Middle School start times

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:The ideal, to me, is to leave ES start times where they are and have all middle schools join the high school start time, like the secondary school middle school students do. Of course, this seems in possible in terms of bus availability, bus driver availability, and budget. So, I say just leave it. I have a 9th grader who did fine at an early start middle school (he actually liked the afternoon down time before evening sports started up) and one who will start middle next year. I just don't think it's worth all the upheaval to try to change the middle school start times. Certainly not at the expense of making a ridiculous elementary schedule, which would last for 7 years of a student's life!

Agree. And I have a 7th grader and 9th grader so ES times will not impact us at all, but I still recognize it is ridiculous. Early MS start was/is really hard on my kids, but it is two years. Two years. I'd rather a crappy schedule for two years than 4 or 7!

30 min later isn’t that crappy for anyone.

It is for the elementary students will get home after 5:00pm. The current late start schedule is already really hard on my kids. We bought our house before we had children and it never occurred to me at that time that we should be checking the start and end times for elementary school. I just assumed that kids got out at 3:30 like they seem to do everywhere else in the country, but nope, 4:15, which means my child gets home at 4:45 (we are the last bus stop, which makes it even worse). I mean, great, it works out well for me and my work schedule, but it does NOT work out for my children who are a mess by the time they get home (even my 4th grader who has been doing this for years). Adding a half hour to that will be a disaster.

The latest dismissal time in option E was actually 4:35 pm I believe. No one would go until 4:45 pm.

My kids have a 30 minute ride home. With a 4:35 dismissal, they would be home after 5:00.

maybe they should review your schools boundaries

The school is a 7 minute drive away and we are the last stop in the afternoons. It is what it is. They get picked up 10 minutes before school starts in the morning, so it works out.

Why can’t you just pick up then?

Is there something wrong with you?

No, it’s a simple question. Why can’t the kid be picked up at kiss n ride?

You said on your current schedule, he gets home on the bus (30 min ride time, dismissal 4:15 pm) at 4:45 pm. If his new dismissal time was 4:35 pm, and it’s only a 7 minute ride away, that would get him home with kiss n ride at the same time (actually a bit earlier - 4:42 pm). Now someone obviously meets him at the bus stop currently which is 4:45pm, right? What can’t they someone just drive over to kiss n ride and get him home at 4:42 pm instead on the new schedule?

NP, but kiss and ride isn't a zero minute process.

My son's school gets out at 4:05, his bus drops him off in the neighborhood at 4:45, and then it's a 5 minute walk up the street. If he rides, he gets home at 4:50.

If I pick him up, I can either get there at 4:00 and he enters my car at 4:20 (because the K&R line is so long), we get home at 4:40, or I can get there at 3:20 to be at the front of the line and we'll get home around 4:15. The bus is a 45+ minute child commitment, the car is a 45+ minute parent commitment. (I do pick him up because those 20 minutes in the car are the BEST conversations sometimes, but it's not exactly fast)

Yup. We were in a late start elementary and the kiss and ride line is HUGE. Literally have to get there shortly after 3pm to be in the front.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The ideal, to me, is to leave ES start times where they are and have all middle schools join the high school start time, like the secondary school middle school students do. Of course, this seems in possible in terms of bus availability, bus driver availability, and budget. So, I say just leave it. I have a 9th grader who did fine at an early start middle school (he actually liked the afternoon down time before evening sports started up) and one who will start middle next year. I just don't think it's worth all the upheaval to try to change the middle school start times. Certainly not at the expense of making a ridiculous elementary schedule, which would last for 7 years of a student's life!

Agree. And I have a 7th grader and 9th grader so ES times will not impact us at all, but I still recognize it is ridiculous. Early MS start was/is really hard on my kids, but it is two years. Two years. I'd rather a crappy schedule for two years than 4 or 7!

30 min later isn’t that crappy for anyone.

