<p>My D’s high school doesn’t have “senior skip day.” I would not allow an 8th grader to do this as some kind of “senior” (rolls eyes) privilege either. They get almost three months off during the summer, as well as numerous other holidays. That’s plenty.</p>
<p>I don’t agree with an 8th grade skip day. But don’t even get me started on pre-school graduations with caps and gowns! It’s just more of how everything is too accelerated.</p>
<p>I have a bit of a problem with middle school acting like high school, and I don’t think Ditch Day has been earned as it has for seniors. I just found out my old high school does a prom as well-call a MORP. It was complete with girls in short cocktail dresses and boys in ties with $40 tickets. I had to role my eyes as well. I am all for having a dance, but don’t diminish prom by pretending in jr high.</p>
<p>I vote no. I think it’s silly. Also, I’m sure everyone will say they’re going to do it, so those who are made to go to school say they will feel like nerds. And then that day almost all the parents make their kids go, so no one really looks like a nerd.</p>
<p>First the scheduling of a long day out then a kind of big deal test the next day was silly, that person needs to be spoken with</p>
<p>Second, I wouldn’t have let’s my kids skip either. I think twice the each had mental health days. But it wasn’t part of som e grand plan and they slept in a bit, we walked the dogs, etc</p>
<p>I would have told the school as soon as I heard, yeah I am a snitch, and the school could have sent sn email out saying anyone who skips gets dentention. They cu,d have a fun day at school after the test, movies and such.</p>
<p>I also would be totally opposed to an 8th Grade Skip Day…no matter the kid’s reaction. When S1 participated in Senior Skip Day in HS, I called the attendance office proactively to tell them that he did not have an excuse for being absent that day. I knew they would let him slide but I was not going to condone it. This happened during a 4-day school week that included their senior trip (to an amusement park) and an afternoon Yearbook Banquet, so they clearly did not need another day off of school.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t give my kid permission to skip. School is like work for kids, and I don’t think I ever called in sick on a day I was supposed to work the jobs that require a time clock. My churches… well, that’s a different story but I make up the hours.</p>
<p>Our HS handled the senior skip day by negotiating an early dismissal on prom day instead. All kids with good academic standing leave at 11 on the day of the prom in order to get fancied up.</p>
<p>No 8th grade skip day for us. D12 had one, told her I would not lie, but would call. She had a test in the morning so she didn’t get the whole day off. I left the message that she would be leaving at 11 and would most likely not be back. It was excused (unexcused meant she had to take finals).</p>
<p>D16 had an 8th grade formal. $7 each, girls wore fancy short dress (modest in accordance with dress code) and boys in shirts and ties. 2 hours of dancing, socializing, light snacks. She had a blast.</p>
<p>Well, I am calling DS for Senior Skip day tomorrow. I am proud of all of his work through the hs years, and since he is going to college away from the majority of his friends, I love the idea of him hanging out with his friends one last time.</p>
<p>Ummm, the kids won’t see each other after school ends in a week or so? Our school actively discouraged senior skip days and encouraged teachers to have quizzes or work due on skip day. Unexcused absences mean zero’s for the day, so maybe half the kids did it. Of course, that’s all HS. Nothing in MS, our kids pretty much go to the HS across the street so it’s not a big deal to finish 8th grade, any more then it was to finish any other grade. How can 8th grade kids skip anyway without active participation from parents?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>While my junior high didn’t have official “skip day”, there were students who cut class to varying degrees. Comparatively speaking, my junior high buddies and I were too “goody-two shoes”. </p>
<p>However, figuring that most classmates were caught cutting and punished because they were dumb enough to skip only some of the classes in a school day, we decided to take 3 impromptu “skip days” sometime during the last 3 weeks of 8th grade. At that point, teachers stopped teaching anything meaningful…which wasn’t much considering how well I scored on the NYC Specialized High School Exam and we were done with our hard final/statewide exams. </p>
<p>Instead of sleeping in, we decided to take an impromptu tour of the surrounding neighborhood, park, and had a long 2+ hour lunch at a “healthy” Roy Rogers complete with a few two liter bottles of soda we sarcastically dubbed “the elixir of life”. Had a lot of fun during those three days…even if we had to dodge the local truancy patrols and local cops.</p>
