Is the 22-23 Calendar designed to be an f-u to parents?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Year after year we put up with this nonsense by the school board. After such a decisive election year, they still did not get the memo. Parents wants kids in school, not with more days off and at home.

On the bright side, I think many of these members have limited days left on the board. Hopefully, we only have to deal with this for one more year and then we can get a school board with some sense to put kids in school instead of creating a Swiss cheese calendar that ensures a lack of continuous schooling.

Isn’t it still a 180 day calendar?

I'd like for you to tell me how a working parent can try to get through a work week with all the days off that FCPS has packed into each month. Why is it impossible for the kids to get more than 2 months where they go to school continuously? They have more weeks with days off from school in what should be the regular school and work week. How is that even doable for average families?

Do they have any idea how difficult that is for parents who are not sitting at home all day? I work with many low-income households and I can tell you that this virtue signaling calendar is unmanageable for these families. For families that cannot afford the back up care or to miss work, kids are left at home on their own, with no oversight, no management, and in the case of older kids end up in dangerous, destructive behaviors. One PP posted about how easy it was for her because her teens slept all day but I can tell you that is not what happens in many families. Teens walk out the door, get into trouble and drugs and violence become a real threat for them.

FCPS has clearly forgot its mission to educate and take care of kids and instead is catering to the wealthy, affluent donors who both have the resources to provide care for kids when not in school and don't have the financial strain of having to attend jobs out of the house. This is just infuriating to me because in its push to appear "inclusive" it really hurts low-income immigrant families. The irony, of course, is missed entirely on this Board.

Are you 21? If so, welcome to America where life is hard. If you are not 21, then I’m sure you’ve realized life doesn’t always go your way. Move on or get out.

[Anonymous]

So glad my DD will be a senior and it’s the last year we have to deal with this. I feel for working parents of younger kids. This is brutal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Year after year we put up with this nonsense by the school board. After such a decisive election year, they still did not get the memo. Parents wants kids in school, not with more days off and at home.

On the bright side, I think many of these members have limited days left on the board. Hopefully, we only have to deal with this for one more year and then we can get a school board with some sense to put kids in school instead of creating a Swiss cheese calendar that ensures a lack of continuous schooling.

Isn’t it still a 180 day calendar?

I'd like for you to tell me how a working parent can try to get through a work week with all the days off that FCPS has packed into each month. Why is it impossible for the kids to get more than 2 months where they go to school continuously? They have more weeks with days off from school in what should be the regular school and work week. How is that even doable for average families?

Do they have any idea how difficult that is for parents who are not sitting at home all day? I work with many low-income households and I can tell you that this virtue signaling calendar is unmanageable for these families. For families that cannot afford the back up care or to miss work, kids are left at home on their own, with no oversight, no management, and in the case of older kids end up in dangerous, destructive behaviors. One PP posted about how easy it was for her because her teens slept all day but I can tell you that is not what happens in many families. Teens walk out the door, get into trouble and drugs and violence become a real threat for them.

FCPS has clearly forgot its mission to educate and take care of kids and instead is catering to the wealthy, affluent donors who both have the resources to provide care for kids when not in school and don't have the financial strain of having to attend jobs out of the house. This is just infuriating to me because in its push to appear "inclusive" it really hurts low-income immigrant families. The irony, of course, is missed entirely on this Board.

Are you 21? If so, welcome to America where life is hard. If you are not 21, then I’m sure you’ve realized life doesn’t always go your way. Move on or get out.

What an idiotic post. Firstly, I’m American. Secondly, so much for that inclusivity and respect FCPS was nattering on about. Finally, I’m not the snowflake who is asking for 100 holidays off. Send kids to school and leave the agenda behind. Period. It’s so simple when you’re not using the calendar to grandstand

[Anonymous]

Why can't they start after labor day?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why the f are Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur and Diwali holidays now?