It is for the elementary students will get home after 5:00pm. The current late start schedule is already really hard on my kids. We bought our house before we had children and it never occurred to me at that time that we should be checking the start and end times for elementary school. I just assumed that kids got out at 3:30 like they seem to do everywhere else in the country, but nope, 4:15, which means my child gets home at 4:45 (we are the last bus stop, which makes it even worse). I mean, great, it works out well for me and my work schedule, but it does NOT work out for my children who are a mess by the time they get home (even my 4th grader who has been doing this for years). Adding a half hour to that will be a disaster.

The latest dismissal time in option E was actually 4:35 pm I believe. No one would go until 4:45 pm.

My kids have a 30 minute ride home. With a 4:35 dismissal, they would be home after 5:00.

maybe they should review your schools boundaries

The school is a 7 minute drive away and we are the last stop in the afternoons. It is what it is. They get picked up 10 minutes before school starts in the morning, so it works out.

Why can’t you just pick up then?

Is there something wrong with you?

No, it’s a simple question. Why can’t the kid be picked up at kiss n ride?

Let me guess. You're one of those people that goes and sits in the kiss and ride line 30-40 minutes before school even gets out. I don't have time for that and my children enjoy taking the bus home with their friends. The handful of times we've tried kiss and ride, we didn't actually get home that much earlier than the bus did because I had to wait so long in the line.

it's super weird that you're so hung up on this, lady.

I’m not hung up on it, but someone had asked me earlier if something was wrong with me for wondering why someone wouldn’t use kiss n ride for pick up. If you want your kid home earlier, that’s just what you do. So stop complaining about a 30 min bus ride and just go pick up your kid if your dismissal time isn’t to your liking, lazy butt. Oh and here’s a tip: if you decide to do kiss n ride, you go at the very end so you are almost last. There’s absolutely no line by then and you’re in and out. No wait time at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The ideal, to me, is to leave ES start times where they are and have all middle schools join the high school start time, like the secondary school middle school students do. Of course, this seems in possible in terms of bus availability, bus driver availability, and budget. So, I say just leave it. I have a 9th grader who did fine at an early start middle school (he actually liked the afternoon down time before evening sports started up) and one who will start middle next year. I just don't think it's worth all the upheaval to try to change the middle school start times. Certainly not at the expense of making a ridiculous elementary schedule, which would last for 7 years of a student's life!

Agree. And I have a 7th grader and 9th grader so ES times will not impact us at all, but I still recognize it is ridiculous. Early MS start was/is really hard on my kids, but it is two years. Two years. I'd rather a crappy schedule for two years than 4 or 7!

30 min later isn’t that crappy for anyone.

It is for the elementary students will get home after 5:00pm. The current late start schedule is already really hard on my kids. We bought our house before we had children and it never occurred to me at that time that we should be checking the start and end times for elementary school. I just assumed that kids got out at 3:30 like they seem to do everywhere else in the country, but nope, 4:15, which means my child gets home at 4:45 (we are the last bus stop, which makes it even worse). I mean, great, it works out well for me and my work schedule, but it does NOT work out for my children who are a mess by the time they get home (even my 4th grader who has been doing this for years). Adding a half hour to that will be a disaster.

The latest dismissal time in option E was actually 4:35 pm I believe. No one would go until 4:45 pm.

My kids have a 30 minute ride home. With a 4:35 dismissal, they would be home after 5:00.

maybe they should review your schools boundaries

The school is a 7 minute drive away and we are the last stop in the afternoons. It is what it is. They get picked up 10 minutes before school starts in the morning, so it works out.

Why can’t you just pick up then?

Is there something wrong with you?

No, it’s a simple question. Why can’t the kid be picked up at kiss n ride?

Let me guess. You're one of those people that goes and sits in the kiss and ride line 30-40 minutes before school even gets out. I don't have time for that and my children enjoy taking the bus home with their friends. The handful of times we've tried kiss and ride, we didn't actually get home that much earlier than the bus did because I had to wait so long in the line.

it's super weird that you're so hung up on this, lady.

I’m not hung up on it, but someone had asked me earlier if something was wrong with me for wondering why someone wouldn’t use kiss n ride for pick up. If you want your kid home earlier, that’s just what you do. So stop complaining about a 30 min bus ride and just go pick up your kid if your dismissal time isn’t to your liking, lazy butt. Oh and here’s a tip: if you decide to do kiss n ride, you go at the very end so you are almost last. There’s absolutely no line by then and you’re in and out. No wait time at all.

