Calendar survey

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Abolish the random days off
Shorten winter break dramatically
Don’t make school after the SOLs count because we all know nothing happens then but glorified babysitting.
Get to teaching!!! We have a lot of ground to catch up on. Stop whining about how your kids need breaks.

So you prefer a 11-12 week summer vacation? Keep in mind that many people do not. Actually, quite a few of us would prefer to move toward year-round -- 9 weeks on, 3 weeks off for each quarter and a 5 week summer.

People want a longer summer break/getting out earlier in June because they really don’t learn a lot or do a lot after Memorial Day anyway so all that time just feels wasted.

This is a big part of it for sure. And why my child is "sick" a lot in that period of time. DC can be home doing other things or sitting around in school. The "last day of school" counting toward those hours they have to be in school, is 2 hours of kids sitting around in he Aux Gym. Even the teachers were encouraging the kids to stay home. It's a joke.

Total joke. That’s why people want longer summers because anything scheduled after exams is no school at all but yet they count it towards the legal requirement. People need to wake up and vote the SB out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These "planning days" remain a mystery to me.

Right now ES teachers work seven hours - 830 to 330.

So that's 5 hours a week - that could be used for "planning". Why can't they do their planning then?

How much does "planning" really change, year to year?

If there are 180 days of instruction then that's 36 five-day weeks which leaves 16 more weeks in the year. Why can't "planning" occur in those other weeks?

My God, you have absolutely no clue what teachers do.

Of course lesson plans change from year-to-year as needs change. Additionally, teachers must plan differentiated lessons for a minimum of four different groups.

Planning time is also grading time and data analysis time.

Planning time is also time for IEP meetings, 504 meetings, child studies, local screenings, and parent conferences.

Teachers get paid for 195 days. Do you want them to spend those 16 weeks you propose they plan, UNPAID?

I've never had an IEP meeting out of school hours?

I didn’t have an IEP outside of school hours, but I did just have an ES conference for my child from 5pm-5:20pm.

(I work for the County’s Dept of Human Services and meeting outside of business hours is expected.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Abolish the random days off
Shorten winter break dramatically
Don’t make school after the SOLs count because we all know nothing happens then but glorified babysitting.
Get to teaching!!! We have a lot of ground to catch up on. Stop whining about how your kids need breaks.

So you prefer a 11-12 week summer vacation? Keep in mind that many people do not. Actually, quite a few of us would prefer to move toward year-round -- 9 weeks on, 3 weeks off for each quarter and a 5 week summer.

+1 for 9 wks on, 3 wks off, 5 wk summer

Is a calendar like that ever discussed in FCPS?

No, because FCPS is still an employer that needs to retain teachers, and teachers want long summers. (ES teacher)

[Anonymous]

I love the shorter weeks/religious observance days off as does my 1st grader. If people want to drop all the religious observance days, I'm cool with it as long as they're also willing to move winter break to the end of the second quarter instead of pairing it with Christmas. Cheaper and less crowded travel when you're off in mid/late January and it makes more sense to have the long break halfway through the school year instead of a 2 week break followed by the end of the quarter a few weeks later. Christmas is a federal holiday so I know that would be off but there's no reason to tie winter break to christmas if you're truly striving for a secular calendar. I know it will never happen but I can dream, can't I?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Abolish the random days off
Shorten winter break dramatically
Don’t make school after the SOLs count because we all know nothing happens then but glorified babysitting.
Get to teaching!!! We have a lot of ground to catch up on. Stop whining about how your kids need breaks.

So you prefer a 11-12 week summer vacation? Keep in mind that many people do not. Actually, quite a few of us would prefer to move toward year-round -- 9 weeks on, 3 weeks off for each quarter and a 5 week summer.

People want a longer summer break/getting out earlier in June because they really don’t learn a lot or do a lot after Memorial Day anyway so all that time just feels wasted. [/quote]

That is 100% why I want school to end as early in June as possible. I've had kids in FCPS for14 yrs. The teachers check out when the calendar says "June."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love the shorter weeks/religious observance days off as does my 1st grader. If people want to drop all the religious observance days, I'm cool with it as long as they're also willing to move winter break to the end of the second quarter instead of pairing it with Christmas. Cheaper and less crowded travel when you're off in mid/late January and it makes more sense to have the long break halfway through the school year instead of a 2 week break followed by the end of the quarter a few weeks later. Christmas is a federal holiday so I know that would be off but there's no reason to tie winter break to christmas if you're truly striving for a secular calendar. I know it will never happen but I can dream, can't I?

