MoCo 24-25 calendar feedback

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can we PLEASE go to a secular schedule. Can we stop basing Spring Break on Easter week and put it where it truly belongs. Between Q3 and Q4.

If we follow that formula, then shouldn't winter break be between Q2 and Q3 in late January, rather than late December to include the days between Christmas Eve and New Year's? I don't think many people would be happy with that idea.

Christmas/New Year is at the same time every year while Easter has a 5 week stretch where it can occur. This is a public school system so spring break should fall around the same time every year. I think they put it near Easter to eat one of the days they need to close before/after Easter to end school one day sooner. Now that Juneteenth is a holiday they should end right before that holiday weekend.

Maryland state law requires the Friday before and Monday after Easter be a school holiday. MCPS chooses to extend that long weekend into Spring break.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:December 23 and January 2 should be off annually to allow travel out of town before Christmas and return home after New Year's respectively. For 3 years including this year December 23/January 2 have been off but only needed 7 weekdays to cover that. With Christmas and New Year's Day on Wednesdays in 24-25 so the break should be two weeks to avoid a 1 day week on Friday, January 3.

So take the day off if you need it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:December 23 and January 2 should be off annually to allow travel out of town before Christmas and return home after New Year's respectively. For 3 years including this year December 23/January 2 have been off but only needed 7 weekdays to cover that. With Christmas and New Year's Day on Wednesdays in 24-25 so the break should be two weeks to avoid a 1 day week on Friday, January 3.

So take the day off if you need it.

How low is attendance when Dec 23 or Jan 2 is a school day?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:December 23 and January 2 should be off annually to allow travel out of town before Christmas and return home after New Year's respectively. For 3 years including this year December 23/January 2 have been off but only needed 7 weekdays to cover that. With Christmas and New Year's Day on Wednesdays in 24-25 so the break should be two weeks to avoid a 1 day week on Friday, January 3.

I think we’ll probably have to return on Thursday, January 2nd, for a 2 day week, but it makes no sense whatsoever to have an instructional day on Monday, December 23rd, making that a 1 day week.

Ideally, we’d start the school year one week early and then have room in the schedule for Election Day and Inauguration Day off, and a two week winter break.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:December 23 and January 2 should be off annually to allow travel out of town before Christmas and return home after New Year's respectively. For 3 years including this year December 23/January 2 have been off but only needed 7 weekdays to cover that. With Christmas and New Year's Day on Wednesdays in 24-25 so the break should be two weeks to avoid a 1 day week on Friday, January 3.

I think we’ll probably have to return on Thursday, January 2nd, for a 2 day week, but it makes no sense whatsoever to have an instructional day on Monday, December 23rd, making that a 1 day week.

Ideally, we’d start the school year one week early and then have room in the schedule for Election Day and Inauguration Day off, and a two week winter break.

They have 2 options for the start to be August 26 or September 3. If August 26 is the start they should have no problem for a 2 week break. Inauguration Day won't have an effect this time since it will be the same day as MLK Jr. Day. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe4bKbeBGylczLqGatOpFBqIAJzEeM52Rwr8cL3GqZDZN0Y5w/viewform

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good that they are releasing an updated calendar, but how is it that DCUM is catching their mistakes before central office is? Did they not look at the Jewish holidays or consider that many teachers can’t do PD that day?

They had to have looked at the Jewish holidays; that's why there's no school on that Thursday, Oct. 3rd. Their error was in coding it as PD rather than NI. There is a different staff member working on the calendars this year, so I assume this was an honest mistake and will be cleared up by next week's meeting.

Here are the revised sample calendars for Thursday's meeting, and yes they have corrected the earlier error so that Oct. 3rd is now a non-instructional day.

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/CWWNYA598D6A/$file/2024-2025%20Draft%20SY%20Calendar.pdf

They have also fixed the number of days in the semesters so they are less uneven.

[Anonymous]

I like the month by month calendar layout much better, too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good that they are releasing an updated calendar, but how is it that DCUM is catching their mistakes before central office is? Did they not look at the Jewish holidays or consider that many teachers can’t do PD that day?