Another NP:

But it’s not earlier then. If I wait to go at the very end of the line, I won’t get in line until 4:20, will zip to the front, and will get home at 4:40. Same as if I get on line at 4:00 (home at 4:40). The only way to get home earlier is to camp out in the line by 3:15. The late release schools start to fight rush hour traffic and what is an 8-10 minute drive in the AM is 20-30 minutes in the PM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Noooooo
The best part of middle school for my kids has been the after school clubs - get chance to hang out with their friends and try out new things. A 4:30 end time is going to cut out ALL of the clubs and late busses. Of course transportation wants this, they don't have to do late busses anymore. Lazy shits.

I also am not okay with my 12 year old having to leave the house an HOUR after I do in the morning. I am not okay with this. Where do I protest???

Lol. Kids were walking to school when we were on work trips by the time they were 9. Sounds like you need to teach your kid independence and responsibility.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:If buses are in that short a supply, get rid of AAP centers and magnet schools.

Your jealousy is noted, but no, not going to happen.

Why do people assume that people who say this are jealous. My children are in AAP, we have an AAP class in our school. Most schools do. Your child would still be getting an advanced education if they were in the LLIV classroom at your base school. Literally no one has suggested getting rid of the program, just the Centers themselves OR bussing for the Centers when they are a choice school. My neighbors kids don't get busses for their language immersion program which is a choice, I don't think people should get bussing for AAP Centers when their local school also offers AAP. It's literally the same curriculum.

I get that some schools don't have Local AAP, and in that case, kids should certainly be offered a center, but it's still a choice.

I will only agree with this when every school has a self contained level iv program. Our base school is a “cluster” model. No way is that comparable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ES parent here… option E has to be a non-starter. Working little brains after 3 is nonsense

Working little brains before 8 is nonsense. Option E is where it's at.

[Anonymous]

Option E looks great over the whole lot of students. Everyone gets tweaked in terms of their start times. Nothing too early or too late. Looks like the best choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Option E looks great over the whole lot of students. Everyone gets tweaked in terms of their start times. Nothing too early or too late. Looks like the best choice.

Tell that to the incensed elementary parents.

[Anonymous]

Well apparently Fairfax County (not school district) is planning to cut after school at middle schools. So now they can go to school til 4:35.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well apparently Fairfax County (not school district) is planning to cut after school at middle schools. So now they can go to school til 4:35.

I just came to post this. What a shame. MS kids love these programs and they're well attended. I'm sure it will be a great excuse to roll back MS start times. If they do, I predict a worsening problem with truancy and tardiness. No working parent is waiting around until 9:30 am to make sure their teenager wakes up and leaves the house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The ideal, to me, is to leave ES start times where they are and have all middle schools join the high school start time, like the secondary school middle school students do. Of course, this seems in possible in terms of bus availability, bus driver availability, and budget. So, I say just leave it. I have a 9th grader who did fine at an early start middle school (he actually liked the afternoon down time before evening sports started up) and one who will start middle next year. I just don't think it's worth all the upheaval to try to change the middle school start times. Certainly not at the expense of making a ridiculous elementary schedule, which would last for 7 years of a student's life!

Agree. And I have a 7th grader and 9th grader so ES times will not impact us at all, but I still recognize it is ridiculous. Early MS start was/is really hard on my kids, but it is two years. Two years. I'd rather a crappy schedule for two years than 4 or 7!

30 min later isn’t that crappy for anyone.

It is for the elementary students will get home after 5:00pm. The current late start schedule is already really hard on my kids. We bought our house before we had children and it never occurred to me at that time that we should be checking the start and end times for elementary school. I just assumed that kids got out at 3:30 like they seem to do everywhere else in the country, but nope, 4:15, which means my child gets home at 4:45 (we are the last bus stop, which makes it even worse). I mean, great, it works out well for me and my work schedule, but it does NOT work out for my children who are a mess by the time they get home (even my 4th grader who has been doing this for years). Adding a half hour to that will be a disaster.

