Attendance pressure

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am kicking myself that we did not travel for the full week of Thanksgiving. There was no content taught and no assessments and so many kids were out that the school sent several emails begging parents to not call, but to send in absenses through SIS.

Parents, take your children out of school when you need do, especially before breaks. There is nothing going on the days leading up to Winter Break.

Of course families are leaving early.

My seventh grade child has at least one test, quiz, or project due every day the week before winter break.

My ninth grade child has an essay, three quizzes, and two tests the week before winter break, including on the day before winter break.

But you say there is nothing going on the days leading up to winter break? Maybe thats true in elementary school, but I doubt that's true for most middle and high schools.

[Anonymous]

How is that racist?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What absolute bs. I hope no one actually listens to them. Don’t forget how they treated school during Covid. It wasn’t important then and we only got 4 days of school for an entire freaking year on a computer! My child’s teacher actually moved out of the area during the school year and was allowed to still be employed by FCPS.

F off, FCPS.

People who are continuing to post about Covid need serious help. It was 4.5 to 5.5 years ago. Move on.

Why do you care where your child's teacher lived? If he/she was still logging in to Blackboard Collaborate and was teaching, how is it your business where he/she lived? Do you have any concept of how many FCPS teachers live "out of the area," yet still teach in FCPS? There are teachers who live in West Virginia, Eastern MD, Baltimore, Stafford, etc. It's no one's business!

[Anonymous]

I don't see anything wrong with that message. Be at school when it's in session.

I bet the same people who complain about the message also complain about the "lack of education".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am kicking myself that we did not travel for the full week of Thanksgiving. There was no content taught and no assessments and so many kids were out that the school sent several emails begging parents to not call, but to send in absenses through SIS.

Parents, take your children out of school when you need do, especially before breaks. There is nothing going on the days leading up to Winter Break.

Of course families are leaving early.

My seventh grade child has at least one test, quiz, or project due every day the week before winter break.

My ninth grade child has an essay, three quizzes, and two tests the week before winter break, including on the day before winter break.

But you say there is nothing going on the days leading up to winter break? Maybe thats true in elementary school, but I doubt that's true for most middle and high schools.

6th grade teacher here. We have tests and essays due that week too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am kicking myself that we did not travel for the full week of Thanksgiving. There was no content taught and no assessments and so many kids were out that the school sent several emails begging parents to not call, but to send in absenses through SIS.

Parents, take your children out of school when you need do, especially before breaks. There is nothing going on the days leading up to Winter Break.

Of course families are leaving early.

Wow, PP, you sure come off as arrogant. Do you have kids in every grade? Are you a teacher? If not, I don't think you're qualified to say thst " nothing " is going on during this time.

Different poster.

She made great points.

This calendar with hardly any 5 day weeks from August though January proves that FCPS does not value education. There are as many 2-4 day weeks the first half of the year as there are 5 day weeks.

If FCPS cared about education, they would have a consistent school calendar without all these days off, and let people take escused absences for their holidays.

[Anonymous]

When I was a child, my parents would work with our teachers to get the classwork that we could do on the airplane and while we were in India. We were never behind (we didn't do this when we were in high school, just up until middle school).

Teachers nowadays won't give material to do at home/while on vacation, plus so much is on the computer and you can't travel with the computers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am kicking myself that we did not travel for the full week of Thanksgiving. There was no content taught and no assessments and so many kids were out that the school sent several emails begging parents to not call, but to send in absenses through SIS.

Parents, take your children out of school when you need do, especially before breaks. There is nothing going on the days leading up to Winter Break.

Of course families are leaving early.

Wow, PP, you sure come off as arrogant. Do you have kids in every grade? Are you a teacher? If not, I don't think you're qualified to say thst " nothing " is going on during this time.

Different poster.

She made great points.

This calendar with hardly any 5 day weeks from August though January proves that FCPS does not value education. There are as many 2-4 day weeks the first half of the year as there are 5 day weeks.

If FCPS cared about education, they would have a consistent school calendar without all these days off, and let people take escused absences for their holidays.

Translation: I want to complain to my heart’s content about religious holidays that don’t apply to me AND I want to be able to take my kid out of school with no accountability.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What absolute bs. I hope no one actually listens to them. Don’t forget how they treated school during Covid. It wasn’t important then and we only got 4 days of school for an entire freaking year on a computer! My child’s teacher actually moved out of the area during the school year and was allowed to still be employed by FCPS.

F off, FCPS.

People who are continuing to post about Covid need serious help. [b]It was 4.5 to 5.5 years ago. Move on.

