APS School Calendar 2026-27

[Anonymous]

Winter break is two half weeks???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Winter break is two half weeks???

I mean 1 1/2 weeks. No one will be there mom tues. what a joke.

[Anonymous]

OP someone complained. That is why. I have taught here for 20+ Years and elementary almost always had a day off for conferences. Some parents must have complained about days off, so they try to fix it and give 2 half days. Now, some others groups will complain and they will try to fix it and cater to that group.
The cycle will just continue as they attempt to make people happy.

From my perspective, after teaching for almost a full day of school, teachers are tired.

The parent conferences being held on 2 half days means either I’m not going to give you the best feedback because I’m drained from the schedule change and the kids are amped up because we aren’t on our usual schedule or that my teaching is pretty poor for those two half days because I was thinking about the parent conferences rather than my lessons in addition to the kids being amped up because they are going home early.

But whatever. I have a job and I will do it and do my best even if it is optimal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP someone complained. That is why. I have taught here for 20+ Years and elementary almost always had a day off for conferences. Some parents must have complained about days off, so they try to fix it and give 2 half days. Now, some others groups will complain and they will try to fix it and cater to that group.
The cycle will just continue as they attempt to make people happy.

From my perspective, after teaching for almost a full day of school, teachers are tired.

The parent conferences being held on 2 half days means either I’m not going to give you the best feedback because I’m drained from the schedule change and the kids are amped up because we aren’t on our usual schedule or that my teaching is pretty poor for those two half days because I was thinking about the parent conferences rather than my lessons in addition to the kids being amped up because they are going home early.

But whatever. I have a job and I will do it and do my best even if it is optimal.

Parents didn't complain about a days off for parent teacher conferences. This was proposed by Duran so they'd still have 180 days officially, while offering less instruction. Point fingers at the administration for this one.

[Anonymous]

APS elem teacher here. 3 half days gives me 6 contract hours for conferences. With 24 students (I have 26 this year in 5th), that allows me to do back-to-back 15 minute conferences and that’s all I am going to offer. I much prefer the full day and half day scenario.

[Anonymous]

I have had 2 kids go through elementary school in APS and most teachers never even offered conferences on the full day off. They must have been taking a long weekend. They would offer time slots after school in the days leading up to the conference days and then on the early release day.

I thought that is maybe why they switched it up.

As for the later June early release days, that is just high school kids . For those with younger kids, no one tells you that school is very spotty after about Memorial Day. Their schedule is very on and off in this time period. AP exams are early May and those teachers usually attempt to do some additional instruction through Memorial Day and that’s about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have had 2 kids go through elementary school in APS and most teachers never even offered conferences on the full day off. They must have been taking a long weekend. They would offer time slots after school in the days leading up to the conference days and then on the early release day.

I thought that is maybe why they switched it up.

As for the later June early release days, that is just high school kids . For those with younger kids, no one tells you that school is very spotty after about Memorial Day. Their schedule is very on and off in this time period. AP exams are early May and those teachers usually attempt to do some additional instruction through Memorial Day and that’s about it.

Same poster. Also by my second kid in elementary, teachers were encouraging parents not to bother with spring conference unless the kid had an issue to discuss.

Middle school conferences with the homeroom teacher (whatever it is called at various schools), which appear to now be gone, have always been a total waste of time with teachers also openly encouraging parents not to bother.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP someone complained. That is why. I have taught here for 20+ Years and elementary almost always had a day off for conferences. Some parents must have complained about days off, so they try to fix it and give 2 half days. Now, some others groups will complain and they will try to fix it and cater to that group.
The cycle will just continue as they attempt to make people happy.

From my perspective, after teaching for almost a full day of school, teachers are tired.

The parent conferences being held on 2 half days means either I’m not going to give you the best feedback because I’m drained from the schedule change and the kids are amped up because we aren’t on our usual schedule or that my teaching is pretty poor for those two half days because I was thinking about the parent conferences rather than my lessons in addition to the kids being amped up because they are going home early.

But whatever. I have a job and I will do it and do my best even if it is optimal.

Parents didn't complain about a days off for parent teacher conferences. This was proposed by Duran so they'd still have 180 days officially, while offering less instruction. Point fingers at the administration for this one.

This. They want their 180 days and refuse to give up the religious holidays to make it work. I don't know anyone who prefers early release to full days off. It's harder to arrange care for partial days and absolutely sucks for teachers who have to race through a condensed day and then do a bunch of conferences or PD (I am an elementary non-classroom teacher)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP someone complained. That is why. I have taught here for 20+ Years and elementary almost always had a day off for conferences. Some parents must have complained about days off, so they try to fix it and give 2 half days. Now, some others groups will complain and they will try to fix it and cater to that group.
The cycle will just continue as they attempt to make people happy.

From my perspective, after teaching for almost a full day of school, teachers are tired.

The parent conferences being held on 2 half days means either I’m not going to give you the best feedback because I’m drained from the schedule change and the kids are amped up because we aren’t on our usual schedule or that my teaching is pretty poor for those two half days because I was thinking about the parent conferences rather than my lessons in addition to the kids being amped up because they are going home early.

But whatever. I have a job and I will do it and do my best even if it is optimal.

Parents didn't complain about a days off for parent teacher conferences. This was proposed by Duran so they'd still have 180 days officially, while offering less instruction. Point fingers at the administration for this one.