They had to have looked at the Jewish holidays; that's why there's no school on that Thursday, Oct. 3rd. Their error was in coding it as PD rather than NI. There is a different staff member working on the calendars this year, so I assume this was an honest mistake and will be cleared up by next week's meeting.

Here are the revised sample calendars for Thursday's meeting, and yes they have corrected the earlier error so that Oct. 3rd is now a non-instructional day.

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/CWWNYA598D6A/$file/2024-2025%20Draft%20SY%20Calendar.pdf

They have also fixed the number of days in the semesters so they are less uneven.

They also have the last day of school as either Friday, June 13 if starting before Labor Day, or Monday, June 23 if starting after Labor Day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like the month by month calendar layout much better, too!

Yes, much easier to read!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good that they are releasing an updated calendar, but how is it that DCUM is catching their mistakes before central office is? Did they not look at the Jewish holidays or consider that many teachers can’t do PD that day?

They had to have looked at the Jewish holidays; that's why there's no school on that Thursday, Oct. 3rd. Their error was in coding it as PD rather than NI. There is a different staff member working on the calendars this year, so I assume this was an honest mistake and will be cleared up by next week's meeting.

Here are the revised sample calendars for Thursday's meeting, and yes they have corrected the earlier error so that Oct. 3rd is now a non-instructional day.

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/CWWNYA598D6A/$file/2024-2025%20Draft%20SY%20Calendar.pdf

They have also fixed the number of days in the semesters so they are less uneven.

So when are they deciding between these two options?

My kid will be a junior in lots of AP classes. God willing, they’ll pick the earlier start date.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good that they are releasing an updated calendar, but how is it that DCUM is catching their mistakes before central office is? Did they not look at the Jewish holidays or consider that many teachers can’t do PD that day?

They had to have looked at the Jewish holidays; that's why there's no school on that Thursday, Oct. 3rd. Their error was in coding it as PD rather than NI. There is a different staff member working on the calendars this year, so I assume this was an honest mistake and will be cleared up by next week's meeting.

Here are the revised sample calendars for Thursday's meeting, and yes they have corrected the earlier error so that Oct. 3rd is now a non-instructional day.

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/CWWNYA598D6A/$file/2024-2025%20Draft%20SY%20Calendar.pdf

They have also fixed the number of days in the semesters so they are less uneven.

So when are they deciding between these two options?

My kid will be a junior in lots of AP classes. God willing, they’ll pick the earlier start date.

They'll vote to finalize the calendars at the Dec. 5th board meeting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good that they are releasing an updated calendar, but how is it that DCUM is catching their mistakes before central office is? Did they not look at the Jewish holidays or consider that many teachers can’t do PD that day?

They had to have looked at the Jewish holidays; that's why there's no school on that Thursday, Oct. 3rd. Their error was in coding it as PD rather than NI. There is a different staff member working on the calendars this year, so I assume this was an honest mistake and will be cleared up by next week's meeting.

Here are the revised sample calendars for Thursday's meeting, and yes they have corrected the earlier error so that Oct. 3rd is now a non-instructional day.

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/CWWNYA598D6A/$file/2024-2025%20Draft%20SY%20Calendar.pdf

They have also fixed the number of days in the semesters so they are less uneven.

So when are they deciding between these two options?

My kid will be a junior in lots of AP classes. God willing, they’ll pick the earlier start date.

They'll vote to finalize the calendars at the Dec. 5th board meeting.

And there will be another survey between now and then.

[Anonymous]

They updated the memo to include both formats of the same two draft calendars. New link:

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/CWXHYR4AAB9C/$file/2024-2025%20Draft%20SY%20Calendar%20Revised.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They updated the memo to include both formats of the same two draft calendars. New link:

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/CWXHYR4AAB9C/$file/2024-2025%20Draft%20SY%20Calendar%20Revised.pdf

What are the differences? Just when we start and finish and when each MP ends? I don't see anything else of note. Am I missing something?

[Anonymous]

Is there an updated survey where people can express a preference over the updated proposal?