Will voting out the school board make the school calendar sane again?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look, bottom line, as another person put it, is that this isn't about the calendar or about the lack of available childcare options, or about kids' education being jeopardized or about summer being too short. This is about the school board makeup not being what they want it to be, or "too woke," as they put it. I, for one, am glad that the current school board is considerate of all Fairfax County populations. I want my kid to grow up knowing that being kind is a good thing. It's not a weakness, and this is not a zero sum game. We can all benefit, but we all have to compromise.

Sorry to burst this bubble but its absolutely about the lack of good options for childcare for this many days off, made worse by the profound disrespect demonstrated by spending parents time and money for them, like every FCPS parent can (or should!) swan out of work at 4pm and fork over $200/per day just to make sure the schools we are already paying for are empty.

I should add— the furlough has highlighted this for many parents. I have friends who have forked over $1000 since the shutdown began to cover childcare costs related to school closures for things like Diwali and todays early dismissal. Meanwhile they're working unpaid. Incredibly out of touch for FCPS, and people will remember it.

Oh geez, that is the risk of a government job. Teachers get 2nd jobs, so can these people.

I guess you are the same person accusing people of being racist on the other threads. It is pretty obvious that you are slamming everyone on every thread.

Nope. Just slamming you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's so insane about the school year calendar? I think it's great that we're observing religious holidays beyond the Christian ones.

We don't observe the Christian holidays.

Easter is on a sunday. So it is never observed by FCPS.

Christmas is a federal holdiay, on a week that every industry in our area including most of the federal government shuts down.

Christmas would be off no matter what, for secular reasons.

It’s no coincidence that spring break always falls the week before Easter, or that winter break aligns with Christmas. The fact that many Christian holidays already fall on weekends, and are still widely observed, shows how deeply our western calendars are structured around Christian traditions. And I understand why; the country was founded on those roots. But centuries later, we’ve become a diverse population, and it’s time our schedules reflected that.

If you want religious holidays, then go private. If you want a different calendar, feel free to move to another country.

FCPS tried to move Spring Break from Easter but if failed horribly. Christmas is one day and not a specific school holiday. Feel free to advocate for a shorter or different Winter Break.

-Incorrect. At the non secular private schools they have breaks into between quarter with the standard "winter break" being around a Christian holiday. Spring break was 2 weeks and always in March, school year finished up late May. Great schedule!
You were probably thinking only religious schools.

Religious schools don't schedule spring break in Holy Week. That is a week for fasting, prayer, and attending church, not partying on the beach.

Spring break tied to Easter is a uniquely northern Virginia public school thing.

False. It is not a NOVA public school thing. I grew up five states away, and my school system always tied spring break to Easter. So did my university.

Which school system outside NOVA is this? Was it before Easter like NOVA or was it after? And I've never heard of any university tying spring break to Easter since that would usually be late in the semester unless Easter is SUPER early.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are 29 school holidays this year. Which of these do you propose be removed?

The other 10 days off are teacher work days, staff development days, and school planning days. Those aren't going away.

Here's a comparison to my semi-rural midwestern home school district. School had a staggered start by grade on Aug 25-27.

2 - Labor Day - Only Labor Day itself, but FCPS is at the mercy of Virginia state law on this one
1 - Rosh Hashanah - No
1 - Yom Kippur - No
1 - Diwali - No
1 - Veterans Day - No
3 - Thanksgiving - Only 2 days
1 - Christmas - Yes
1 - New Year's Day - Yes
8 - Winter Break - Only 5 days (they are in school for Friday, Jan 2nd!)
1 - MLK Day - Yes
1 - Presidents' Day - No
1 - Eid al Fitr - Yes
5 - Holy Week; Spring Break - Only Good Friday, no Spring Break

Classes end by May 21.

1 - Memorial Day
1 - Eid al Adha

So, that is an example calendar of how you get 3 full months of summer. No Spring Break, 2-day Thanksgiving, 9 calendar day-long Winter Break, no other break of more than 2 days, and only a handful of teacher workdays.

