Transition day August 25th

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The SMOB proposed that schools should invite parents to send their kids from any grade that day. They could still participate in the activities even though they wouldn't be new to the school. Staff said they are going to have a committee formed to iron out these kind of specifics of how transition day will work by March.

Except that would defeat the purpose of it being a transition day. At which point it should go back to just being a transition/orientation half day for secondary schools. Many of which were already doing this the Thursday before school opened.

+1 Exactly. I like the idea of a required transition day. All of DD's schools did that and it was really helpful.

+1 My child started K this year and I was not impressed that:

- Some elementary schools offered a day for incoming K students to visit the school in the spring, and others (including ours) didn't
- The "Open House" the Thursday in August before school was for all students and was super chaotic and not particularly helpful

We have friends out of state and their schools actually let incoming K students visit the school on multiple days in the Spring before they start. In one of the MCPS schools that did do a Spring orientation for incoming K students, they got to participate in a lesson with a teacher. I didn't go to MCPS until high school but when I did, in the late 90s there was a transition day for 9th grade.

This is doable and good for students and families. Lately, MCPS has been very combative towards parents and families. I haven't gotten the sense CO GAF about kids. They just want to do whatever is easier for them. It sounds like Taylor is challenging this attitude and I hope he succeeds.

Everyone from parents, to teachers, to CO is asking why does this need to be a whole day, and why does it need to move to Monday? The reason MCPS was trying to stop the K orientations in the Spring is because it required currently enrolled K students only to be off a day or two so that the K teachers could focus on incoming students. This impacted families. The only other alternatives proposed where a) use an existing non-instructional day as the K orientation days, which then takes away from that day being for teachers or b) do it after school hours which again impacted teachers. So its not the CO does GAF about kids, its that they are trying to balance everyone's needs.

Which is why the orientation half-day on the Thursday prior to school made sense logistically.

Other school districts manage things like spring orientation for K students just fine. From an educational perspective, the gains from doing a spring orientation in terms of supporting this critical transition are much greater than what the current K students learn in one day. But you idiots just throw up your hands and say it's too hard! Wahhhh.

All of this whining is testament to why MCPS is in decline.

What educational benefit comes from a bunch of K students going to school for one day with no other students??? Seriously it’s just a long playdate with their classmates. And if it’s soo beneficial why can’t they do it on the Thursday before school starts?

Also, MCPS managed spring orientation also, but they were responding to community concerns that have continually been brought up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Personally I hated that the first week back to school was 5 days. My young kids will benefit from a shorter first week.

And some of us hate that September has soo many four days weeks because it creates a false routine for kids and families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Again, I still do not understand: If this "transition day" is for K, 6 and 9, new transfer students or special education students, what is the guidance for all of the teachers and students for whom that DOES NOT apply to? Stay home?

Are there teachers who don't have a single transfer or special education student in their class? It seems unlikely, but if so those teachers should probably support the administration piece.

Obviously students would stay home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personally I hated that the first week back to school was 5 days. My young kids will benefit from a shorter first week.

And some of us hate that September has soo many four days weeks because it creates a false routine for kids and families.

What's wrong with a 4 day week? Some schools do 4 day weeks as their full weeks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personally I hated that the first week back to school was 5 days. My young kids will benefit from a shorter first week.

And some of us hate that September has soo many four days weeks because it creates a false routine for kids and families.

What's wrong with a 4 day week? Some schools do 4 day weeks as their full weeks.

And that’s fine if that’s their correct schedule. Our normal schedule is a 5 day week. So if you start the school year off with several 4day weeks, it requires accommodation by parents and the kids don’t fully get use to a 5-day week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personally I hated that the first week back to school was 5 days. My young kids will benefit from a shorter first week.

And some of us hate that September has soo many four days weeks because it creates a false routine for kids and families.

What's wrong with a 4 day week? Some schools do 4 day weeks as their full weeks.

And that’s fine if that’s their correct schedule. Our normal schedule is a 5 day week. So if you start the school year off with several 4day weeks, it requires accommodation by parents and the kids don’t fully get use to a 5-day week.

Having ONE day less for two weeks doesn't make things hard to adjust from 4 to 5 in week 3. Weeks 3 & 4 (September 8-12, 15-19) are five day weeks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The SMOB proposed that schools should invite parents to send their kids from any grade that day. They could still participate in the activities even though they wouldn't be new to the school. Staff said they are going to have a committee formed to iron out these kind of specifics of how transition day will work by March.

Except that would defeat the purpose of it being a transition day. At which point it should go back to just being a transition/orientation half day for secondary schools. Many of which were already doing this the Thursday before school opened.

+1 Exactly. I like the idea of a required transition day. All of DD's schools did that and it was really helpful.

+1 My child started K this year and I was not impressed that:

- Some elementary schools offered a day for incoming K students to visit the school in the spring, and others (including ours) didn't
- The "Open House" the Thursday in August before school was for all students and was super chaotic and not particularly helpful

We have friends out of state and their schools actually let incoming K students visit the school on multiple days in the Spring before they start. In one of the MCPS schools that did do a Spring orientation for incoming K students, they got to participate in a lesson with a teacher. I didn't go to MCPS until high school but when I did, in the late 90s there was a transition day for 9th grade.