The latest dismissal time in option E was actually 4:35 pm I believe. No one would go until 4:45 pm.

My kids have a 30 minute ride home. With a 4:35 dismissal, they would be home after 5:00.

maybe they should review your schools boundaries

The school is a 7 minute drive away and we are the last stop in the afternoons. It is what it is. They get picked up 10 minutes before school starts in the morning, so it works out.

Why can’t you just pick up then?

Is there something wrong with you?

No, it’s a simple question. Why can’t the kid be picked up at kiss n ride?

You said on your current schedule, he gets home on the bus (30 min ride time, dismissal 4:15 pm) at 4:45 pm. If his new dismissal time was 4:35 pm, and it’s only a 7 minute ride away, that would get him home with kiss n ride at the same time (actually a bit earlier - 4:42 pm). Now someone obviously meets him at the bus stop currently which is 4:45pm, right? What can’t they someone just drive over to kiss n ride and get him home at 4:42 pm instead on the new schedule?

Do you even have children? You clearly have no idea how kiss and ride works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The ideal, to me, is to leave ES start times where they are and have all middle schools join the high school start time, like the secondary school middle school students do. Of course, this seems in possible in terms of bus availability, bus driver availability, and budget. So, I say just leave it. I have a 9th grader who did fine at an early start middle school (he actually liked the afternoon down time before evening sports started up) and one who will start middle next year. I just don't think it's worth all the upheaval to try to change the middle school start times. Certainly not at the expense of making a ridiculous elementary schedule, which would last for 7 years of a student's life!

Agree. And I have a 7th grader and 9th grader so ES times will not impact us at all, but I still recognize it is ridiculous. Early MS start was/is really hard on my kids, but it is two years. Two years. I'd rather a crappy schedule for two years than 4 or 7!

30 min later isn’t that crappy for anyone.

It is for the elementary students will get home after 5:00pm. The current late start schedule is already really hard on my kids. We bought our house before we had children and it never occurred to me at that time that we should be checking the start and end times for elementary school. I just assumed that kids got out at 3:30 like they seem to do everywhere else in the country, but nope, 4:15, which means my child gets home at 4:45 (we are the last bus stop, which makes it even worse). I mean, great, it works out well for me and my work schedule, but it does NOT work out for my children who are a mess by the time they get home (even my 4th grader who has been doing this for years). Adding a half hour to that will be a disaster.

The latest dismissal time in option E was actually 4:35 pm I believe. No one would go until 4:45 pm.

My kids have a 30 minute ride home. With a 4:35 dismissal, they would be home after 5:00.

maybe they should review your schools boundaries

The school is a 7 minute drive away and we are the last stop in the afternoons. It is what it is. They get picked up 10 minutes before school starts in the morning, so it works out.

Why can’t you just pick up then?

Is there something wrong with you?

No, it’s a simple question. Why can’t the kid be picked up at kiss n ride?

Let me guess. You're one of those people that goes and sits in the kiss and ride line 30-40 minutes before school even gets out. I don't have time for that and my children enjoy taking the bus home with their friends. The handful of times we've tried kiss and ride, we didn't actually get home that much earlier than the bus did because I had to wait so long in the line.

it's super weird that you're so hung up on this, lady.

I’m not hung up on it, but someone had asked me earlier if something was wrong with me for wondering why someone wouldn’t use kiss n ride for pick up. If you want your kid home earlier, that’s just what you do. So stop complaining about a 30 min bus ride and just go pick up your kid if your dismissal time isn’t to your liking, lazy butt. Oh and here’s a tip: if you decide to do kiss n ride, you go at the very end so you are almost last. There’s absolutely no line by then and you’re in and out. No wait time at all.

Hey psychotic bitter freak (see, name calling goes both ways!), you've been going back and forth with me, and I don't think you've done kiss and ride since 1985. In this cute little scenario of yours, the last car in the kiss and ride line reaches the kids 15-20 minutes after dismissal and it's a 7-10 minute ride home. I might not even be beating the bus home at that point. Plus, as I've mentioned several times, my kids like the bus, it's easier for all of us (kids and adults) if they take it. And nobody is meeting the children at the bus stop, by the way, they are perfectly capable of walking half a block to get home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well apparently Fairfax County (not school district) is planning to cut after school at middle schools. So now they can go to school til 4:35.

