LCPS year-round school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How many teachers will flee once it’s passed and adopted?

LCPS parent here. It’s one of several options that are being looked at, and it won’t pass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a APS teacher and parent, and I would love this. More time to prep for AP exams. The ability to take advantage of non-summer travel fares. More frequent and restful breaks. Many districts that run this also run intersessions for working families. I think you all would love it.

+1 I grew up in a place that used year-round calendars to manage overcrowding while they built new schools. They did it in about half of the schools in several districts so that people could opt out. When it was fully eliminated, people were really upset, both teachers and parents. Interestingly enough, a lot of the schools in that area are now going to four-day weeks which parents also like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When parents complain about all the random days off, most of us want these removed because we want a longer summer break, not a shorter one. But I’ve long thought the higher ups were trying to backdoor in year round school with these ridiculous schedules.

I don’t get how year round school works for high school kids. How can they do pre-college programs? Have a summer job? Take a summer class? Not to mention fun stuff like summer swim team for all ages.

Summer break in year round schooling is usually longer than other breaks. Many pre college programs are 4-6 weeks.

Just because we’ve always handled the summer one way doesn’t mean it’s still the right approach. People and organizations will change and adapt to the new model.

Yes, many pre-college programs are 4-6 weeks long, but if the entirety of summer break is 4-5 weeks long, what are the chances those programs align with those dates? Even if they did, that’s your entire summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When parents complain about all the random days off, most of us want these removed because we want a longer summer break, not a shorter one. But I’ve long thought the higher ups were trying to backdoor in year round school with these ridiculous schedules.

I don’t get how year round school works for high school kids. How can they do pre-college programs? Have a summer job? Take a summer class? Not to mention fun stuff like summer swim team for all ages.

Summer break in year round schooling is usually longer than other breaks. Many pre college programs are 4-6 weeks.

Just because we’ve always handled the summer one way doesn’t mean it’s still the right approach. People and organizations will change and adapt to the new model.

Yes, many pre-college programs are 4-6 weeks long, but if the entirety of summer break is 4-5 weeks long, what are the chances those programs align with those dates? Even if they did, that’s your entire summer.

Many of these programs start in early June so they already can't participate due to our calendar

[Anonymous]

Will childcare providers be able to pivot to offer school age care? Will they be able to hire staff who are willing to work only during the school breaks? What about the children who rely on the schools for meals? How will they be fed during breaks?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It looks like they’re proposing starting the end of July and going to mid June. Would still have a 5 week summer.

It will never happen though. Look at the uproar when Fairfax tried to move their spring break—chaos, because it didn’t match other systems locally.

This is a problem in APS too and the entitlement drives me nuts. I made the choice to live in the district where I work to avoid this issue and I don’t want to be tied to another county’s calendar where I have no stake to provide input. I can’t think of any other profession where people make demands on their employers based on where they live. When we all have the same spring break local stuff gets even more crowded, travel prices surge.

Yup. I’m a teacher that pays the mortgage in Arlington. It’s a small house, no yard, really, but it’s nice enough. It’s a choice. I think the breaks should be staggered, for traffic alone!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It looks like they’re proposing starting the end of July and going to mid June. Would still have a 5 week summer.

It will never happen though. Look at the uproar when Fairfax tried to move their spring break—chaos, because it didn’t match other systems locally.

This is a problem in APS too and the entitlement drives me nuts. I made the choice to live in the district where I work to avoid this issue and I don’t want to be tied to another county’s calendar where I have no stake to provide input. I can’t think of any other profession where people make demands on their employers based on where they live. When we all have the same spring break local stuff gets even more crowded, travel prices surge.

Yup. I’m a teacher that pays the mortgage in Arlington. It’s a small house, no yard, really, but it’s nice enough. It’s a choice. I think the breaks should be staggered, for traffic alone!

It’s funny how the ones who complain the most about calendar alignment are the ones people wouldn’t miss if they left…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Will childcare providers be able to pivot to offer school age care? Will they be able to hire staff who are willing to work only during the school breaks? What about the children who rely on the schools for meals? How will they be fed during breaks?

Yes. Childcare will easily pivot. How are needy kids fed during the summer?

[Anonymous]

The 2-year transition schedule they referenced in the SB meeting shows the first year with 2-week breaks between quarters, and the second with 3-week breaks between quarters.I am really intrigued by the idea although as a teacher I think 2-week breaks between quarters makes more sense.

They will have to hammer out answers to a lot of logistical questions before it is going to get much support. I have heard vehement voices for and against in my circles.

I work in a Title I school and would be 100% on board with trying the year round calendar in those schools first, as FCPS once did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will childcare providers be able to pivot to offer school age care? Will they be able to hire staff who are willing to work only during the school breaks? What about the children who rely on the schools for meals? How will they be fed during breaks?