This is doable and good for students and families. Lately, MCPS has been very combative towards parents and families. I haven't gotten the sense CO GAF about kids. They just want to do whatever is easier for them. It sounds like Taylor is challenging this attitude and I hope he succeeds.

Everyone from parents, to teachers, to CO is asking why does this need to be a whole day, and why does it need to move to Monday? The reason MCPS was trying to stop the K orientations in the Spring is because it required currently enrolled K students only to be off a day or two so that the K teachers could focus on incoming students. This impacted families. The only other alternatives proposed where a) use an existing non-instructional day as the K orientation days, which then takes away from that day being for teachers or b) do it after school hours which again impacted teachers. So its not the CO does GAF about kids, its that they are trying to balance everyone's needs.

Which is why the orientation half-day on the Thursday prior to school made sense logistically.

Other school districts manage things like spring orientation for K students just fine. From an educational perspective, the gains from doing a spring orientation in terms of supporting this critical transition are much greater than what the current K students learn in one day. But you idiots just throw up your hands and say it's too hard! Wahhhh.

All of this whining is testament to why MCPS is in decline.

What educational benefit comes from a bunch of K students going to school for one day with no other students??? Seriously it’s just a long playdate with their classmates. And if it’s soo beneficial why can’t they do it on the Thursday before school starts?

Also, MCPS managed spring orientation also, but they were responding to community concerns that have continually been brought up.

Sorry you don't understand early childhood. For a kid it is the difference between spending the summer anticipating going into a building they've never seen before with no idea what it will be like, to having some frame of reference. Previewing transitions is not some wacky thing that someone made up, it's a real thing that really helps little kids. Btw, MCPS can't just claim they are "responding to community concerns" every time they make a terrible decision. Learn to be the grownup in the room, FFS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personally I hated that the first week back to school was 5 days. My young kids will benefit from a shorter first week.

And some of us hate that September has soo many four days weeks because it creates a false routine for kids and families.

What's wrong with a 4 day week? Some schools do 4 day weeks as their full weeks.

And that’s fine if that’s their correct schedule. Our normal schedule is a 5 day week. So if you start the school year off with several 4day weeks, it requires accommodation by parents and the kids don’t fully get use to a 5-day week.

OMG the WHINING

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personally I hated that the first week back to school was 5 days. My young kids will benefit from a shorter first week.

And some of us hate that September has soo many four days weeks because it creates a false routine for kids and families.

What's wrong with a 4 day week? Some schools do 4 day weeks as their full weeks.

And that’s fine if that’s their correct schedule. Our normal schedule is a 5 day week. So if you start the school year off with several 4day weeks, it requires accommodation by parents and the kids don’t fully get use to a 5-day week.

OMG the WHINING

It’s whining that some parents don’t want multiple 4-days and would rather consistency, but not whining for those who want a shorter week to ease into the school year? Or like the folks who think a Spring orientation vs Ken a couple days before school begins offers some real educational value to K students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The SMOB proposed that schools should invite parents to send their kids from any grade that day. They could still participate in the activities even though they wouldn't be new to the school. Staff said they are going to have a committee formed to iron out these kind of specifics of how transition day will work by March.

Except that would defeat the purpose of it being a transition day. At which point it should go back to just being a transition/orientation half day for secondary schools. Many of which were already doing this the Thursday before school opened.

+1 Exactly. I like the idea of a required transition day. All of DD's schools did that and it was really helpful.

+1 My child started K this year and I was not impressed that:

- Some elementary schools offered a day for incoming K students to visit the school in the spring, and others (including ours) didn't
- The "Open House" the Thursday in August before school was for all students and was super chaotic and not particularly helpful

We have friends out of state and their schools actually let incoming K students visit the school on multiple days in the Spring before they start. In one of the MCPS schools that did do a Spring orientation for incoming K students, they got to participate in a lesson with a teacher. I didn't go to MCPS until high school but when I did, in the late 90s there was a transition day for 9th grade.

This is doable and good for students and families. Lately, MCPS has been very combative towards parents and families. I haven't gotten the sense CO GAF about kids. They just want to do whatever is easier for them. It sounds like Taylor is challenging this attitude and I hope he succeeds.

Everyone from parents, to teachers, to CO is asking why does this need to be a whole day, and why does it need to move to Monday? The reason MCPS was trying to stop the K orientations in the Spring is because it required currently enrolled K students only to be off a day or two so that the K teachers could focus on incoming students. This impacted families. The only other alternatives proposed where a) use an existing non-instructional day as the K orientation days, which then takes away from that day being for teachers or b) do it after school hours which again impacted teachers. So its not the CO does GAF about kids, its that they are trying to balance everyone's needs.

Which is why the orientation half-day on the Thursday prior to school made sense logistically.

