ITS changed first day of school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ugh what? I literally just book a very expensive, non. Refundable camp for that week today.-current ITDS fam

Oh, and I'm so over the winter AND spring break. Now we have half days and a inauguration day break on top of it? It's a bit much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm super annoyed. I'm going to have to eat an Airbnb deposit. WTF announcing this the day after the lottery?

Really you would have changed your enrollment over a few days??? Most Airbnb's offer refunds this far out but you could take the days off and just deal with starting out the year with 3 unexcused absentees.

If you are keeping other schools on your wait list most Charters don't generally make there Calendars until after DCPS is finalized as many tend to generally follow DCPS. So, you probably want to keep your plans flexible for a while.

I am worried they would give away our spot if we missed the first three days.

So... are you just lotterying or already in the school?
You don't get to be pissed about this unless you are already enrolled.

Already in. Trying to reshuffle some flights and camps and I am finding many do not give a full refund.

Well, dcps changing things won't be an excuse for the next 3 years. Not sure what the chances of itds actually publishing their calendar through 2023 any time soon might be... But I am hoping they will.

[Anonymous]

I know it is not that different than dcps and the total number of days off may not be that different. But, I think I counted 34 days off 42 if you count the half days. Which most families will have to take off work so I count them towards my total. I realize 6-8 of those are federal holidays that a lot (but not all) parents get off of work.

I get the logistics of closing in January. But honestly I would have figured out getting to school. I do wish all of DC just did a March break instead of February & April. But given that they don't I am happy to have them both. But we are in a really flexible schedule at the moment. I am sure my mind will change if my work schedule becomes more restricted. With a special needs child we would have a really hard time covering all of these days with camps no matter dcps or charter.

[Anonymous]

I was the email about why they are doing the half days. I as a parent do not like having so many half days at all, certainly dislike them mid week.
Though they probably didn't do Fridays cause more people would just skip out on the entire day for a long weekend.

But if it some how makes the teachers lives better then that is a positive in my book. I do hope they can maybe cut back on them a bit in future years.. Maybe meet int
the middle and split the difference of what works best for families and teacher.

The new start date is a bummer. But I do prefer it to going even later, I think ?.
Either way it is done. Time to plan and move on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Basically they did a crap job planning the calendar and need to fix it. No apology.

Oh and also there will be half days once a month and maaaaybe childcare. Maybe not.

In 18-19 the calendar came out in late April.

Last year, it came out in early June.

So early March is good.

Yeah, it’s frustrating that the first day moved. But DCPS keeps changing their breaks and calendar priorities, so I get that it’s hard to 1) mostly follow DCPS and 2) try to make sure the calendar is meeting the needs of the school’s stakeholders.

It's not that the calendar came out too late. It's that they announced a first day, people made plans, and now they are changing it. This change is not to follow DCPS! It is different from DCPS so that is doubly annoying.

[Anonymous]

So basically ITS families have to cancel whatever plans they made, and then figure out Monday and Tuesday childcare as well as half days Wednesday and Thursday for PK3-K?

It is so gross how this school constantly talks about "equity" but really everyone is assumed to be upper middle class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So basically ITS families have to cancel whatever plans they made, and then figure out Monday and Tuesday childcare as well as half days Wednesday and Thursday for PK3-K?

It is so gross how this school constantly talks about "equity" but really everyone is assumed to be upper middle class.

Oh, come on. How many families who did not already sign up for expensive camps or book vacations do you really think have plans for their kids at the end of August already? It's the upper middle class families who did who are likely the most inconvenienced by the change in start date.

Half days are another story for all families. It's still early though, and hopefully between the YMCA who provides aftercare at school already and has historically provided care on all half days, and DPR at the new Edgewood Rec Center behind ITS, options for childcare (with financial assistance offered) on those half days can be made available to all.

[Anonymous]

Isn't half days for the first couple days of PK something all DCPS schools do too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn't half days for the first couple days of PK something all DCPS schools do too?

Yes. And several other charters too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't half days for the first couple days of PK something all DCPS schools do too?

Yes. And several other charters too.

DCPS isn't starting their ECE kids until Thursday, September 3! If you want to talk about scrambling for childcare...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't half days for the first couple days of PK something all DCPS schools do too?

Yes. And several other charters too.

ITS has three half days (now only two this year), for PK3, PK4, and K. With no aftercare for those grades at all on those days I would love to know specifically which schools are as bad as that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't half days for the first couple days of PK something all DCPS schools do too?

Yes. And several other charters too.

DCPS isn't starting their ECE kids until Thursday, September 3! If you want to talk about scrambling for childcare...

DCPS used to do half days or allow principals discretion over it, but in recent years they have stopped because it is burdensome to families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't half days for the first couple days of PK something all DCPS schools do too?

Yes. And several other charters too.

ITS has three half days (now only two this year), for PK3, PK4, and K. With no aftercare for those grades at all on those days I would love to know specifically which schools are as bad as that.

Breakthrough and CHML have had even longer phase-in days than that. CHML may have changed recently with the updated DCPS policy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't half days for the first couple days of PK something all DCPS schools do too?

Yes. And several other charters too.

ITS has three half days (now only two this year), for PK3, PK4, and K. With no aftercare for those grades at all on those days I would love to know specifically which schools are as bad as that.

Breakthrough and CHML have had even longer phase-in days than that. CHML may have changed recently with the updated DCPS policy.

That is different because it's Montessori. Do they offer aftercare?

I just think it is ridiculous that a child in K needs three half days to adjust to a school they were attending full time in June. It's not like they were feral all summer. Let people pick up their kids early if they really can't handle it but don't screw the rest of us over.

[Anonymous]

We are an ITS family and I am not loving this schedule or 1/2 days at all. But for comparison sake, doesn't Two Rivers and maybe Mundo have 1/2 days every single Wednesday or something similar?