I, for one, prefer the FCPS calendar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought they sent an email out this year saying they were going to revisit the calendars?

Really?? With the implication being that they now understand there is a desire on the part of many to return to sanity? (Well, except for, apparently, on the part of the trollish moms on here whose kids are in their 30s now.)

Btw, they could have foreseen the chaos if they actually asked people if this is what they want.

"Please give me a swiss cheese calendar that makes it difficult to predict what is happening week to week, sets my child up for failure, and lengthens the school year for all so that everyone is undeniably exhausted by the end." --No one.

Are you new? They sent out a comprehensive survey a few years ago before they added all these holidays. They even shared the results.

Yes, I remember that survey and taking part in it. I thought it was great that they involved the community in making these decisions.

People are short sighted and they want everything. 2 full weeks at Christmas! Every religious holiday and Federal holiday! The day before Thanksgiving! An extra day or two at Spring Break! And then they’re shocked that the calendar is a disjointed hot mess and summer is 8 weeks long.

Do people actually want every religious and federal holiday?

Apparently they did because that’s the calendars the SB decided on …

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are 29 school holidays this year. Which of these do you propose be removed?

The other 10 days off are teacher work days, staff development days, and school planning days. Those aren't going away.

Here's a comparison to my semi-rural midwestern home school district. School had a staggered start by grade on Aug 25-27.

2 - Labor Day - Only Labor Day itself, but FCPS is at the mercy of Virginia state law on this one
1 - Rosh Hashanah - No
1 - Yom Kippur - No
1 - Diwali - No
1 - Veterans Day - No
3 - Thanksgiving - Only 2 days
1 - Christmas - Yes
1 - New Year's Day - Yes
8 - Winter Break - Only 5 days (they are in school for Friday, Jan 2nd!)
1 - MLK Day - Yes
1 - Presidents' Day - No
1 - Eid al Fitr - Yes
5 - Holy Week; Spring Break - Only Good Friday, no Spring Break

Classes end by May 21.

1 - Memorial Day
1 - Eid al Adha

So, that is an example calendar of how you get 3 full months of summer. No Spring Break, 2-day Thanksgiving, 9 calendar day-long Winter Break, no other break of more than 2 days, and only a handful of teacher workdays.

I, for one, prefer the FCPS calendar.

No spring break is insane. I love 3 full months of summer ..... and hate the other 9 months with no breaks except a short winter break!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought they sent an email out this year saying they were going to revisit the calendars?

Really?? With the implication being that they now understand there is a desire on the part of many to return to sanity? (Well, except for, apparently, on the part of the trollish moms on here whose kids are in their 30s now.)

Btw, they could have foreseen the chaos if they actually asked people if this is what they want.

"Please give me a swiss cheese calendar that makes it difficult to predict what is happening week to week, sets my child up for failure, and lengthens the school year for all so that everyone is undeniably exhausted by the end." --No one.

Are you new? They sent out a comprehensive survey a few years ago before they added all these holidays. They even shared the results.

Yes, I remember that survey and taking part in it. I thought it was great that they involved the community in making these decisions.

People are short sighted and they want everything. 2 full weeks at Christmas! Every religious holiday and Federal holiday! The day before Thanksgiving! An extra day or two at Spring Break! And then they’re shocked that the calendar is a disjointed hot mess and summer is 8 weeks long.

Do people actually want every religious and federal holiday?

Apparently they did because that’s the calendars the SB decided on …

So that just confirms that the SB does not other people who would only want their religious holidays at most.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are 29 school holidays this year. Which of these do you propose be removed?

2 - Labor Day
1 - Rosh Hashanah
1 - Yom Kippur
1 - Diwali
1 - Veterans Day
3 - Thanksgiving
1 - Christmas
1 - New Year's Day
8 - Winter Break
1 - MLK Day
1 - Presidents' Day
1 - Eid al Fitr
5 - Holy Week; Spring Break
1 - Memorial Day
1 - Eid al Adha

The other 10 days off are teacher work days, staff development days, and school planning days. Those aren't going away.

