Letter to teachers about missing school - Page 2 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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I just spoke to the boys' teachers yesterday (and the day before). I actually got most of my 4th grader's homework already--- before school has even started! His teacher wrote it on his calendar, gave me his "what he usually gives a student going on vacation" packet and said to just pack a book for him to read on the way down and home. For him, said it was actually better to take it now because he would probably blow the "SURPRISE" trip by saying "Hey man, have a great time in WDW next week" Plus, I'll be able to use this packet as part of the memories of the trip since he has to write thoughts each day...
The Kindergarten teacher just said... "send a note" and "how cool is that?!" for the surprise trip... but my boys are bright and I am not concerned about them missing a few days early in the year. I am fortunate on many levels.
Although I agree the detailed letter can be overkill. I was glad to use it when DD's principal explained that the vacation will be approved however, those with added info about the educational value of the trip will be marked as an EXCUSSED absence instead of UNEXCUSSED. Not really sure if it really matters that much but, we are taking our vacation early in the year and not willing to risk racking up the missed days so soon. Teachers did just get a note with the details and info on how to contact me if needed.
I am going to piggy back off of this a bit. Like the OP in the fall my Daughter will be starting middle school.
We are traveling 23 Nov-2 Dec.
Is now to early to talk to the principal?
With the end of school going on now, should I wait a bit, like until summer, to contact the principal and the 6th grade counselor?
Our district does all homework online, so I think that make travel/time off make up work easier.
We took our kids out of school for a week every year until they were in high school. We just notified the teacher they were going on vacation and if they could provide homework ahead of time it would be appreciated. We never had an issue but I have heard horror stories from other people. I can't believe parents have to make excuses to the school why they want to take their kids on a vacation. If I had someone ask what they will be learning while on vacation I would tell them my kids will learn that time spent on a family vacation is some of the most special and valuable time they will ever have.
I am going to piggy back off of this a bit. Like the OP in the fall my Daughter will be starting middle school.
We are traveling 23 Nov-2 Dec.
Is now to early to talk to the principal?
With the end of school going on now, should I wait a bit, like until summer, to contact the principal and the 6th grade counselor?
Our district does all homework online, so I think that make travel/time off make up work easier.
Personal feelings aside, your issue could (emphasis on the could) be that times have changed since the OP started this thread in 2009. At least in our part of the country, students are reported for truancy after 5 unexcused absences. Parents get a letter instructing them to show for a meeting to discuss truancy. Vacation days, again personal feelings aside, are unexcused. Just as a practical matter, you might check your district policy. Perhaps they might allow you to write a letter in advance to avoid potential issues.
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His teacher wrote it on his calendar, gave me his "what he usually gives a student going on vacation" packet and said to just pack a book for him to read on the way down and home. For him, said it was actually better to take it now because he would probably blow the "SURPRISE" trip by saying "Hey man, have a great time in WDW next week" 
Plus, I'll be able to use this packet as part of the memories of the trip since he has to write thoughts each day... 
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