Yes. Childcare will easily pivot

Do you really think so? If you need enough employees for 40 kids for 6 weeks at a time and then you need enough employees for 80 kids for 2 weeks, are the employees going to be willing to work for short stints with weeks long gaps in between? Most childcare centers employ just enough staff to meet minimum ratio standards. Are they going to pay the workers who come in for the school age kids for weeks they aren't needed? No. Are those employees going to be able to find other jobs that allow them to work 6 weeks on, 2 weeks off?

How do you envision this working? I'm genuinely curious. I know it must work in the places where year round school exists. I just don't understand how.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will childcare providers be able to pivot to offer school age care? Will they be able to hire staff who are willing to work only during the school breaks? What about the children who rely on the schools for meals? How will they be fed during breaks?

Yes. Childcare will easily pivot

Do you really think so? If you need enough employees for 40 kids for 6 weeks at a time and then you need enough employees for 80 kids for 2 weeks, are the employees going to be willing to work for short stints with weeks long gaps in between? Most childcare centers employ just enough staff to meet minimum ratio standards. Are they going to pay the workers who come in for the school age kids for weeks they aren't needed? No. Are those employees going to be able to find other jobs that allow them to work 6 weeks on, 2 weeks off?

How do you envision this working? I'm genuinely curious. I know it must work in the places where year round school exists. I just don't understand how.

Often teachers who need or want extra income pick up this kind of work. Sometimes schools run the intersession program

[Anonymous]

FCPS ran intersession programs employing staff, but I don’t know if they employed additional folks. I never work summer school because I’m so burned out by July, but with multiple quarter breaks I could definitely see myself picking up some intersession work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will childcare providers be able to pivot to offer school age care? Will they be able to hire staff who are willing to work only during the school breaks? What about the children who rely on the schools for meals? How will they be fed during breaks?

Yes. Childcare will easily pivot

Do you really think so? If you need enough employees for 40 kids for 6 weeks at a time and then you need enough employees for 80 kids for 2 weeks, are the employees going to be willing to work for short stints with weeks long gaps in between? Most childcare centers employ just enough staff to meet minimum ratio standards. Are they going to pay the workers who come in for the school age kids for weeks they aren't needed? No. Are those employees going to be able to find other jobs that allow them to work 6 weeks on, 2 weeks off?

How do you envision this working? I'm genuinely curious. I know it must work in the places where year round school exists. I just don't understand how.

The local TKD places and Childtime/etc care places will easily cover the school days off... they already cover the random holidays for their clients. Places like the NZone in Chantilly will open up for drop in care, just like they do on snow days and random off days. Their economic structure is based on the school calendar. Whatever that calendar may be!

High school students will be around to babysit, if that's what parents prefer.

In other places with year round school, the local counties often offer inter-session camps through their park authorities. I would assume in our rich area, that service would grow as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.loudounnow.com/news/is-loudoun-ready-for-year-round-classes-the-school-board-is-asking/article_38038428-7b95-4f35-9f39-2e5e0125f934.html
I agree with the following but would also support a year-round calendar if the schedule was consistent I believe the random days off have a bigger impact on learning loss and student behavior than longer breaks, at least at the elementary level.

“I personally would prefer we shift to a calendar with only federal holidays and a September start date and last day in early June. There are far too many shortened weeks on our current calendar, which is a challenge for teachers and families."

Griffiths said she would support a schedule with federal holidays only but with absences for religious holidays excused; spring break aligned with Easter; all teacher development days held in the week before the start of school; and a summer break of 11-12 weeks.”

A schedule with only Federal holidays yet spring break aligned with Easter. That doesn't make sense. Spring break should be secular too most likely between the 3rd and 4th quarters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.loudounnow.com/news/is-loudoun-ready-for-year-round-classes-the-school-board-is-asking/article_38038428-7b95-4f35-9f39-2e5e0125f934.html
I agree with the following but would also support a year-round calendar if the schedule was consistent I believe the random days off have a bigger impact on learning loss and student behavior than longer breaks, at least at the elementary level.

“I personally would prefer we shift to a calendar with only federal holidays and a September start date and last day in early June. There are far too many shortened weeks on our current calendar, which is a challenge for teachers and families."

Griffiths said she would support a schedule with federal holidays only but with absences for religious holidays excused; spring break aligned with Easter; all teacher development days held in the week before the start of school; and a summer break of 11-12 weeks.”

A schedule with only Federal holidays yet spring break aligned with Easter. That doesn't make sense. Spring break should be secular too most likely between the 3rd and 4th quarters.

I agree about spring break. It should be the end of 3rd quarter