Do you work? It's impossible that you do. I cannot think of any DC-based job beyond maybe accounting (?) that would view going on a 2 week break in mid to late Jan as anything other than hugely disruptive. Virtually the entire country winds to a snail's pace between xmas and New Years - so much so that many offices simply shut this week; for govn't it's ghost town as most people take VAC that week. It's an EXCELLENT time for schools to be shut as a result. Mid/late Jan would only make sense if we were an Asian country where everything ground down to a snail's pace for Lunar New Year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Assuming school starts on August 21, 2023 (a Monday). This year we had Rosh Hashanah off, next school year we won’t need it as a holiday because it’s on a Saturday (9/16/23), same with Yom Kippur a week later. They can go to school on Veterans Day especially as schools are closed earlier in the week for voting. That’s 3 days back already that we didn’t have this year. Christmas 2023 is on a Monday - they can have a short week the week before and go to school on the 18th and 19th. Boom I just saved us a whole school week of days off without having to even touch 2024. Now they can have their last day of school around June 7th, 2024 (Friday) instead of a week later on the 14th. You’re welcome FCPS.

Yom Kippur is on a Monday

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love the shorter weeks/religious observance days off as does my 1st grader. If people want to drop all the religious observance days, I'm cool with it as long as they're also willing to move winter break to the end of the second quarter instead of pairing it with Christmas. Cheaper and less crowded travel when you're off in mid/late January and it makes more sense to have the long break halfway through the school year instead of a 2 week break followed by the end of the quarter a few weeks later. Christmas is a federal holiday so I know that would be off but there's no reason to tie winter break to christmas if you're truly striving for a secular calendar. I know it will never happen but I can dream, can't I?

Do you work? It's impossible that you do. I cannot think of any DC-based job beyond maybe accounting (?) that would view going on a 2 week break in mid to late Jan as anything other than hugely disruptive. Virtually the entire country winds to a snail's pace between xmas and New Years - so much so that many offices simply shut this week; for govn't it's ghost town as most people take VAC that week. It's an EXCELLENT time for schools to be shut as a result. Mid/late Jan would only make sense if we were an Asian country where everything ground down to a snail's pace for Lunar New Year.

I do and we do not get the end of December off. Before our kids were in school, we took the last week of January to travel because everything is cheaper and significantly less crowded. People currently take vacation that week *because* their children are off of school so saying it's a great time to have break because it's when people take vacation is silly. If a large district like FCPS were to move their winter break to coincide with the end of the 2nd quarter, many people would take vacation at the end of the 2nd quarter instead of at the end of December.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Abolish the random days off
Shorten winter break dramatically
Don’t make school after the SOLs count because we all know nothing happens then but glorified babysitting.
Get to teaching!!! We have a lot of ground to catch up on. Stop whining about how your kids need breaks.

So you prefer a 11-12 week summer vacation? Keep in mind that many people do not. Actually, quite a few of us would prefer to move toward year-round -- 9 weeks on, 3 weeks off for each quarter and a 5 week summer.

People want a longer summer break/getting out earlier in June because they really don’t learn a lot or do a lot after Memorial Day anyway so all that time just feels wasted.

This is a big part of it for sure. And why my child is "sick" a lot in that period of time. DC can be home doing other things or sitting around in school. The "last day of school" counting toward those hours they have to be in school, is 2 hours of kids sitting around in he Aux Gym. Even the teachers were encouraging the kids to stay home. It's a joke.

Total joke. That’s why people want longer summers because anything scheduled after exams is no school at all but yet they count it towards the legal requirement. People need to wake up and vote the SB out.

Um, this predated the current SB. Long predated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love the shorter weeks/religious observance days off as does my 1st grader. If people want to drop all the religious observance days, I'm cool with it as long as they're also willing to move winter break to the end of the second quarter instead of pairing it with Christmas. Cheaper and less crowded travel when you're off in mid/late January and it makes more sense to have the long break halfway through the school year instead of a 2 week break followed by the end of the quarter a few weeks later. Christmas is a federal holiday so I know that would be off but there's no reason to tie winter break to christmas if you're truly striving for a secular calendar. I know it will never happen but I can dream, can't I?

It will never be NOT tied to Christmas. Never. And I"m not religious. This is not the hill to die on b/c you'll be left rotting in the sun waiting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Abolish the random days off
Shorten winter break dramatically
Don’t make school after the SOLs count because we all know nothing happens then but glorified babysitting.
Get to teaching!!! We have a lot of ground to catch up on. Stop whining about how your kids need breaks.