<p>Surprisingly enough, our “cutting policy” of skipping the entire day worked surprisingly well in terms of not triggering alerts home to our parents…or noticed on my attendance records/report card. My parents didn’t know about my junior high escapades until I was almost done with undergrad…and that was only because a HS classmate who was also a junior HS classmate casually mentioned it to them during the winter holidays. </p>
<p>Ahh…to be 12-13 again. :D</p>
<p>Incidentally, my HS didn’t have an official skip day. Closest thing we had was something resembling senioritus in our last semester. However, widespread fears of having admission to some fine colleges rescinded and possible negative “updates” from the GC/admins were probable factors in why we didn’t have it. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>14 year olds? Things must have really changed considering 14 would have been considered a bit old for 8th grade. Only 14 year olds in the 8th grade homerooms at my junior high were kids who were left back or recent immigrants. </p>
<p>Heck, many kids at my high school…including yours truly started sophomore year of high school as 14 year olds…or sometimes younger.</p>
<p>“No” to eighth grade skip day and “No” to senior skip day. (Senior skip day is strongly discouraged by teachers and principal at kids’ school–most seniors don’t skip.)</p>
<p>cobrat–my son was 14 in 8th grade due to a November birthday. The cutoff for his school was Dec or Jan to enter Kindergarten. </p>
<p>And I am a very liberal parent, but no to skip days. We traveled a lot with our son and took him out of school often, but we always got permission from his teachers first, showing respect for them and we made sure our son was aware of that. Every single teacher he had recognized that a trip to Japan, for instance, was highly educational and that he would bring what he learned back to the classroom. We would take along math homework and have him keep a writing/drawing journal. Just skipping? Only if he was sick. Like with a fever. Beach vacations were for school vacations.</p>
<p>I agree, this is a right of passage type thing for seniors. I would not allow my 8th grader to do that.</p>
<p>Way back when I was in high school, senior skip day was sanctioned by the school–they even put it on the school calendar. Kind of took some of the fun out, but we still did it.</p>
<p>No on 8th grade skip day (what’s next 5th grade?).
Yes to senior skip day with excused absence (a tradition that’s been in schools for at least 40 or more years).
My son’s private high school sort of made a “senior skip day” at school–too much fun stuff for the seniors to do to miss school that day…</p>
<p>Your 8th grader does not need to have a senior cut day. Some things for you to consider are:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Keep in mind as a 13 year old, you child legally cannot be left home alone. If something should happen to him, you could be subject to an ACS case or police case for child endangerment.</p></li>
<li><p>Should your child be outside on his “cut day” there is also a strong possibility that he could be picked up as a truant for not being in school and they will hold him until you pick him up or return him to his home school (and they will call you).</p></li>
<li><p>Your child’s school probably has phone master and the you would most likely get an automated call stating that your child was absent from school.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>4.Should your child show up to school and then leave school, to go to cut day, the school is legally responsible for your child, and will probably contact you if he left the building without permission.</p>
<p>
No cobrat. Turning 14 is 2012 is appropriate for this group of 8th graders. They will also be 14 in 9th grade in the fall. Those with later birthdays won’t turn 14 until later, but kids with early birthdays (you know the cutoff in NYC is December 31, right?) have already turned 14</p>
<p>So here’s the outcome: parents were required to pick up the kids last night from the bus and teachers/administrators were informing each family that some of the kids have a state test tomorrow and it is not a sanctioned day off. Many of the parents were shocked to find out about the test and school was well-populated when my son was dropped off this morning. Apparently, the little lambs forgot to mention that test to mom and dad!</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>You are absolutely correct. Majority of kids going into 9th grade are 13/14 years old. They most likely will be turning 14 during the 2012 calendar year (My D and I are summer babies. My oldest sister was always the oldest in the class with a january birthday, while my youngest sister was always the youngest in the class with a december birthday)</p>
<p>1. Keep in mind as a 13 year old, you child legally cannot be left home alone. If something should happen to him, you could be subject to an ACS case or police case for child endangerment.</p>
<p>This is incorrect. Most states don’t even have any laws as to how old a child must be before being left alone. Heck, there are 13 year-olds who babysit!</p>
<p>Parent can be charged for child endangerment, not providing adequate supervision for kid being home alone and gets hurt/injured or educational neglect if child is not in school.</p>