...Why are Christmas and Easter 2 weeks and 1 week long, respectively?

Because that is the majority in the country.

You don't need a week to celebrate Easter (maybe a long weekend if you want to include Good Friday) and the entire week before Christmas.

People travel during Christmas break.

[Anonymous]

What an idiotic post. Firstly, I’m American. Secondly, so much for that inclusivity and respect FCPS was nattering on about. Finally, I’m not the snowflake who is asking for 100 holidays off. Send kids to school and leave the agenda behind. Period. It’s so simple when you’re not using the calendar to grandstand

100% agree.

Irony is that our SB doesn't understand this while they talk "equity." They talk in policy and theory and platitudes. Wonder how many have actually worked with the poor on a day to day basis. As someone who spent years teaching young kids --including those that are very poor--this calendar is ridiculous. And, what is all the "professional training" anyway? More "equity." School Board needs to walk the walk and quit talking the talk. It's not about "anti-racism," that is going to help the students, it is good, solid instruction in the classroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why the f are Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur and Diwali holidays now?

...Why are Christmas and Easter 2 weeks and 1 week long, respectively?

Because that is the majority in the country.

You don't need a week to celebrate Easter (maybe a long weekend if you want to include Good Friday) and the entire week before Christmas.

People travel during Christmas break.

Some people do.
Most FCPS families don’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

What an idiotic post. Firstly, I’m American. Secondly, so much for that inclusivity and respect FCPS was nattering on about. Finally, I’m not the snowflake who is asking for 100 holidays off. Send kids to school and leave the agenda behind. Period. It’s so simple when you’re not using the calendar to grandstand

100% agree.

Irony is that our SB doesn't understand this while they talk "equity." They talk in policy and theory and platitudes. Wonder how many have actually worked with the poor on a day to day basis. As someone who spent years teaching young kids --including those that are very poor--this calendar is ridiculous. And, what is all the "professional training" anyway? More "equity." School Board needs to walk the walk and quit talking the talk. It's not about "anti-racism," that is going to help the students, it is good, solid instruction in the classroom.

Absolutely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why can't they start after labor day?

So seniors can get started on their college apps. Most high schools around the country start earlier and our seniors need to be competitive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why the f are Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur and Diwali holidays now?

...Why are Christmas and Easter 2 weeks and 1 week long, respectively?

Because that is the majority in the country.

You don't need a week to celebrate Easter (maybe a long weekend if you want to include Good Friday) and the entire week before Christmas.

Yes you do. If you celebrated those holidays you would understand. There is a lot of preparation for Christmas and Christmas Eve that takes place the whole month. There are gingerbread houses to be made, cookies, shopping, presents to be wrapped, decorating the house and tree. Going to see lights. It’s the whole month of December. We don’t just roll up to the actual day of the holiday and say Merry Christmas and hope everything comes together. Having that week off is essential.kids there may be traveling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why the f are Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur and Diwali holidays now?

...Why are Christmas and Easter 2 weeks and 1 week long, respectively?

Because that is the majority in the country.

You don't need a week to celebrate Easter (maybe a long weekend if you want to include Good Friday) and the entire week before Christmas.

Yes you do. If you celebrated those holidays you would understand. There is a lot of preparation for Christmas and Christmas Eve that takes place the whole month. There are gingerbread houses to be made, cookies, shopping, presents to be wrapped, decorating the house and tree. Going to see lights. It’s the whole month of December. We don’t just roll up to the actual day of the holiday and say Merry Christmas and hope everything comes together. Having that week off is essential.kids there may be traveling.

Oh, please. Gingerbread houses and going to see the lights are wants, not needs. Do them on the weekends or after school/work. Or, you know, just stop whining about school being closed for OTHER religions’ holidays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why the f are Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur and Diwali holidays now?

...Why are Christmas and Easter 2 weeks and 1 week long, respectively?

Because that is the majority in the country.

