Calendar Adjustments: Please advocate to end Transition Day

[Anonymous]

The superintendent and the Board of Education are considering opening school a week earlier than planned to add more snow days to the calendar. And yet they are not even considering the elimination of Transition Day to return to he 1/2 day of orientation that was in place for years. If they are looking for additional instructional time, this should be the first change to the calendar because TRANSITION DAY IS NOT COUNTED AS A SCHOOL DAY.

They are saying getting in 180 days is difficult and yet they are not considering getting rid of a day that doesn't even count. Orientation or transitioning can take place effectively in a half day format before school starts and can be step one in solving the calendar problem.

PLEASE advocate for this when filling out the calendar feedback form linked below:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe6dfSGZ9aNwxX0ZKJvs-4P2MpWltJMRG5a8Y0KrPPpRTA1PQ/viewform?link_id=1&can_id=2bd0cd5743368b7ba376e2fa2cc4f70b&source=email-fy27-school-budget-at-risk-county-council-budget-rally-wednesday-48-430-pm-2&email_referrer=email_3198065&email_subject=urgent-update-councilmembers-proposed-budgets-calendar-survey

[Anonymous]

Agreed.

[Anonymous]

Agree with you. As a teacher and parent of a student who will be in 6th grade next year. There was no need to change the half day orientation during pre service. Dedicating an entire day serves no purpose.

Will they listen? Will they care? No and no.

[Anonymous]

Whether they have transition day or not doesn’t really matter for the calendar. Are you advocating for us to start on 8/19 instead of 8/20 then? Because I want to make sure we start as scheduled on 8/24. My focus is them using the days they actually have already designated as makeup days as such regardless of if they are holidays or not

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whether they have transition day or not doesn’t really matter for the calendar. Are you advocating for us to start on 8/19 instead of 8/20 then? Because I want to make sure we start as scheduled on 8/24. My focus is them using the days they actually have already designated as makeup days as such regardless of if they are holidays or not

Respectfully, I think you're missing the point. August 24 is not really the first day of school - it is Transition Day. This day does not count toward the 180 day school year. Even if we start the week of August 24, orientation/transition should be returned to being a 1/2 day the week before school starts. The first day of school, no matter which week, should be on Monday and should be the first day of school for all students - not a made up full day orientation for grades K, 6, and 9 that doesn't count as a school day.

OP is saying that the elimination of the August 24 transition day (instead making it day one of the school year) helps to solve the problem of getting one snow day back.

[Anonymous]

I agree that we should automatically use the make-up days posted in the original calendar, but their recommendation of starting a week earlier is their open admission that they refuse to use those days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whether they have transition day or not doesn’t really matter for the calendar. Are you advocating for us to start on 8/19 instead of 8/20 then? Because I want to make sure we start as scheduled on 8/24. My focus is them using the days they actually have already designated as makeup days as such regardless of if they are holidays or not

Respectfully, I think you're missing the point. August 24 is not really the first day of school - it is Transition Day. This day does not count toward the 180 day school year. Even if we start the week of August 24, orientation/transition should be returned to being a 1/2 day the week before school starts. The first day of school, no matter which week, should be on Monday and should be the first day of school for all students - not a made up full day orientation for grades K, 6, and 9 that doesn't count as a school day.

OP is saying that the elimination of the August 24 transition day (instead making it day one of the school year) helps to solve the problem of getting one snow day back.

My point is that this could backfire and make it start even earlier. No thanks. MCPS already has a calendar that works if they’re willing to use the makeup days they’ve designated, they’re just unwilling to say that yes they will use Eid or Passover.

[Anonymous]

We should advocate for using all make-up days as stated within the school year AND we should advocate for having August 24 be a regular school day rather than a Transition Day that does not count. Both would help this situation immensely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whether they have transition day or not doesn’t really matter for the calendar. Are you advocating for us to start on 8/19 instead of 8/20 then? Because I want to make sure we start as scheduled on 8/24. My focus is them using the days they actually have already designated as makeup days as such regardless of if they are holidays or not

Respectfully, I think you're missing the point. August 24 is not really the first day of school - it is Transition Day. This day does not count toward the 180 day school year. Even if we start the week of August 24, orientation/transition should be returned to being a 1/2 day the week before school starts. The first day of school, no matter which week, should be on Monday and should be the first day of school for all students - not a made up full day orientation for grades K, 6, and 9 that doesn't count as a school day.

OP is saying that the elimination of the August 24 transition day (instead making it day one of the school year) helps to solve the problem of getting one snow day back.

My point is that this could backfire and make it start even earlier. No thanks. MCPS already has a calendar that works if they’re willing to use the makeup days they’ve designated, they’re just unwilling to say that yes they will use Eid or Passover.

1 of the makeup days tbe Superintendent is designating is in December. 5 of them are after the last day of school. We are literally going to repeat history next year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whether they have transition day or not doesn’t really matter for the calendar. Are you advocating for us to start on 8/19 instead of 8/20 then? Because I want to make sure we start as scheduled on 8/24. My focus is them using the days they actually have already designated as makeup days as such regardless of if they are holidays or not

Respectfully, I think you're missing the point. August 24 is not really the first day of school - it is Transition Day. This day does not count toward the 180 day school year. Even if we start the week of August 24, orientation/transition should be returned to being a 1/2 day the week before school starts. The first day of school, no matter which week, should be on Monday and should be the first day of school for all students - not a made up full day orientation for grades K, 6, and 9 that doesn't count as a school day.

OP is saying that the elimination of the August 24 transition day (instead making it day one of the school year) helps to solve the problem of getting one snow day back.