They can take place on other holidays id school must be closed to students. Teachers can plan on Columbus/Indigenous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look, bottom line, as another person put it, is that this isn't about the calendar or about the lack of available childcare options, or about kids' education being jeopardized or about summer being too short. This is about the school board makeup not being what they want it to be, or "too woke," as they put it. I, for one, am glad that the current school board is considerate of all Fairfax County populations. I want my kid to grow up knowing that being kind is a good thing. It's not a weakness, and this is not a zero sum game. We can all benefit, but we all have to compromise.

Sorry to burst this bubble but its absolutely about the lack of good options for childcare for this many days off, made worse by the profound disrespect demonstrated by spending parents time and money for them, like every FCPS parent can (or should!) swan out of work at 4pm and fork over $200/per day just to make sure the schools we are already paying for are empty.

I should add— the furlough has highlighted this for many parents. I have friends who have forked over $1000 since the shutdown began to cover childcare costs related to school closures for things like Diwali and todays early dismissal. Meanwhile they're working unpaid. Incredibly out of touch for FCPS, and people will remember it.

Oh geez, that is the risk of a government job. Teachers get 2nd jobs, so can these people.

Guess you’re not familiar with national security jobs but no they are not allowed to just get second jobs, they must be approved to do so.

Don’t worry when it’s time to vote I’m sure “geez they could get second jobs to cover teacher planning days!” will resonate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look, bottom line, as another person put it, is that this isn't about the calendar or about the lack of available childcare options, or about kids' education being jeopardized or about summer being too short. This is about the school board makeup not being what they want it to be, or "too woke," as they put it. I, for one, am glad that the current school board is considerate of all Fairfax County populations. I want my kid to grow up knowing that being kind is a good thing. It's not a weakness, and this is not a zero sum game. We can all benefit, but we all have to compromise.

Sorry to burst this bubble but its absolutely about the lack of good options for childcare for this many days off, made worse by the profound disrespect demonstrated by spending parents time and money for them, like every FCPS parent can (or should!) swan out of work at 4pm and fork over $200/per day just to make sure the schools we are already paying for are empty.

I should add— the furlough has highlighted this for many parents. I have friends who have forked over $1000 since the shutdown began to cover childcare costs related to school closures for things like Diwali and todays early dismissal. Meanwhile they're working unpaid. Incredibly out of touch for FCPS, and people will remember it.

Oh geez, that is the risk of a government job. Teachers get 2nd jobs, so can these people.

Guess you’re not familiar with national security jobs but no they are not allowed to just get second jobs, they must be approved to do so.

Don’t worry when it’s time to vote I’m sure “geez they could get second jobs to cover teacher planning days!” will resonate.

You "national security" leeches make 150k/yr for sitting on your butts all day. I don't want to hear it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are 29 school holidays this year. Which of these do you propose be removed?

2 - Labor Day
1 - Rosh Hashanah
1 - Yom Kippur
1 - Diwali
1 - Veterans Day
3 - Thanksgiving
1 - Christmas
1 - New Year's Day
8 - Winter Break
1 - MLK Day
1 - Presidents' Day
1 - Eid al Fitr
5 - Holy Week; Spring Break
1 - Memorial Day
1 - Eid al Adha

The other 10 days off are teacher work days, staff development days, and school planning days. Those aren't going away.

They can take place on other holidays id school must be closed to students. Teachers can plan on Columbus/Indigenous.

Columbus Day is already a teacher planning day.

[Anonymous]

Note how quiet the calendar-haters are now. That's because they're stay-at-home moms, and their kids are home from school. So classic. They're complaining over stuff that doesn't affect them and that they don't care about. They're just bored.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are 29 school holidays this year. Which of these do you propose be removed?

2 - Labor Day
1 - Rosh Hashanah
1 - Yom Kippur
1 - Diwali
1 - Veterans Day
3 - Thanksgiving
1 - Christmas
1 - New Year's Day
8 - Winter Break
1 - MLK Day
1 - Presidents' Day
1 - Eid al Fitr
5 - Holy Week; Spring Break
1 - Memorial Day
1 - Eid al Adha

The other 10 days off are teacher work days, staff development days, and school planning days. Those aren't going away.

