Can someone tell me why APS has two half days this week?

[Anonymous]

Didn’t get into extended day

[Anonymous]

I was bummed when they stopped doing Wednesday early release in ES. It was a great way to break up the week and give the teachers a little planning time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:because they hate working families.

Working families usually use extended day, which is open on the half days, but is closed if there’s no school.

Two half days is actually more helpful to working families than trying to find childcare for one day.

Except that there aren’t enough spots for everyone in extended day… my K student didn’t get in because of the priority to returning students

It’s also expensive. A lot of families adjust their schedule so that they don’t end up putting their kids in extended day - dad leaves early, comes early. Mom leaves late comes back late. Grandparents or aunt/uncle babysit for the two or three hours in the day that parents are still working. Pretty presumptuous of PP to think that all working families can utilize extended day. For some families like PP above, they simply can’t get in. For others, they can’t afford it.

Lots of families use extended day. That is why many schools have wait lists.

Um, it's over $3k a year if your family income is over $88k/year; a significant expense.

Way way cheaper than daycare.

Yeah, and there is a sliding scale for extended day if memory serves.

If you can’t afford extended day, then you likely haven’t been able to afford any childcare ever, meaning you’ve already had to figure out years ago who will watch your child if you’re working.

Extended day for our kids is $600/month and summer camps are $700/week -- its about $12k/year if you go barebones county camps which is essentially babysitting by bored teens (2 kids FYI).

We only need extended day for 1 hour -- but we are paying for the full 4 hour window because that's how it works.

Thats a huge hit to college savings, its as much as a new car payment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was bummed when they stopped doing Wednesday early release in ES. It was a great way to break up the week and give the teachers a little planning time.

So you don't work? Because our kids HATED the 4 hours of extended day, which basically became a re-enactment of lord of the flies meets one flew over the cuckoos nest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:because they hate working families.

Working families usually use extended day, which is open on the half days, but is closed if there’s no school.

Two half days is actually more helpful to working families than trying to find childcare for one day.

Except that there aren’t enough spots for everyone in extended day… my K student didn’t get in because of the priority to returning students

It’s also expensive. A lot of families adjust their schedule so that they don’t end up putting their kids in extended day - dad leaves early, comes early. Mom leaves late comes back late. Grandparents or aunt/uncle babysit for the two or three hours in the day that parents are still working. Pretty presumptuous of PP to think that all working families can utilize extended day. For some families like PP above, they simply can’t get in. For others, they can’t afford it.

Lots of families use extended day. That is why many schools have wait lists.

Um, it's over $3k a year if your family income is over $88k/year; a significant expense.

Way way cheaper than daycare.

Yeah, and there is a sliding scale for extended day if memory serves.

If you can’t afford extended day, then you likely haven’t been able to afford any childcare ever, meaning you’ve already had to figure out years ago who will watch your child if you’re working.

Yes some of us **gasp*** rely on family and staggering work for childcare. That’s how we are able to have kids. Unless you think only the rich should have kids. Disgusting privileged Arlington attitude.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:because they hate working families.

Working families usually use extended day, which is open on the half days, but is closed if there’s no school.

Two half days is actually more helpful to working families than trying to find childcare for one day.

Except that there aren’t enough spots for everyone in extended day… my K student didn’t get in because of the priority to returning students

It’s also expensive. A lot of families adjust their schedule so that they don’t end up putting their kids in extended day - dad leaves early, comes early. Mom leaves late comes back late. Grandparents or aunt/uncle babysit for the two or three hours in the day that parents are still working. Pretty presumptuous of PP to think that all working families can utilize extended day. For some families like PP above, they simply can’t get in. For others, they can’t afford it.

Lots of families use extended day. That is why many schools have wait lists.

Um, it's over $3k a year if your family income is over $88k/year; a significant expense.

Way way cheaper than daycare.

Yeah, and there is a sliding scale for extended day if memory serves.

If you can’t afford extended day, then you likely haven’t been able to afford any childcare ever, meaning you’ve already had to figure out years ago who will watch your child if you’re working.