My point is that this could backfire and make it start even earlier. No thanks. MCPS already has a calendar that works if they’re willing to use the makeup days they’ve designated, they’re just unwilling to say that yes they will use Eid or Passover.

1 of the makeup days tbe Superintendent is designating is in December. 5 of them are after the last day of school. We are literally going to repeat history next year

That's only if the Board passes the Superintendent's proposal... I know that's the most likely outcome with this rubber stamp of a board. But the more we can advocate for them to actually use what they already passed, the better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We should advocate for using all make-up days as stated within the school year AND we should advocate for having August 24 be a regular school day rather than a Transition Day that does not count. Both would help this situation immensely.

I can agree to that... but only if it's both and. Only advocating to get rid of transition day isn't helpful here

[Anonymous]

The addition of Transition Day is what dropped us from 2 to 1 snow day. If we get rid of transition day and return to the preserve orientation model, we will automatically get an additional snow day back in the calendar. There is no downside to that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whether they have transition day or not doesn’t really matter for the calendar. Are you advocating for us to start on 8/19 instead of 8/20 then? Because I want to make sure we start as scheduled on 8/24. My focus is them using the days they actually have already designated as makeup days as such regardless of if they are holidays or not

Respectfully, I think you're missing the point. August 24 is not really the first day of school - it is Transition Day. This day does not count toward the 180 day school year. Even if we start the week of August 24, orientation/transition should be returned to being a 1/2 day the week before school starts. The first day of school, no matter which week, should be on Monday and should be the first day of school for all students - not a made up full day orientation for grades K, 6, and 9 that doesn't count as a school day.

OP is saying that the elimination of the August 24 transition day (instead making it day one of the school year) helps to solve the problem of getting one snow day back.

My point is that this could backfire and make it start even earlier. No thanks. MCPS already has a calendar that works if they’re willing to use the makeup days they’ve designated, they’re just unwilling to say that yes they will use Eid or Passover.

1 of the makeup days tbe Superintendent is designating is in December. 5 of them are after the last day of school. We are literally going to repeat history next year

That's only if the Board passes the Superintendent's proposal... I know that's the most likely outcome with this rubber stamp of a board. But the more we can advocate for them to actually use what they already passed, the better.

They aren't going to use those makeup days. It does not matter what we say. The politicians only care about optics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whether they have transition day or not doesn’t really matter for the calendar. Are you advocating for us to start on 8/19 instead of 8/20 then? Because I want to make sure we start as scheduled on 8/24. My focus is them using the days they actually have already designated as makeup days as such regardless of if they are holidays or not

Respectfully, I think you're missing the point. August 24 is not really the first day of school - it is Transition Day. This day does not count toward the 180 day school year. Even if we start the week of August 24, orientation/transition should be returned to being a 1/2 day the week before school starts. The first day of school, no matter which week, should be on Monday and should be the first day of school for all students - not a made up full day orientation for grades K, 6, and 9 that doesn't count as a school day.

OP is saying that the elimination of the August 24 transition day (instead making it day one of the school year) helps to solve the problem of getting one snow day back.

My point is that this could backfire and make it start even earlier. No thanks. MCPS already has a calendar that works if they’re willing to use the makeup days they’ve designated, they’re just unwilling to say that yes they will use Eid or Passover.

1 of the makeup days tbe Superintendent is designating is in December. 5 of them are after the last day of school. We are literally going to repeat history next year

That's only if the Board passes the Superintendent's proposal... I know that's the most likely outcome with this rubber stamp of a board. But the more we can advocate for them to actually use what they already passed, the better.

They aren't going to use those makeup days. It does not matter what we say. The politicians only care about optics.

If the survey results show the public strongly prefers to use the religious holiday makeup days, rather than starting early or shortening breaks, then how about those optics?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whether they have transition day or not doesn’t really matter for the calendar. Are you advocating for us to start on 8/19 instead of 8/20 then? Because I want to make sure we start as scheduled on 8/24. My focus is them using the days they actually have already designated as makeup days as such regardless of if they are holidays or not

Respectfully, I think you're missing the point. August 24 is not really the first day of school - it is Transition Day. This day does not count toward the 180 day school year. Even if we start the week of August 24, orientation/transition should be returned to being a 1/2 day the week before school starts. The first day of school, no matter which week, should be on Monday and should be the first day of school for all students - not a made up full day orientation for grades K, 6, and 9 that doesn't count as a school day.

OP is saying that the elimination of the August 24 transition day (instead making it day one of the school year) helps to solve the problem of getting one snow day back.

My point is that this could backfire and make it start even earlier. No thanks. MCPS already has a calendar that works if they’re willing to use the makeup days they’ve designated, they’re just unwilling to say that yes they will use Eid or Passover.

1 of the makeup days tbe Superintendent is designating is in December. 5 of them are after the last day of school. We are literally going to repeat history next year

That's only if the Board passes the Superintendent's proposal... I know that's the most likely outcome with this rubber stamp of a board. But the more we can advocate for them to actually use what they already passed, the better.

They aren't going to use those makeup days. It does not matter what we say. The politicians only care about optics.

If the survey results show the public strongly prefers to use the religious holiday makeup days, rather than starting early or shortening breaks, then how about those optics?

The problem is that the minute the announce that they are using Eid as a make up day the Muslim groups will make a big stink and they will be kind of right because Eid is a big deal and Christians don't need Easter Monday and Good Friday (on top of Christmas). Instead of lobbying to reduce instructional days, MCPS should be lobbying to be allowed to have school on Good Friday and Easter Monday and Presidents Day. They added a bunch of holidays and they need to take some away that don't really matter to people. It's not hard.