They can take place on other holidays id school must be closed to students. Teachers can plan on Columbus/Indigenous.

Columbus Day is already a teacher planning day.

OK so keep working backward— Tuesday before Thanksgiving, President’s Day, Dec 22-23, there are plenty of days off which can be put to that use. Perhaps give principals some discretion to ask their teams whether they'd rather plan on Diwali or Friday after Thanksgiving…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are 29 school holidays this year. Which of these do you propose be removed?

2 - Labor Day
1 - Rosh Hashanah
1 - Yom Kippur
1 - Diwali
1 - Veterans Day
3 - Thanksgiving
1 - Christmas
1 - New Year's Day
8 - Winter Break
1 - MLK Day
1 - Presidents' Day
1 - Eid al Fitr
5 - Holy Week; Spring Break
1 - Memorial Day
1 - Eid al Adha

The other 10 days off are teacher work days, staff development days, and school planning days. Those aren't going away.

They can take place on other holidays id school must be closed to students. Teachers can plan on Columbus/Indigenous.

Columbus Day is already a teacher planning day.

OK so keep working backward— Tuesday before Thanksgiving, President’s Day, Dec 22-23, there are plenty of days off which can be put to that use. Perhaps give principals some discretion to ask their teams whether they'd rather plan on Diwali or Friday after Thanksgiving…

LOL, try telling the teachers that they'll need to work on the Friday after Thanksgiving or on Presidents' Day, and let's see how far that gets you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are 29 school holidays this year. Which of these do you propose be removed?

2 - Labor Day
1 - Rosh Hashanah
1 - Yom Kippur
1 - Diwali
1 - Veterans Day
3 - Thanksgiving
1 - Christmas
1 - New Year's Day
8 - Winter Break
1 - MLK Day
1 - Presidents' Day
1 - Eid al Fitr
5 - Holy Week; Spring Break
1 - Memorial Day
1 - Eid al Adha

The other 10 days off are teacher work days, staff development days, and school planning days. Those aren't going away.

They can take place on other holidays id school must be closed to students. Teachers can plan on Columbus/Indigenous.

Columbus Day is already a teacher planning day.

OK so keep working backward— Tuesday before Thanksgiving, President’s Day, Dec 22-23, there are plenty of days off which can be put to that use. Perhaps give principals some discretion to ask their teams whether they'd rather plan on Diwali or Friday after Thanksgiving…

LOL, try telling the teachers that they'll need to work on the Friday after Thanksgiving or on Presidents' Day, and let's see how far that gets you.

Try telling the parents to fork over $1000k this month alone to cover teacher planning days and this thread— and the calls the school board already says they’re getting— is precisely what you’ll see.

[Anonymous]

In 25/26, here are the 10 days that teachers are in, but kids are out:

Sept. 9/Special Election - Teacher Workday
Oct. 13/Indigenous/Columbus - Staff Development
Nov. 3/End Q1 - School Planning
Nov. 4/End Q1/Election Day - Teacher Workday
Jan. 26/End Q2 - Staff Development
Jan. 27/End Q2 - Teacher Workday
Feb. 17/Lunar New Year - Teacher Workday
Apr. 6/Easter/End Q3 - Teacher Workday
Apr. 10/Orthodox Good Friday - School Planning
May. 26/Between Memorial/Eid al-Adha - Teacher Workday

Next year (26-27) there are only 7, with two fewer Teacher Workdays and one School Planning day moved to after year-end. They accomplish this by virtue of Lunar New Year falling on the weekend, Eid al-Adha occurring the week before Memorial Day, and no special election (hopefully).

In 27-28 there are also only 7 such days, with the calendar benefitting from Yom Kippur and Indigenous Day coinciding. The calendar also helps us out with Eid al-Fitr falling on the weekend and Orthodox Good Friday falling during Spring Break coincident with Good Friday. Lunar New Year is not a holiday and not even given an O designation.