MCPS needs to make all of Thanksgiving Week noninstructional days

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School needs to start mid Aug. That would give enough time for 1 week for thanksgiving, 2 weeks for winter, 1 week for spring break as well as religious observances.

Summer break is 10-11 weeks. It's too long. We need to steal some time from summer and reallocate it to the other break weeks.

You'd just be recreating the same problem. People would push back against school starting that early and not show up, which would force teachers to delay instructional material for a a week or so later.

Reality is, people want the best of everything without giving up anything.

Do you want some cheese with that whine?

Two half days in a week with no other school days is ridiculous. I can't believe they scheduled it this way.

Well they're about to approve next year's calendar with the same Thanksgiving week schedule.

It's a big FU to parents and kids

They surveyed people last year and 79% preferred that schedule.

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/CWJSES7245D1/$file/231016%202024-2025%20School%20Year%20Calendar%20-%20Powerpoint.pdf

I posted above that I would send my kids if they were full days, but honestly, if surveyed, I prefer the stupid half day schedule. It effectively gives the week off to parents that want to take a vacation -- we really don't get enough vacation weeks in MCPS, so I appreciate the fall break, especially because it matches up somewhat with college kids breaks and work days off. And I'm sure the parents that can't afford vacations also appreciate the half-days because it's less time to pay a babysitter or take time off work. It's the worst for the teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School needs to start mid Aug. That would give enough time for 1 week for thanksgiving, 2 weeks for winter, 1 week for spring break as well as religious observances.

Summer break is 10-11 weeks. It's too long. We need to steal some time from summer and reallocate it to the other break weeks.

+1 That's far better than what we have now...and minimizes the learning loss. But will the tourism and summer camp industry allow it after lobbying against it for decades?

I never understood this when Hogan was governor. Is there really that much increased tourism the last 2 weeks of Aug? Or is it that most people take vacations that week because child care is closed so schools can get ready for the upcoming school year? In other words, would the demand for tourism increase the weeks prior to school starting no matter when those weeks occur?

As far as camps go---again, I don't understand how a shorter summer but longer breaks throughout the year make a significant impact. Parents that need full time child care in the summer still will need full time child care over winter break. Not everyone has 4 weeks of PTO and will be taking vacations during all of the school breaks. For winter breaks, the college kids are home. Spring break and thanksgiving weeks might be a staffing problem.

I think those two weeks are heavy weeks at the Eastern Shore and Deep Creek, because most of the camps are closed because the camp counselors are all back at college. So if you are a parent that depends on camps to provide child care for most of hte summer, you are forced to take your summer vacation those last 2 weeks. And late August is actually a crappy time to visit almost anyplace, but it's not a bad time to go to the Eastern Shore or Deep Creek. If they started school in mid-August, it would be easier to use camps to cover and you could take your PTO at any time in the year.

[Anonymous]

I hate Thanksgiving. Make Monday through Wednesday full days and have Thursday and Friday off. I like Winter break but it is too long. If Christmas is on Thursday or further, we can go to school Monday and Tuesday. We can go back on the following Monday. I do not like Christmas either so I am partial to this plan. I also am a teacher so I rather limit interruption to instruction. We have testing as soon as we come back so it would be advantageous to not lose so much time during Winter Break. I like Spring Break and I wish we had a day off for Halloween.

[Anonymous]

MCPS will never do that because then they would have one extra instructional day to fit in. 2 half days count as 2 days of instruction, but 1 full day counts as only 1 day of instruction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School needs to start mid Aug. That would give enough time for 1 week for thanksgiving, 2 weeks for winter, 1 week for spring break as well as religious observances.

Summer break is 10-11 weeks. It's too long. We need to steal some time from summer and reallocate it to the other break weeks.

You'd just be recreating the same problem. People would push back against school starting that early and not show up, which would force teachers to delay instructional material for a a week or so later.

Reality is, people want the best of everything without giving up anything.

Do you want some cheese with that whine?

Two half days in a week with no other school days is ridiculous. I can't believe they scheduled it this way.

Well they're about to approve next year's calendar with the same Thanksgiving week schedule.

And they are going to have Monday Dec. 22 and Tues Dec. 23 as days of instruction, where lots of families and teachers will be out "sick."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School needs to start mid Aug. That would give enough time for 1 week for thanksgiving, 2 weeks for winter, 1 week for spring break as well as religious observances.

Summer break is 10-11 weeks. It's too long. We need to steal some time from summer and reallocate it to the other break weeks.

You'd just be recreating the same problem. People would push back against school starting that early and not show up, which would force teachers to delay instructional material for a a week or so later.

Reality is, people want the best of everything without giving up anything.

Do you want some cheese with that whine?

Two half days in a week with no other school days is ridiculous. I can't believe they scheduled it this way.

Well they're about to approve next year's calendar with the same Thanksgiving week schedule.

And they are going to have Monday Dec. 22 and Tues Dec. 23 as days of instruction, where lots of families and teachers will be out "sick."

SEIU was against closing those two additional days because it would mean many of their members wouldn't get paid for two weeks.

[Anonymous]

If the whole week of Thanksgiving was off, they would need to add those days to the end of the school year or start earlier to accommodate all of the other days off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the whole week of Thanksgiving was off, they would need to add those days to the end of the school year or start earlier to accommodate all of the other days off.

Or get rid of a couple of professional days or holidays during the year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hate Thanksgiving. Make Monday through Wednesday full days and have Thursday and Friday off. I like Winter break but it is too long. If Christmas is on Thursday or further, we can go to school Monday and Tuesday. We can go back on the following Monday. I do not like Christmas either so I am partial to this plan. I also am a teacher so I rather limit interruption to instruction. We have testing as soon as we come back so it would be advantageous to not lose so much time during Winter Break. I like Spring Break and I wish we had a day off for Halloween.

Having a full day the Wednesday before Thanksgiving would mean no time for travel, same with Monday and Tuesday if Christmas Eve is Wednesday/Christmas is Thursday.
Maryland needs to adjust the law to allow for 3 or 4 emergency closures then those 4 days can be off with the same start and end dates. Having a family holiday as the first day of a break (Christmas Eve is treated as a holiday even though it technically isn't) means a lot of people will be out the last day before break
(last two if a Tuesday).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School needs to start mid Aug. That would give enough time for 1 week for thanksgiving, 2 weeks for winter, 1 week for spring break as well as religious observances.

Summer break is 10-11 weeks. It's too long. We need to steal some time from summer and reallocate it to the other break weeks.

You'd just be recreating the same problem. People would push back against school starting that early and not show up, which would force teachers to delay instructional material for a a week or so later.

Reality is, people want the best of everything without giving up anything.

Do you want some cheese with that whine?

Two half days in a week with no other school days is ridiculous. I can't believe they scheduled it this way.

Well they're about to approve next year's calendar with the same Thanksgiving week schedule.

And they are going to have Monday Dec. 22 and Tues Dec. 23 as days of instruction, where lots of families and teachers will be out "sick."

SEIU was against closing those two additional days because it would mean many of their members wouldn't get paid for two weeks.

Many places have two weeks off even Christmas is on a weekend. Other places including Maryland aren't used to it, if possible increase pay to 1.25*rate the week before and the week after the break to offset the wait.