Yes some of us **gasp*** rely on family and staggering work for childcare. That’s how we are able to have kids. Unless you think only the rich should have kids. Disgusting privileged Arlington attitude.

Never said that, nice straw man argument. Only said that if you have kids here you’ve had to figure this out from day 1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:because they hate working families.

Working families usually use extended day, which is open on the half days, but is closed if there’s no school.

Two half days is actually more helpful to working families than trying to find childcare for one day.

Except that there aren’t enough spots for everyone in extended day… my K student didn’t get in because of the priority to returning students

It’s also expensive. A lot of families adjust their schedule so that they don’t end up putting their kids in extended day - dad leaves early, comes early. Mom leaves late comes back late. Grandparents or aunt/uncle babysit for the two or three hours in the day that parents are still working. Pretty presumptuous of PP to think that all working families can utilize extended day. For some families like PP above, they simply can’t get in. For others, they can’t afford it.

Lots of families use extended day. That is why many schools have wait lists.

Um, it's over $3k a year if your family income is over $88k/year; a significant expense.

These replies are in response to a comment that it is presumptuous to assume families use extended day. You’re raising cost which is a separate issue.

[Anonymous]

My ACPS student had 3 half days last week, and Wednesday was the last day. Before you remind me that they started a week earlier than APS, I should add that that they had 3 extra days of winter break and 2 extra days of spring break.

The half days are needed for report cards and packing up. My only question is why middle schools in APS didn’t get any half days this month other than the last day of school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:because they hate working families.

Working families usually use extended day, which is open on the half days, but is closed if there’s no school.

Two half days is actually more helpful to working families than trying to find childcare for one day.

Except that there aren’t enough spots for everyone in extended day… my K student didn’t get in because of the priority to returning students

It’s also expensive. A lot of families adjust their schedule so that they don’t end up putting their kids in extended day - dad leaves early, comes early. Mom leaves late comes back late. Grandparents or aunt/uncle babysit for the two or three hours in the day that parents are still working. Pretty presumptuous of PP to think that all working families can utilize extended day. For some families like PP above, they simply can’t get in. For others, they can’t afford it.

Lots of families use extended day. That is why many schools have wait lists.

Um, it's over $3k a year if your family income is over $88k/year; a significant expense.

Way way cheaper than daycare.

Yeah, and there is a sliding scale for extended day if memory serves.

If you can’t afford extended day, then you likely haven’t been able to afford any childcare ever, meaning you’ve already had to figure out years ago who will watch your child if you’re working.

Yes some of us **gasp*** rely on family and staggering work for childcare. That’s how we are able to have kids. Unless you think only the rich should have kids. Disgusting privileged Arlington attitude.

Never said that, nice straw man argument. Only said that if you have kids here you’ve had to figure this out from day 1.

No you said if you can’t afford extended day you likely haven’t been able to afford childcare ever. This isn’t true first of all. Because many of us budget for childcare for a certain number of years only. We paid for daycare for four years and now rely on family for childcare after school (and staggering our schedules on the days we can). However my SIL works and can’t watch the kids for too long.. so she’ll watch them for two hours or so until we get back home from work on the days we can’t stagger our schedules. Same with my husband’s niece. But half days they finish early which makes it really hard on us because that means family need to watch them for longer. Sometimes we will get a babysitter. Other times we rely on family but it’s too
much for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Half days aren't really half days. They're just two hours shorter than a regular day. The kids are still in 4.5 hours each day.

And they are still doing absolutely nothing. It’s ridiculous. They need the 180 days. It’s checking a box.

[Anonymous]

APE screamed APS must have more school days so you can thank them

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:APE screamed APS must have more school days so you can thank them

Not sure what this has to do with having so many half days off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:APE screamed APS must have more school days so you can thank them

The 180 school day schedule has been pretty standard forever. That was what my school district followed 40 years ago. I don't think you can attribute that to APE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APE screamed APS must have more school days so you can thank them

Not sure what this has to do with having so many half days off.

Those days count as school days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APE screamed APS must have more school days so you can thank them

The 180 school day schedule has been pretty standard forever. That was what my school district followed 40 years ago. I don't think you can attribute that to APE.

Then what was APE screaming about when they pushed for more school days?