complete in lieu of the time he will miss from school. Could you please review the list, and provide us with any comments or suggestions you might have? We hope that you will find this to be an appropriate substitute.

As always, we appreciate the opportunity to work with you for our son. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us directly.

Sincerely,



parent name & phone numbers
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Proposal for Assignments

Proposal for Assignments (grade 2)

1. Social Studies – A study of how other cultures/countries celebrate Christmas.

There is a section of Epcot called “World Showcase”, where there is a special event called “Holidays Around The World” while we are at Disney World. We will be able to “celebrate the holiday season with international characters, legends and music. Delight in wondrous tales and diverse customs with the traditions of Walt Disney World Resort.” We will have Harry summarize his findings in a report.

2. Science – A study of one of the Animals at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

We will have Harry look at the way in which a specific animal from the park has adapted to different environmental conditions, and identify the ways in which humans have affected that species. He will need to look at the physical and behavioural characteristics of the animal, and its lifecycle.

3. Reading – We will continue our nightly reading. Perhaps Harry can bring 4 or 5 of the classroom books along with him?

4. Mathematics – Perhaps we could take some work sheets with us from the unit of study at the time?

*****

I hope this helps... Pugslave had some good ideas too!

[mickeys_princess_mom]

Here's the one we used last year....
Dear Mrs. x,

Back in June, I briefly mentioned that our family would be taking a trip to Walt Disney World in Florida at the beginning of December. Restrictions at my work this year prevented us from taking our holiday during regular school vacation time.

Family holidays are very important to all of us, and we feel that the rewards reaped are felt for years afterward. With this said, we want to make it abundantly clear that we do not take Harry’s education, nor his placement in your class for granted.
As always, we appreciate the opportunity to work with you for our son. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us directly.


************************************
Proposal for

As a teacher, I like this letter. It shows that you place a high importance on family time, but that you respect the value of education. However, I would not go into the detailed plan, and I would not make the entire vacation a classroom experience. Do ask if there are any assignments to complete before your child returns, and do make sure he/she gets caught up quickly. In the meantime, hug 'em, laugh with them, and enjoy the Magic together!!
(I'll see you there three weeks from today, myself!)

[ravsluvdisney]

As a teacher, I like this letter. It shows that you place a high importance on family time, but that you respect the value of education. However, I would not go into the detailed plan, and I would not make the entire vacation a classroom experience. Do ask if there are any assignments to complete before your child returns, and do make sure he/she gets caught up quickly. In the meantime, hug 'em, laugh with them, and enjoy the Magic together!!
(I'll see you there three weeks from today, myself!)

Hopefully my son's 2nd grade teacher will agree with you! I think this is a great letter (and I just copied it to use myself for our trip the first week in Oct.) We have taken our son out of school for a week the last 2 years and have never had a problem. I have worked with both his teacher's before we left and he has made up all his work. I too think that elementary school is not really a big deal but I also think you need to show a certain level of respect for the school and the fact that you are creating more work for your child's teacher. At the end of the day I am the parent but working together with your child's teacher is the only way to ensure the success of your child. Just my