Other school districts manage things like spring orientation for K students just fine. From an educational perspective, the gains from doing a spring orientation in terms of supporting this critical transition are much greater than what the current K students learn in one day. But you idiots just throw up your hands and say it's too hard! Wahhhh.

All of this whining is testament to why MCPS is in decline.

What educational benefit comes from a bunch of K students going to school for one day with no other students??? Seriously it’s just a long playdate with their classmates. And if it’s soo beneficial why can’t they do it on the Thursday before school starts?

Also, MCPS managed spring orientation also, but they were responding to community concerns that have continually been brought up.

Sorry you don't understand early childhood. For a kid it is the difference between spending the summer anticipating going into a building they've never seen before with no idea what it will be like, to having some frame of reference. Previewing transitions is not some wacky thing that someone made up, it's a real thing that really helps little kids. Btw, MCPS can't just claim they are "responding to community concerns" every time they make a terrible decision. Learn to be the grownup in the room, FFS.

Again what is the educational benefit? Kids are going to anticipate going to school regardless if they’ve seen the school months earlier, days before, or not at all. Neither example will change how a kids learns their ABC’s or numbers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The SMOB proposed that schools should invite parents to send their kids from any grade that day. They could still participate in the activities even though they wouldn't be new to the school. Staff said they are going to have a committee formed to iron out these kind of specifics of how transition day will work by March.

Except that would defeat the purpose of it being a transition day. At which point it should go back to just being a transition/orientation half day for secondary schools. Many of which were already doing this the Thursday before school opened.

+1 Exactly. I like the idea of a required transition day. All of DD's schools did that and it was really helpful.

+1 My child started K this year and I was not impressed that:

- Some elementary schools offered a day for incoming K students to visit the school in the spring, and others (including ours) didn't
- The "Open House" the Thursday in August before school was for all students and was super chaotic and not particularly helpful

We have friends out of state and their schools actually let incoming K students visit the school on multiple days in the Spring before they start. In one of the MCPS schools that did do a Spring orientation for incoming K students, they got to participate in a lesson with a teacher. I didn't go to MCPS until high school but when I did, in the late 90s there was a transition day for 9th grade.

This is doable and good for students and families. Lately, MCPS has been very combative towards parents and families. I haven't gotten the sense CO GAF about kids. They just want to do whatever is easier for them. It sounds like Taylor is challenging this attitude and I hope he succeeds.

Everyone from parents, to teachers, to CO is asking why does this need to be a whole day, and why does it need to move to Monday? The reason MCPS was trying to stop the K orientations in the Spring is because it required currently enrolled K students only to be off a day or two so that the K teachers could focus on incoming students. This impacted families. The only other alternatives proposed where a) use an existing non-instructional day as the K orientation days, which then takes away from that day being for teachers or b) do it after school hours which again impacted teachers. So its not the CO does GAF about kids, its that they are trying to balance everyone's needs.

Which is why the orientation half-day on the Thursday prior to school made sense logistically.

Other school districts manage things like spring orientation for K students just fine. From an educational perspective, the gains from doing a spring orientation in terms of supporting this critical transition are much greater than what the current K students learn in one day. But you idiots just throw up your hands and say it's too hard! Wahhhh.

All of this whining is testament to why MCPS is in decline.

What educational benefit comes from a bunch of K students going to school for one day with no other students??? Seriously it’s just a long playdate with their classmates. And if it’s soo beneficial why can’t they do it on the Thursday before school starts?

Also, MCPS managed spring orientation also, but they were responding to community concerns that have continually been brought up.

Sorry you don't understand early childhood. For a kid it is the difference between spending the summer anticipating going into a building they've never seen before with no idea what it will be like, to having some frame of reference. Previewing transitions is not some wacky thing that someone made up, it's a real thing that really helps little kids. Btw, MCPS can't just claim they are "responding to community concerns" every time they make a terrible decision. Learn to be the grownup in the room, FFS.

So parents haven’t been complaining about needing to find childcare for K students for two days while everyone else goes to school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personally I hated that the first week back to school was 5 days. My young kids will benefit from a shorter first week.

And some of us hate that September has soo many four days weeks because it creates a false routine for kids and families.

Personally I also hate that there’s no half day kindergarten, there’s no weekly short day, school days are longer than in some districts. I understand however that these are things busy working parents find difficult to accommodate. This transition day feels like a pretty small potatoes concern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personally I hated that the first week back to school was 5 days. My young kids will benefit from a shorter first week.

And some of us hate that September has soo many four days weeks because it creates a false routine for kids and families.

It’s kind of a rare month that doesn’t have days off, though. September looks pretty typical to me.

[Anonymous]

As a former kindergarten teacher, I get the idea of a transition day for those students (and their parents). I don't see the rationale for third graders to attend that day unless they attended a primary only elementary school which there are very few of in MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a former kindergarten teacher, I get the idea of a transition day for those students (and their parents). I don't see the rationale for third graders to attend that day unless they attended a primary only elementary school which there are very few of in MCPS.

Yes, that is the specific situation they described for when third graders would attend the transition day. Just like when any other student begins at a new school.