So you prefer a 11-12 week summer vacation? Keep in mind that many people do not. Actually, quite a few of us would prefer to move toward year-round -- 9 weeks on, 3 weeks off for each quarter and a 5 week summer.

+1 for 9 wks on, 3 wks off, 5 wk summer

Is a calendar like that ever discussed in FCPS?

No, because FCPS is still an employer that needs to retain teachers, and teachers want long summers. (ES teacher)

I'm the PP and I am also an FCPS teacher. Would rather have more breaks than 1 long one (for myself and for my students).

[Anonymous]

My survey response noted that we are atheists that celebrate secular Christmas bc we like winter and parties and we need 2 days to travel to our destination. Ie my kids will not be in school next year on Dec 22 and 23.

Also I want a longer school year and could only dream of year round school but overall what was all the talk about tacking on days? August is a useless month. Start it earlier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Abolish the random days off
Shorten winter break dramatically
Don’t make school after the SOLs count because we all know nothing happens then but glorified babysitting.
Get to teaching!!! We have a lot of ground to catch up on. Stop whining about how your kids need breaks.

So you prefer a 11-12 week summer vacation? Keep in mind that many people do not. Actually, quite a few of us would prefer to move toward year-round -- 9 weeks on, 3 weeks off for each quarter and a 5 week summer.

+1 for 9 wks on, 3 wks off, 5 wk summer

Is a calendar like that ever discussed in FCPS?

No, because FCPS is still an employer that needs to retain teachers, and teachers want long summers. (ES teacher)

I'm the PP and I am also an FCPS teacher. Would rather have more breaks than 1 long one (for myself and for my students).

Most teachers do not feel that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Abolish the random days off
Shorten winter break dramatically
Don’t make school after the SOLs count because we all know nothing happens then but glorified babysitting.
Get to teaching!!! We have a lot of ground to catch up on. Stop whining about how your kids need breaks.

So you prefer a 11-12 week summer vacation? Keep in mind that many people do not. Actually, quite a few of us would prefer to move toward year-round -- 9 weeks on, 3 weeks off for each quarter and a 5 week summer.

People want a longer summer break/getting out earlier in June [b]because they really don’t learn a lot or do a lot after Memorial Day anyway so all that time just feels wasted.

That is 100% why I want school to end as early in June as possible. I've had kids in FCPS for14 yrs. The teachers check out when the calendar says "June."

It’s hard. I went to school fairly long into June as a kid myself. And any time after Memorial Day was a lot of, movies, “activities,” extra time in the gym, etc. By June you’re in summer mode and kids aren’t as motivated. Never mind the HSers - after AP exams it’s all downhill and AP exams are in May! They have a month of, like, optional activities and stuff. It’s silly. Start earlier and end earlier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love the shorter weeks/religious observance days off as does my 1st grader. If people want to drop all the religious observance days, I'm cool with it as long as they're also willing to move winter break to the end of the second quarter instead of pairing it with Christmas. Cheaper and less crowded travel when you're off in mid/late January and it makes more sense to have the long break halfway through the school year instead of a 2 week break followed by the end of the quarter a few weeks later. Christmas is a federal holiday so I know that would be off but there's no reason to tie winter break to christmas if you're truly striving for a secular calendar. I know it will never happen but I can dream, can't I?

Do you work? It's impossible that you do. I cannot think of any DC-based job beyond maybe accounting (?) that would view going on a 2 week break in mid to late Jan as anything other than hugely disruptive. Virtually the entire country winds to a snail's pace between xmas and New Years - so much so that many offices simply shut this week; for govn't it's ghost town as most people take VAC that week. It's an EXCELLENT time for schools to be shut as a result. Mid/late Jan would only make sense if we were an Asian country where everything ground down to a snail's pace for Lunar New Year.

I do and we do not get the end of December off. Before our kids were in school, we took the last week of January to travel because everything is cheaper and significantly less crowded. People currently take vacation that week *because* their children are off of school so saying it's a great time to have break because it's when people take vacation is silly. If a large district like FCPS were to move their winter break to coincide with the end of the 2nd quarter, many people would take vacation at the end of the 2nd quarter instead of at the end of December.

I doubt it.
1. Mid Jan is not a typical time for Congressional recesses
2. For the parts of the Administration that work internationally other countries are back "in business" then too, many having taken late Dec off & at most - in S. hemisphere - the start of Jan too.
3. Not everyone has kids - all you need to do is compare how dead quiet it is the week after xmas to a slightly less hectic pace during spring break to get a feel - although parents may take off during spring break, things don't grind to a halt. If you do work that involves many other organizations & companies it's incredibly helpful to be out when everyone else is too.