School Calendar 2023-2024

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Given their report on the latest survey, it appears that only Blue and Purple are in the running, and Purple is the more likely of the two. I've never heard how purple gets away with only 177 days of school. Kind of ironic too b/c after the pandemic, we know many kids have fallen behind due to lack of adequate instructional time... yet, here we have our SB looking to lock in LESS instructional time??? They should be doing more time, right?

There are some very odd/undesirable aspects to these calendars in the end of Oct/into November and end of Mar/into April.

In Oct/Nov., you have two days off in the first week, two non-consecutive days off the next week, then a full week, then a week with three days off. In Mar./April, you have a full week off for Spring Break, then come back for 4.5 days, then another break with 3.5 days off (plus a weekend). It's essentially going to be like having a double spring break. Purple has the same issues.

Honestly, I've been an advocate for public school forever. But, I can't help get the message that the SB cares more about finding more days OFF than actually educating kids. I can see how these private-school voucher programs are gaining traction in a lot of states. Public schools are giving the impression that they care about a million things OTHER THAN education.

I have two more years to get through... then it's someone else's problem. I just hate to see the SB flushing the little bit of good reputation FCPS had down the drain.

If you look at 24-25 Blue and Purple Options, it's nuts. AT the end of Oct., kids go 1.5 days in the last week. The rest of the week is off. They supposedly come back to school for a Mon., then have Tues. off, three days back at school, then a 3-day weekend...

I mean, how can anyone take this seriously? This is NOT a calendar that anyone who cares about ACADEMIC learning would create.

The only thing the current School Board is good at is keeping kids out of school.

[Anonymous]

Was hoping for green; doesn't look like they're going to go that way. Why do we have to start TWO WEEKS before Labor Day?

[Anonymous]

The spring break mess is unbelievable. They should have taken a week from winter and made spring break 2.5 weeks.
But at this point I just want to know!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Was hoping for green; doesn't look like they're going to go that way. Why do we have to start TWO WEEKS before Labor Day?

Because EqUiTy and InCluSioN.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS starts next school year 8/28, a whole week after we’ll likely start, but still gets out 6/13. Can’t we just copy their calendar? https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedF...ditionalCalendar.pdf

I'm in APS and I agree, I like the MCPS calendar. My sister has kids in MCPS and I am always jealous that they are in school when my kids are home!

I feel like MCPS has done a better job of consolidating the holidays with teacher work days and that’s their main difference. By consolidating better they shaved a whole week off the school year for students. If we could do that we could start 8/21 but get out sometime in the first full week of June and that would be awesome.

so no holidays for teachers who may also have kids at home. Got it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FCPS goes hundreds of hours longer than required by the state. They could actually do something like 150 days keeping the current length of the day. Expect it to keep dropping in an attempt to retain staff since they won't pay them a decent wage.

I believe the teacher contract stays at 195 days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Was hoping for green; doesn't look like they're going to go that way. Why do we have to start TWO WEEKS before Labor Day?

Because EqUiTy and InCluSioN.

girl stop. that has nothing to do with starting before Labor Day. You are just pulling stuff out of your butt now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS starts next school year 8/28, a whole week after we’ll likely start, but still gets out 6/13. Can’t we just copy their calendar? https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedF...ditionalCalendar.pdf

I'm in APS and I agree, I like the MCPS calendar. My sister has kids in MCPS and I am always jealous that they are in school when my kids are home!

I feel like MCPS has done a better job of consolidating the holidays with teacher work days and that’s their main difference. By consolidating better they shaved a whole week off the school year for students. If we could do that we could start 8/21 but get out sometime in the first full week of June and that would be awesome.

so no holidays for teachers who may also have kids at home. Got it!

MCPS and others clearly make it work - why can’t FCPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS starts next school year 8/28, a whole week after we’ll likely start, but still gets out 6/13. Can’t we just copy their calendar? https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedF...ditionalCalendar.pdf

DCUM would then throw a fit that students were still in school on Dec 22nd. The Board is in a no-win position.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Was hoping for green; doesn't look like they're going to go that way. Why do we have to start TWO WEEKS before Labor Day?

