Wed no school or 2hr delay?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in Bethesda. Never saw a plow in our neighborhood yesterday. Now the roads are a brick of snow/ice. If people parked on the street and didn’t clear the area around their cars yesterday, they are not going anywhere for a while. For those that live far out, it will be a mess even longer. The county doesn’t have the staff, the plows, or the budget to handle this event in 48 hours. No chance of school on Wednesday. 25% chance of delayed opening on Thursday and/or Friday. That is being optimistic.

Same! We just saw the first plow on our residential street around 10:15 am. It made a single lane and left a bunch of cars on both sides snowed in. With the very cold temps, whenever MCPS opens, I think delay, and I don't think things will be safe until Thursday at the earliest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Closed Wednesday.

But by Wednesday, we should have a better idea about this weekend's potential storm. If the storm does materialize, they will try to get the kids back in school at least Friday so they can be prepared before having at least Monday off of next week.

This is where Taylor messed up earlier this year. He made decisions based on other snow days past and future rather than focusing the specific safety and operational moment at hand. You open schools on Friday if it is safe and schools are ready. You don’t open prematurely Friday based on whether this weekend’s potential storm may potentially impact Monday. We may be ready to open on a delay Thursday or Friday. We may not. People who think we are opening Wednesday are using a lot of wishful thinking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Blame Maryland law for making the possession and use of flamethrowers illegal

I tried it, although one of those small propane torches, and it doesn't work as well you would've hoped.

As others said, the best thing for ice is an old fashioned shovel or spade. They sell ice breakers too but I never used one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Closed Wednesday.

But by Wednesday, we should have a better idea about this weekend's potential storm. If the storm does materialize, they will try to get the kids back in school at least Friday so they can be prepared before having at least Monday off of next week.

This is where Taylor messed up earlier this year. He made decisions based on other snow days past and future rather than focusing the specific safety and operational moment at hand. You open schools on Friday if it is safe and schools are ready. You don’t open prematurely Friday based on whether this weekend’s potential storm may potentially impact Monday. We may be ready to open on a delay Thursday or Friday. We may not. People who think we are opening Wednesday are using a lot of wishful thinking.

Wind chills are also forecasted to be -11 at 7 am on Thursday and -14 at 7 am on Friday. They will have to look at the temps in addition to the road conditions. This is a brutally cold week and no matter how many times Chicago or Minnesota are brought up, this region does not regularly have these lows temps.

[Anonymous]

Woohoo! First plowing on our street in Bethesda at 11:20 today Monday!

Now all I have to do is cut out a car-size hole in the Great Wall of China.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Closed Wednesday.

But by Wednesday, we should have a better idea about this weekend's potential storm. If the storm does materialize, they will try to get the kids back in school at least Friday so they can be prepared before having at least Monday off of next week.

This is where Taylor messed up earlier this year. He made decisions based on other snow days past and future rather than focusing the specific safety and operational moment at hand. You open schools on Friday if it is safe and schools are ready. You don’t open prematurely Friday based on whether this weekend’s potential storm may potentially impact Monday. We may be ready to open on a delay Thursday or Friday. We may not. People who think we are opening Wednesday are using a lot of wishful thinking.

Wind chills are also forecasted to be -11 at 7 am on Thursday and -14 at 7 am on Friday. They will have to look at the temps in addition to the road conditions. This is a brutally cold week and no matter how many times Chicago or Minnesota are brought up, this region does not regularly have these lows temps.

Yikes. That’s a good point.

[Anonymous]

Closed until Friday

[Anonymous]

This is the kind of week virtual days were made for. Give the teachers Monday and maybe Tuesday to prep, then do virtual Weds-Fri. No, virtual learning is not quite as effective as in-person learning. But there would still be WAY more learning than there will be when those days get made up with half-days the week of June 22nd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is the kind of week virtual days were made for. Give the teachers Monday and maybe Tuesday to prep, then do virtual Weds-Fri. No, virtual learning is not quite as effective as in-person learning. But there would still be WAY more learning than there will be when those days get made up with half-days the week of June 22nd.

hahahahaha

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is the kind of week virtual days were made for. Give the teachers Monday and maybe Tuesday to prep, then do virtual Weds-Fri. No, virtual learning is not quite as effective as in-person learning. But there would still be WAY more learning than there will be when those days get made up with half-days the week of June 22nd.

Some people I know with private school kids have virtual instruction going on already..,it’s not like the older kids aren’t super used to virtual instruction anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is the kind of week virtual days were made for. Give the teachers Monday and maybe Tuesday to prep, then do virtual Weds-Fri. No, virtual learning is not quite as effective as in-person learning. But there would still be WAY more learning than there will be when those days get made up with half-days the week of June 22nd.

You can't make this argument after the experiments we had with virtual learning. These expectations and hopes that 1) students will log on 2) that any effective learning will happen, have proven to be false.

This is particularly true for the elementary crowd.

The truth is, virtual learning can only work, even at the secondary level, with kids/families who are intrinsically motivated and driven. Unfortunately, the students/families that meet that kind of a criteria are equal to a minority of the school population, not the majority.

[Anonymous]

Just got out and navigated some of the streets in Montgomery Village. The major roads are passable but there's some rough side streets and almost zero cleared sidewalks. People were walking in the road.

Had to do this to make sure I could get out because I sent an e-mail to the families of the students I support letting them know I could help with snow removal and emergency grocery delivery while the conditions are too dangerous for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Won't the snow and ice all cleaned and treated by the end of Tuesday since snow has stopped already? Why prediction of closing for a week....

It depends if we get more snow and it turns into ice. We have had multiple plows and we’ve dug out several times and right now all of it looks like no one has touched it. It’s bad.

Where are you located? We are in Wheaton. We are in an HOA and the contractors came once right after the sleet/freezing rain stopped. Sidewalks and street are completely clear.

Yea you. We are close and snowed in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the kind of week virtual days were made for. Give the teachers Monday and maybe Tuesday to prep, then do virtual Weds-Fri. No, virtual learning is not quite as effective as in-person learning. But there would still be WAY more learning than there will be when those days get made up with half-days the week of June 22nd.

You can't make this argument after the experiments we had with virtual learning. These expectations and hopes that 1) students will log on 2) that any effective learning will happen, have proven to be false.

This is particularly true for the elementary crowd.

The truth is, virtual learning can only work, even at the secondary level, with kids/families who are intrinsically motivated and driven. Unfortunately, the students/families that meet that kind of a criteria are equal to a minority of the school population, not the majority.

Don’t punish our kids who are willing to

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the kind of week virtual days were made for. Give the teachers Monday and maybe Tuesday to prep, then do virtual Weds-Fri. No, virtual learning is not quite as effective as in-person learning. But there would still be WAY more learning than there will be when those days get made up with half-days the week of June 22nd.

Some people I know with private school kids have virtual instruction going on already..,it’s not like the older kids aren’t super used to virtual instruction anyway.

1. Students don’t have devices at home.

2. All Chromebooks in elementary schools charge in the cart. Even if Chromebooks were sent home, there are no chargers to send home with all of the students. Also, if they break, we’re in trouble because there aren’t extra Chromebooks available to replace any that have been broken.

3. The superintendent is against virtual learning.