Why do you care where your child's teacher lived? If he/she was still logging in to Blackboard Collaborate and was teaching, how is it your business where he/she lived? Do you have any concept of how many FCPS teachers live "out of the area," yet still teach in FCPS? There are teachers who live in West Virginia, Eastern MD, Baltimore, Stafford, etc. It's no one's business!

Nope. We parents will never forget how teachers jumped the line to get vaccinated and then refused to come into work. We will never forget the hell that was virtual school.

So we parents will take a vacation when we damn well want to.

[Anonymous]

Yeah I don't care what they say. Not planning on missing much, but might plan a last minute short trip in early January that spills over into the first day or two after winter break, because the prices do drop a lot and it's one of the only times I can take off work without consequence. We can't use the holidays or teacher workdays to take long weekends because I never have off work during those times and I can't just call out; nor can I travel around Thanksgiving or during FCPS spring break.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FCPS: Attendance matters!

Also FCPS: We take off for holidays you've never even heard of!

And Wednesday afternoons.

[Anonymous]

I would consider this credible if Friday wasn’t also a high volume sub day.

Parents: delay your trips, spend thousands of extra dollars and less time with family. Because attendance is important.

Teachers: Bon Voyage!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I was a child, my parents would work with our teachers to get the classwork that we could do on the airplane and while we were in India. We were never behind (we didn't do this when we were in high school, just up until middle school).

Teachers nowadays won't give material to do at home/while on vacation, plus so much is on the computer and you can't travel with the computers.

Good teachers still do this. I had my niece out for a week and her teacher prepared work related to our trip and she did an extra credit assignment related to travel. We gave her a gift and my sister wrote the principal about her.

DCUM does not represent teachers well— many do want their students to have strong family connections and believe travel enhances learning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What absolute bs. I hope no one actually listens to them. Don’t forget how they treated school during Covid. It wasn’t important then and we only got 4 days of school for an entire freaking year on a computer! My child’s teacher actually moved out of the area during the school year and was allowed to still be employed by FCPS.

F off, FCPS.

People who are continuing to post about Covid need serious help. [b]It was 4.5 to 5.5 years ago. Move on.

Why do you care where your child's teacher lived? If he/she was still logging in to Blackboard Collaborate and was teaching, how is it your business where he/she lived? Do you have any concept of how many FCPS teachers live "out of the area," yet still teach in FCPS? There are teachers who live in West Virginia, Eastern MD, Baltimore, Stafford, etc. It's no one's business!

Nope. We parents will never forget how teachers jumped the line to get vaccinated and then refused to come into work. We will never forget the hell that was virtual school.

So we parents will take a vacation when we damn well want to.

"WE" parents?

The vast majority of "we parents" have our mental health in check, so we moved on from Covid-related closures, years ago.

The majority of "we parents" don't hold grudges against people, especially ones who probably weren't remotely involved in decisions regarding return to school.

The majority of " we parents" don't process emotion like a toddler, "I don't like what you said, so I'm taking my toys and going home."

The majority of "we parents" have more intelligence than a gnat, so we don't have our children miss additional school when the concern is missed instructional hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What absolute bs. I hope no one actually listens to them. Don’t forget how they treated school during Covid. It wasn’t important then and we only got 4 days of school for an entire freaking year on a computer! My child’s teacher actually moved out of the area during the school year and was allowed to still be employed by FCPS.

F off, FCPS.

People who are continuing to post about Covid need serious help. [b]It was 4.5 to 5.5 years ago. Move on.

Why do you care where your child's teacher lived? If he/she was still logging in to Blackboard Collaborate and was teaching, how is it your business where he/she lived? Do you have any concept of how many FCPS teachers live "out of the area," yet still teach in FCPS? There are teachers who live in West Virginia, Eastern MD, Baltimore, Stafford, etc. It's no one's business!

Nope. We parents will never forget how teachers jumped the line to get vaccinated and then refused to come into work. We will never forget the hell that was virtual school.

So we parents will take a vacation when we damn well want to.

"WE" parents?

The vast majority of "we parents" have our mental health in check, so we moved on from Covid-related closures, years ago.

The majority of "we parents" don't hold grudges against people, especially ones who probably weren't remotely involved in decisions regarding return to school.

The majority of " we parents" don't process emotion like a toddler, "I don't like what you said, so I'm taking my toys and going home."

The majority of "we parents" have more intelligence than a gnat, so we don't have our children miss additional school when the concern is missed instructional hours.

I’m a DP but I think the majority of parents who had kids in school during COVID no longer consider the schools credible on the specific issue of attendance. The 2025-2026 calendar, which even the school board realizes is brutally unpopular, makes it worse.