APS VA Snow Day Projection

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People also need to realize APS does not apply a huge sense of urgency to clearing their school entrances and parking lots. Essential personnel were asked to report at 11am today. My guess is nothing has been touched anywhere on school grounds.

The County crews work 24 hour shifts and work during the storm, etc. They use their own staff and hire contractors. I live near central library for example and was out this AM and already see all their entrances and sidewalks and lots are cleared. Likely County opens back up tomorrow. All this costs money, of course. APS does not prioritize spending money on this (not saying they should or shouldn't just laying out facts).

Reasonable. They can definitely clear the property by the time all the sidewalks actually get cleared. APS parking lots are not the long pole here.

Not really. Historically, APS is a beat behind. Roads and bus routes will be cleared and APS holds off due to their own entrances an additional amount of time. Private owner sidewalks...some people will never get to them. So next week they still won't be clear. People either deal with them right away like we are supposed to or they wait for it to melt. So either children are not going back to school in January or people will deal with reality that all sidewalks are not going to be cleared properly. This happened just last January. It was the latter option. Eventually some kids had to navigate around uncleared sidewalks (my own did this).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The sidewalks are now cement. Sidewalks wont be cleared for several days. Maybe they will go back Thursday?

Based on the ordinance, which the County won't enforce, they should all be cleared by 8am tomorrow!

It's actually 36 hours when 6+ inches, so 8pm tomorrow

Dont worry, I'll be reporting my neighbors who are repeat offenders. https://arlgis.arlingtonva.us/Apps/Snow/SnowPublic/

Stopped 8pm last night (earlier even) so isn't 36 hours 8am Tuesday?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just went to walk the dog and Antarctica is funny but kind of true- I was stepping on piles of snow covered with ice. The sidewalks we shoveled last night have a thin layer of ice. We will try to get rid of it- but how do you get rid of ice when it’s below zero?
No school through Wednesday at least. I bet they try to get a day in Thursday to get one more day this semester but not sure.

Ice melt

Most people couldn’t even get any. I got a bag but the line was out the door and most people weren’t getting any. It was like yeast during Covid.

Kitty litter and real salt

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Out all week. It’s like Antarctica out there and there’s no point risking it for one day (Thurs).

The quarter/semester ends Thursday. For a lot of high schoolers who have makeup tests or retakes, that could be a problem. Or just push unfinished grades to 3Q.

They’re not going to open for a handful of kids needing a re-take or make up test. Safety first and this show/ice followed by crazy cold temps is incredibly rare for this area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Out all week. It’s like Antarctica out there and there’s no point risking it for one day (Thurs).

The quarter/semester ends Thursday. For a lot of high schoolers who have makeup tests or retakes, that could be a problem. Or just push unfinished grades to 3Q.

They’re not going to open for a handful of kids needing a re-take or make up test. Safety first and this show/ice followed by crazy cold temps is incredibly rare for this area.

You must not have a high schooler it is not a handful of kids and this is a big deal at high school level.

I think they'll have to keep the grade book open for 2nd quarter and let teachers go back and adjust grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know what temps being below freezing has to do with anything. They keep the kids inside from recess if it feels like its 33, or its something like that.

My original bet was closed Monday and Tuesday, delayed start Wednesday. I stand by that but won't be surprised if they're closed Wednesday too and have a delayed start Thursday.

The temps comment has nothing to do with how cold the kids will be but rather the ability to clear the ice from school property and surrounding neighborhoods. If side streets and sidewalks aren’t reasonably clear, then they won’t open schools.

Thanks. I understand if APS cannot clear ice from school property, but that would be a school by school decision. Do you have any idea how APS measures neighborhood sidewalks being clear? I doubt APS sends staff out to drive around and observe sidewalk conditions. Arlington county policy is homeowners are to have shoveled sidewalks within 24 hours if less than 6 inches has fallen, and within 36 hours if more than 6 inches has fallen.

They coordinate with the County. 1- plow status (how are the streets) and 2- there are county workers that drive to assess conditions on sidewalks near schools for walkers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Out all week. It’s like Antarctica out there and there’s no point risking it for one day (Thurs).

The quarter/semester ends Thursday. For a lot of high schoolers who have makeup tests or retakes, that could be a problem. Or just push unfinished grades to 3Q.

They’re not going to open for a handful of kids needing a re-take or make up test. Safety first and this show/ice followed by crazy cold temps is incredibly rare for this area.

You must not have a high schooler it is not a handful of kids and this is a big deal at high school level.

I think they'll have to keep the grade book open for 2nd quarter and let teachers go back and adjust grades.

