DCPS last day of school?

[Anonymous]

I still can’t get over the fact that someone thought it was a good idea to end the school year on a Monday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is what was shared with all principals last week:
 
Last Day of School
Given the additional instructional hours built into the school year calendar, DCPS will not have to extend the school year for SY 23-24 to accommodate snow closures. The last day of school for students will remain Monday, June 17 and the last day for teachers, a Records/PD Day will remain Tuesday, June 18.

If the school district really wanted to support learning, they would not put the bar so low.
They are asking the wrong question. It is not how to meet the regulation of 180 and a minimum of 1080 hours (this includes lunch and recess). It is what calendar will best support the students to meet the goal of public education. We should not (as a district) continue to accept this as the best that can be done for our children.
If the district was really interested in educating the students - not going through the motions and checking boxes off - they would have as many days as possible scheduled before Memorial Day. Structure calendars so that there were no weeks with only 2 days of school. Better plan for the cycles of when the students and teachers needed breaks. Move spring break to a point in time that makes sense for both the student body and teachers. Petition the Mayor and council for Emancipation Day to be a school day with targeted instruction on that day.

[Anonymous]

We all know the kids weren't going to learn anything if they had added two additional days to that last week. The classrooms will have been packed up and they'd be watching movies and playing games.

[Anonymous]

So I’m surprised but our DCPS elementary announced today that the snow days will not be made up.

[Anonymous]

Has anyone heard anything more about the last day of school for DCPS? I understand that OSSE rejected the request from a number of schools to waive the snow day makeups.

[Anonymous]

I've heard that some charter schools are exploring whether to make up the days through alternative means, such as with "asynchronous learning" -- for example, sending a homework packet for the kids to do on the first day of spring break, or counting a conference day as a learning day

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone heard anything more about the last day of school for DCPS? I understand that OSSE rejected the request from a number of schools to waive the snow day makeups.

Wasn’t this resolved? We got an email from our DCPS ES that there is no need for make up days and school will end on Monday, June 17, as scheduled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is what was shared with all principals last week:
 
Last Day of School
Given the additional instructional hours built into the school year calendar, DCPS will not have to extend the school year for SY 23-24 to accommodate snow closures. The last day of school for students will remain Monday, June 17 and the last day for teachers, a Records/PD Day will remain Tuesday, June 18.

If the school district really wanted to support learning, they would not put the bar so low.
They are asking the wrong question. It is not how to meet the regulation of 180 and a minimum of 1080 hours (this includes lunch and recess). It is what calendar will best support the students to meet the goal of public education. We should not (as a district) continue to accept this as the best that can be done for our children.
If the district was really interested in educating the students - not going through the motions and checking boxes off - they would have as many days as possible scheduled before Memorial Day. Structure calendars so that there were no weeks with only 2 days of school. Better plan for the cycles of when the students and teachers needed breaks. Move spring break to a point in time that makes sense for both the student body and teachers. Petition the Mayor and council for Emancipation Day to be a school day with targeted instruction on that day.

+100

I echo everything you wrote here. Quality of the time spent in school is important.

Wait until you see next year’s calendar- instead of giving two weeks for winter break we have a two day week the Thursday and Friday after New Year’s. Really meaningful instruction with a bunch of kids and teachers absent those days.

[Anonymous]

Want to bring up the topic of DCPS scheduling spring break so LATE every year. Prior years it made sense because we had a February break and made sense to space out the breaks. But now, without a Feb break, can't DCPS have spring break at the same time as MoCo and NoVA schools?? I had heard DCPS traditionally based spring break date on the week of Emancipation Day. Does anyone know if this is true?

With spring break late, we are also now running into Parcc/Cape testing right after we get back.

Would make more sense to have spring break start right after the end of Term 3. Friday would be the PD/Records Day and the week after would be break.

[Anonymous]

Yes DCPS spring break aligns with Emancipation Day

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes DCPS spring break aligns with Emancipation Day

But why?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I still can’t get over the fact that someone thought it was a good idea to end the school year on a Monday.

It wasn’t supposed to. When this years calendar was approved DCPS was not required to close in election primary day. When DCPS was told by the city they had to close schools for polling places the school year got extended by a day. Now DCPS could have added that day back in earlier in the year but the original calendar did have the year ending on a Friday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes DCPS spring break aligns with Emancipation Day

But why?!

Because it's a city holiday when schools are already closed. It also fixes spring break to a consistent week each year, which is easier for planning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is what was shared with all principals last week:
 
Last Day of School
Given the additional instructional hours built into the school year calendar, DCPS will not have to extend the school year for SY 23-24 to accommodate snow closures. The last day of school for students will remain Monday, June 17 and the last day for teachers, a Records/PD Day will remain Tuesday, June 18.

If the school district really wanted to support learning, they would not put the bar so low.
They are asking the wrong question. It is not how to meet the regulation of 180 and a minimum of 1080 hours (this includes lunch and recess). It is what calendar will best support the students to meet the goal of public education. We should not (as a district) continue to accept this as the best that can be done for our children.
If the district was really interested in educating the students - not going through the motions and checking boxes off - they would have as many days as possible scheduled before Memorial Day. Structure calendars so that there were no weeks with only 2 days of school. Better plan for the cycles of when the students and teachers needed breaks. Move spring break to a point in time that makes sense for both the student body and teachers. Petition the Mayor and council for Emancipation Day to be a school day with targeted instruction on that day.

You will never get emancipation day as an instructional day. DCPS teachers are dc government employees (not employees of the school system like other places). The entire dc govt is closed. Firefighters and police officers who work that day get time and a half. DC could never afford to open schools. Anyway it’s part of spring break now. So you would prefer Monday off, targeted instruction Tuesday then Wednesday-Friday off? Who would even work that? Teachers and students were limping through that last week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Want to bring up the topic of DCPS scheduling spring break so LATE every year. Prior years it made sense because we had a February break and made sense to space out the breaks. But now, without a Feb break, can't DCPS have spring break at the same time as MoCo and NoVA schools?? I had heard DCPS traditionally based spring break date on the week of Emancipation Day. Does anyone know if this is true?

With spring break late, we are also now running into Parcc/Cape testing right after we get back.

Would make more sense to have spring break start right after the end of Term 3. Friday would be the PD/Records Day and the week after would be break.

Yeah the spring break right before the start of CAPE testing and AP testing really messes up the momentum. I would prefer an earlier spring break. I don’t think DCPS will change that, they seem to very purposefully avoid any breaks aligned with religious holidays.