No, point fingers at parents in the APE group who pushed for more school days. They got it. At the expense of conferences, which most parents really valued. I know I did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP someone complained. That is why. I have taught here for 20+ Years and elementary almost always had a day off for conferences. Some parents must have complained about days off, so they try to fix it and give 2 half days. Now, some others groups will complain and they will try to fix it and cater to that group.
The cycle will just continue as they attempt to make people happy.

From my perspective, after teaching for almost a full day of school, teachers are tired.

The parent conferences being held on 2 half days means either I’m not going to give you the best feedback because I’m drained from the schedule change and the kids are amped up because we aren’t on our usual schedule or that my teaching is pretty poor for those two half days because I was thinking about the parent conferences rather than my lessons in addition to the kids being amped up because they are going home early.

But whatever. I have a job and I will do it and do my best even if it is optimal.

Parents didn't complain about a days off for parent teacher conferences. This was proposed by Duran so they'd still have 180 days officially, while offering less instruction. Point fingers at the administration for this one.

No, point fingers at parents in the APE group who pushed for more school days. They got it. At the expense of conferences, which most parents really valued. I know I did.

APS has shown that they will go against their own policy and have fewer than 180 days for voting, added religious holidays (though this ultimately failed after uproar) so if enough people complain they are likely to reverse course. It was done this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP someone complained. That is why. I have taught here for 20+ Years and elementary almost always had a day off for conferences. Some parents must have complained about days off, so they try to fix it and give 2 half days. Now, some others groups will complain and they will try to fix it and cater to that group.
The cycle will just continue as they attempt to make people happy.

From my perspective, after teaching for almost a full day of school, teachers are tired.

The parent conferences being held on 2 half days means either I’m not going to give you the best feedback because I’m drained from the schedule change and the kids are amped up because we aren’t on our usual schedule or that my teaching is pretty poor for those two half days because I was thinking about the parent conferences rather than my lessons in addition to the kids being amped up because they are going home early.

But whatever. I have a job and I will do it and do my best even if it is optimal.

Parents didn't complain about a days off for parent teacher conferences. This was proposed by Duran so they'd still have 180 days officially, while offering less instruction. Point fingers at the administration for this one.

No, point fingers at parents in the APE group who pushed for more school days. They got it. At the expense of conferences, which most parents really valued. I know I did.

180 school days has been standard for decades and decades, at least since I was a kid in the 1980s. That's not an APE thing. It existed well before that group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP someone complained. That is why. I have taught here for 20+ Years and elementary almost always had a day off for conferences. Some parents must have complained about days off, so they try to fix it and give 2 half days. Now, some others groups will complain and they will try to fix it and cater to that group.
The cycle will just continue as they attempt to make people happy.

From my perspective, after teaching for almost a full day of school, teachers are tired.

The parent conferences being held on 2 half days means either I’m not going to give you the best feedback because I’m drained from the schedule change and the kids are amped up because we aren’t on our usual schedule or that my teaching is pretty poor for those two half days because I was thinking about the parent conferences rather than my lessons in addition to the kids being amped up because they are going home early.

But whatever. I have a job and I will do it and do my best even if it is optimal.

Parents didn't complain about a days off for parent teacher conferences. This was proposed by Duran so they'd still have 180 days officially, while offering less instruction. Point fingers at the administration for this one.

No, point fingers at parents in the APE group who pushed for more school days. They got it. At the expense of conferences, which most parents really valued. I know I did.

I don’t think we need 180 days as long as we have the require 990 hours… but it’s not APE’s fault that APS added the extra religious holidays, that the surveys APS sends intentionally do not ask people what they think about these holidays, and that APS prioritizes these holidays over having time for conferences. APS also shortened winter break this year, despite calendar “rules” they set years ago saying it would be a 2 week break.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP someone complained. That is why. I have taught here for 20+ Years and elementary almost always had a day off for conferences. Some parents must have complained about days off, so they try to fix it and give 2 half days. Now, some others groups will complain and they will try to fix it and cater to that group.
The cycle will just continue as they attempt to make people happy.

From my perspective, after teaching for almost a full day of school, teachers are tired.

The parent conferences being held on 2 half days means either I’m not going to give you the best feedback because I’m drained from the schedule change and the kids are amped up because we aren’t on our usual schedule or that my teaching is pretty poor for those two half days because I was thinking about the parent conferences rather than my lessons in addition to the kids being amped up because they are going home early.

But whatever. I have a job and I will do it and do my best even if it is optimal.

Parents didn't complain about a days off for parent teacher conferences. This was proposed by Duran so they'd still have 180 days officially, while offering less instruction. Point fingers at the administration for this one.

No, point fingers at parents in the APE group who pushed for more school days. They got it. At the expense of conferences, which most parents really valued. I know I did.

I don’t think we need 180 days as long as we have the require 990 hours… but it’s not APE’s fault that APS added the extra religious holidays, that the surveys APS sends intentionally do not ask people what they think about these holidays, and that APS prioritizes these holidays over having time for conferences. APS also shortened winter break this year, despite calendar “rules” they set years ago saying it would be a 2 week break.

Correct that 180 days is not a legal policy but an APS policy but they don’t necessarily stick to it. https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/arlington/Board.nsf/files/DLYLBK55C44B/$file/I-4.30%20School%20Year%20Calendar.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Applying logic to APS calendaring is a fool’s errand.

You win the comments section for sure! APS is filled with morons. Especially at "senior" levels.

[Anonymous]

Parent/Teacher Conferences, much like APS, is a joke.