You don't need a week to celebrate Easter (maybe a long weekend if you want to include Good Friday) and the entire week before Christmas.

Yes you do. If you celebrated those holidays you would understand. There is a lot of preparation for Christmas and Christmas Eve that takes place the whole month. There are gingerbread houses to be made, cookies, shopping, presents to be wrapped, decorating the house and tree. Going to see lights. It’s the whole month of December. We don’t just roll up to the actual day of the holiday and say Merry Christmas and hope everything comes together. Having that week off is essential.kids there may be traveling.

Oh, please. Gingerbread houses and going to see the lights are wants, not needs. Do them on the weekends or after school/work. Or, you know, just stop whining about school being closed for OTHER religions’ holidays.

Nope. There’s too much homework assigned during the week and our kids never get a break during the week. It’s too much to do on a weekend to prepare. We need the whole week. Other holidays are not as big as Christmas and don’t need much time.

[Anonymous]

I like the days off here and there too, and I do like the shorter summer. But my kids are in HS now, and it’s nice for them to be able to catch up on homework and sleep. I can understand for those that need to work and don’t have a flexible schedule that this schedule would be tough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why can't they start after labor day?

So seniors can get started on their college apps. Most high schools around the country start earlier and our seniors need to be competitive.

Incorrect. Seniors can start their apps at the end of the junior year. And they do 95% of it it on their own, so being in school has very little to do with applications. Counselors have to send letters and transcripts, but that can be done early if you ask. Many kids do that for the small handful of schools with rolling admissions where early applications *really* matter. At other the schools it's definitely doable to start school later and make the EA and ED deadlines.

They moved the school start date so they don't have "useless" days after AP, IB and SOL exams. And those days are useless because FCPS only cares about testing, not actual teaching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Year after year we put up with this nonsense by the school board. After such a decisive election year, they still did not get the memo. Parents wants kids in school, not with more days off and at home.

On the bright side, I think many of these members have limited days left on the board. Hopefully, we only have to deal with this for one more year and then we can get a school board with some sense to put kids in school instead of creating a Swiss cheese calendar that ensures a lack of continuous schooling.

Isn’t it still a 180 day calendar?

I'd like for you to tell me how a working parent can try to get through a work week with all the days off that FCPS has packed into each month. Why is it impossible for the kids to get more than 2 months where they go to school continuously? They have more weeks with days off from school in what should be the regular school and work week. How is that even doable for average families?

Do they have any idea how difficult that is for parents who are not sitting at home all day? I work with many low-income households and I can tell you that this virtue signaling calendar is unmanageable for these families. For families that cannot afford the back up care or to miss work, kids are left at home on their own, with no oversight, no management, and in the case of older kids end up in dangerous, destructive behaviors. One PP posted about how easy it was for her because her teens slept all day but I can tell you that is not what happens in many families. Teens walk out the door, get into trouble and drugs and violence become a real threat for them.

FCPS has clearly forgot its mission to educate and take care of kids and instead is catering to the wealthy, affluent donors who both have the resources to provide care for kids when not in school and don't have the financial strain of having to attend jobs out of the house. This is just infuriating to me because in its push to appear "inclusive" it really hurts low-income immigrant families. The irony, of course, is missed entirely on this Board.

Isn't the resulting shorter summer better for these kids and families? Left home alone 1 day sprinkled throughout the year is easier to handle because they can watch Netflix, play games, read, nap, whatever the kids want to do. As a latchkey kid, summer was when I usually got into any trouble because the long boring weeks dragged on and I'd start hanging out with kids I didn't hang with as much because most of my friends were off traveling or doing camps, etc.

A shorter summer means less opportunities for summer slide. As people said, the before and after school care programs will cover these days for people with a truly not flexible schedule. For others, there are opportunities to work from home for one day while your school aged child watches TV or plays games, move around shifts, split care with another family. More families will have the ability to pay for one less week of camp with this schedule.