You’re right I don’t have a high schooler but now I’m wondering why so many HS kids get re-takes. But that is off topic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Out all week. It’s like Antarctica out there and there’s no point risking it for one day (Thurs).

The quarter/semester ends Thursday. For a lot of high schoolers who have makeup tests or retakes, that could be a problem. Or just push unfinished grades to 3Q.

They’re not going to open for a handful of kids needing a re-take or make up test. Safety first and this show/ice followed by crazy cold temps is incredibly rare for this area.

You must not have a high schooler it is not a handful of kids and this is a big deal at high school level.

I think they'll have to keep the grade book open for 2nd quarter and let teachers go back and adjust grades.

+1 I hope they keep the gradebook open. Some teachers have been our sick and kids have been waiting on make up test dates. Also, some classes are 1/2 year to this is the grade colleges will see- no chance to raise for an end of year final grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Out all week. It’s like Antarctica out there and there’s no point risking it for one day (Thurs).

The quarter/semester ends Thursday. For a lot of high schoolers who have makeup tests or retakes, that could be a problem. Or just push unfinished grades to 3Q.

They’re not going to open for a handful of kids needing a re-take or make up test. Safety first and this show/ice followed by crazy cold temps is incredibly rare for this area.

You must not have a high schooler it is not a handful of kids and this is a big deal at high school level.

I think they'll have to keep the grade book open for 2nd quarter and let teachers go back and adjust grades.

You’re right I don’t have a high schooler but now I’m wondering why so many HS kids get re-takes. But that is off topic.

In our case, our daughter was sick on the test day, then the teacher was sick when she returned. She was supposed to do her make up test this week.

[Anonymous]

Chance of snow this weekend too, FYI.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The sidewalks are now cement. Sidewalks wont be cleared for several days. Maybe they will go back Thursday?

Based on the ordinance, which the County won't enforce, they should all be cleared by 8am tomorrow!

It's actually 36 hours when 6+ inches, so 8pm tomorrow

Dont worry, I'll be reporting my neighbors who are repeat offenders. https://arlgis.arlingtonva.us/Apps/Snow/SnowPublic/

Stopped 8pm last night (earlier even) so isn't 36 hours 8am Tuesday?

Yes! Oops bad computation on my part.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Out all week. It’s like Antarctica out there and there’s no point risking it for one day (Thurs).

The quarter/semester ends Thursday. For a lot of high schoolers who have makeup tests or retakes, that could be a problem. Or just push unfinished grades to 3Q.

They’re not going to open for a handful of kids needing a re-take or make up test. Safety first and this show/ice followed by crazy cold temps is incredibly rare for this area.

You must not have a high schooler it is not a handful of kids and this is a big deal at high school level.

I think they'll have to keep the grade book open for 2nd quarter and let teachers go back and adjust grades.

You’re right I don’t have a high schooler but now I’m wondering why so many HS kids get re-takes. But that is off topic.

Well the APS retake policy is a known thing. Anyone can retake up to 80. My kid is a sophomore and despite what people like to say about APS, rigorous classes do get hard and there are still kids in them who appear to be parent placed or I don't know what the deal is and why they are in these classes but they can't hack it and there are plenty of kids bombing tests. This is what my kid reports.

[Anonymous]

My kids heard that gradebook won't be kept open but tests kids could not retake will count towards third quarter. A week of no school is not great for getting ready for AP tests but I agree APS is unlikely to rush to reopen on Thurs since there is no school on Friday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids heard that gradebook won't be kept open but tests kids could not retake will count towards third quarter. A week of no school is not great for getting ready for AP tests but I agree APS is unlikely to rush to reopen on Thurs since there is no school on Friday.

Interesting. The hard-stop of the end of the semester is administrative. I’ve had a kid who was struggling and it was easy enough to delay entry of a final grade by a week. I think they (teacher or counselor) put a placeholder incomplete in the interim. This did not bring about an academic apocalypse. I’m pretty sure it involved pressing a computer key.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids heard that gradebook won't be kept open but tests kids could not retake will count towards third quarter. A week of no school is not great for getting ready for AP tests but I agree APS is unlikely to rush to reopen on Thurs since there is no school on Friday.

Interesting. The hard-stop of the end of the semester is administrative. I’ve had a kid who was struggling and it was easy enough to delay entry of a final grade by a week. I think they (teacher or counselor) put a placeholder incomplete in the interim. This did not bring about an academic apocalypse. I’m pretty sure it involved pressing a computer key.

For seniors, colleges are waiting on final first semester grades. APS is already later than most schools. So that is the only reason the timing matters