Where is this info???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The ideal, to me, is to leave ES start times where they are and have all middle schools join the high school start time, like the secondary school middle school students do. Of course, this seems in possible in terms of bus availability, bus driver availability, and budget. So, I say just leave it. I have a 9th grader who did fine at an early start middle school (he actually liked the afternoon down time before evening sports started up) and one who will start middle next year. I just don't think it's worth all the upheaval to try to change the middle school start times. Certainly not at the expense of making a ridiculous elementary schedule, which would last for 7 years of a student's life!

Agree. And I have a 7th grader and 9th grader so ES times will not impact us at all, but I still recognize it is ridiculous. Early MS start was/is really hard on my kids, but it is two years. Two years. I'd rather a crappy schedule for two years than 4 or 7!

30 min later isn’t that crappy for anyone.

It is for the elementary students will get home after 5:00pm. The current late start schedule is already really hard on my kids. We bought our house before we had children and it never occurred to me at that time that we should be checking the start and end times for elementary school. I just assumed that kids got out at 3:30 like they seem to do everywhere else in the country, but nope, 4:15, which means my child gets home at 4:45 (we are the last bus stop, which makes it even worse). I mean, great, it works out well for me and my work schedule, but it does NOT work out for my children who are a mess by the time they get home (even my 4th grader who has been doing this for years). Adding a half hour to that will be a disaster.

The latest dismissal time in option E was actually 4:35 pm I believe. No one would go until 4:45 pm.

My kids have a 30 minute ride home. With a 4:35 dismissal, they would be home after 5:00.

maybe they should review your schools boundaries

The school is a 7 minute drive away and we are the last stop in the afternoons. It is what it is. They get picked up 10 minutes before school starts in the morning, so it works out.

Why can’t you just pick up then?

Is there something wrong with you?

No, it’s a simple question. Why can’t the kid be picked up at kiss n ride?

Let me guess. You're one of those people that goes and sits in the kiss and ride line 30-40 minutes before school even gets out. I don't have time for that and my children enjoy taking the bus home with their friends. The handful of times we've tried kiss and ride, we didn't actually get home that much earlier than the bus did because I had to wait so long in the line.

it's super weird that you're so hung up on this, lady.

I’m not hung up on it, but someone had asked me earlier if something was wrong with me for wondering why someone wouldn’t use kiss n ride for pick up. If you want your kid home earlier, that’s just what you do. So stop complaining about a 30 min bus ride and just go pick up your kid if your dismissal time isn’t to your liking, lazy butt. Oh and here’s a tip: if you decide to do kiss n ride, you go at the very end so you are almost last. There’s absolutely no line by then and you’re in and out. No wait time at all.

Hey psychotic bitter freak (see, name calling goes both ways!), you've been going back and forth with me, and I don't think you've done kiss and ride since 1985. In this cute little scenario of yours, the last car in the kiss and ride line reaches the kids 15-20 minutes after dismissal and it's a 7-10 minute ride home. I might not even be beating the bus home at that point. Plus, as I've mentioned several times, my kids like the bus, it's easier for all of us (kids and adults) if they take it. And nobody is meeting the children at the bus stop, by the way, they are perfectly capable of walking half a block to get home.

You are full of excuses. I do kiss n ride every day. I am usually the last one to arrive daily and never have to wait. It’s literally a 7-8 min time from dismissal to when my kid is in my car. If you don’t like the new later time, you have the option of getting your kid at kiss n ride. Or you can let them fester on the bus for 30 min. I really don’t care.

[Anonymous]

Bottom line. It doesn't matter what the family's schedule is, the important thing is what is good for the kids.

Elementary kids learn better in the morning. There may be those outliers--but they are outliers. Ask the teachers.
I taught first grade. I would have loved a later start time for myself. It would have been disastrous for the kids. They are tired in the afternoon.