I agree. And hilariously, their most recent poll showed that people overwhelmingly liked the green start date. And then there's an asterisk saying "green is no longer being considered".

They need to fit the school calendar in between 1 week before Labor Day and the 2nd week in June. EVERYBODY ELSE can make that work.

(Or two weeks before labor day through the 1st week in June - whatever)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Was hoping for green; doesn't look like they're going to go that way. Why do we have to start TWO WEEKS before Labor Day?

Because EqUiTy and InCluSioN.

girl stop. that has nothing to do with starting before Labor Day. You are just pulling stuff out of your butt now.

I think the person you quote is making a point about the Board's focus generally. The schedule they are proposing has so many interruptions and short breaks and fails because kids need consistent schedules (5 day weeks for the most part) and also do better and are more engaged after a good winter and spring break. This calendar misses the mark on that big time and betrays that the focus of the board is on a lot of things but not on the best learning situation for the children. And that is why they are a bad school board. First priority is the kids and getting them on track and all the rest should be added on later.

[Anonymous]

PLEASE SCHOOL BOARD IF YOU ARE READING THIS, ONLY ONE WEEK BEFORE LABOR DAY!!!! AND END BEFORE JUNE 15. NO LEARNING HAPPENS AFTER MEMORIAL DAY! FIGURE IT OUT.

I WOULD HAVE YELLED THIS IN THE SURVEY BUT IT SUCKED!

[Anonymous]

Sorry, guys, the majority votes for 2 weeks before Labor Day. Hooray!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These are the stupidest calendar options. If they made winter break a week and a half, then they could tie spring break to the end of the quarter. We are planning on taking two weeks off at spring break right now.

I have a friend who works with the school board (not a member). She said they thought they could tie spring break to the end of the quarter, and were all excited about it, and then realized that Eid was going to be in the middle of that one week so decided to leave everything where it was and tie the end of quarter workdays to Eid instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Given their report on the latest survey, it appears that only Blue and Purple are in the running, and Purple is the more likely of the two. I've never heard how purple gets away with only 177 days of school. Kind of ironic too b/c after the pandemic, we know many kids have fallen behind due to lack of adequate instructional time... yet, here we have our SB looking to lock in LESS instructional time??? They should be doing more time, right?

There are some very odd/undesirable aspects to these calendars in the end of Oct/into November and end of Mar/into April.

In Oct/Nov., you have two days off in the first week, two non-consecutive days off the next week, then a full week, then a week with three days off. In Mar./April, you have a full week off for Spring Break, then come back for 4.5 days, then another break with 3.5 days off (plus a weekend). It's essentially going to be like having a double spring break. Purple has the same issues.

Honestly, I've been an advocate for public school forever. But, I can't help get the message that the SB cares more about finding more days OFF than actually educating kids. I can see how these private-school voucher programs are gaining traction in a lot of states. Public schools are giving the impression that they care about a million things OTHER THAN education.

I have two more years to get through... then it's someone else's problem. I just hate to see the SB flushing the little bit of good reputation FCPS had down the drain.

If you look at 24-25 Blue and Purple Options, it's nuts. AT the end of Oct., kids go 1.5 days in the last week. The rest of the week is off. They supposedly come back to school for a Mon., then have Tues. off, three days back at school, then a 3-day weekend...

I mean, how can anyone take this seriously? This is NOT a calendar that anyone who cares about ACADEMIC learning would create.

Honestly, I think the schools could teach everything the kids need in a much shorter amount of time. There is a lot of fluff, and this slow bleeding of the start of the year into summer isn't at all about kids getting a better education, it is about school standing in for day care. I get that we need affordable day care but we could just have non-learning days for the parents who need the child care, and allow parents who are trying to find times to expose their kids to non-school experiences enough time to do that.