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Original poster

If the sky's clear my DC won't be in School on Friday morning

33 replies

Holepunch · 18/03/2015 20:02

They're year 7 & 9. Both have excellent attendance records, no sickness at all this year (touch wood and all that!) and I have never taken them out of school for a holiday or medical appointment, except orthodontist who won't give after school appointments unless in year 11.

The school haven't made any arrangements to view the eclipse and the children won't be allowed to see it due to safety concerns, even if they take their own equipment - fair enough, it would be impossible to manage.

Anyway, this feels like an important thing to me, especially for DS2 who is astronomy mad and I think they should see it, so I'm going to keep them home.

Would you tell/ask the school in advance?

Would you take them in afterwards, for the start of the next lesson, or keep them home for the whole day?

Would you tell the truth about the reason or make up some illness/medical appointment?

OP posts:
MsDragons · 18/03/2015 21:24

We're all going outside to watch it, lined up like when we go out for fire drill. Letters have been sent home informing parents about it and giving safety information, as well as advising them to bring colanders/make pinhole viewers. My form (year 10) seem to think that they'll be wearing the colanders on their heads Hmm so I'm devoting the whole of form time tomorrow to discussing how to use the colanders to project images of the eclipse, NOT putting them on their heads.

I'd take them in after the eclipse, missing a couple of lessons is fine, missing a whole day seems ott to me.

catkind · 18/03/2015 21:16

Interesting, I was wondering what will happen about that. Will they be able to do nothing in primary schools, even projecting down onto the ground and looking there? I remember getting brilliant images with a colander last time.

Original poster
Holepunch · 18/03/2015 20:47

Thanks kilmuir, that's what I was planning to do, but the teachers think the whole day would be better....

OP posts:
kilmuir · 18/03/2015 20:39

take them back mid morning

Original poster
Holepunch · 18/03/2015 20:37

It's not happening until 9:30 and their school day starts at 8:35

OP posts:
Littlemonstersrule · 18/03/2015 20:36

Can't they see it before school? That's what local schools are planning as they don't start until 9am. It's a great occasion but doesn't warrant a day off school.

Buttercup27 · 18/03/2015 20:14

As a teacher I also agree and take the whole day off and make a big deal of it. Unfortunately I teach rec/y1 and can't take them out to see it as they are too young to understand the importance of keeping glasses on etc so I can't risk it. I personally would love to see it and let the children experience it.

PenelopePitstops · 18/03/2015 20:11

As a teacher I say... Have the whole day off. Make a huge thing of it to the boys, maybe do a special cake or go out for lunch. Tell the truth to school, phrase it as they are being educated off site. Maybe do a little bit of HE and get them to do a poster!

They will always remember the day.