Ferebee email re adding school days because of snow

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think this is acceptable at all. My kids get “excellent” report cards (elementary) but it really tells me nothing. Since we don’t have any major issues we receive zero individual communication from the school and don’t have any chance to ask questions or speak to the teacher. The only time is during the 2 x a year conferences. What school system thinks it’s acceptable to do cancel parent teacher conferences like this?

And didn’t the kids only miss two days of school and trudge through the snow with all those late start times so there wouldn’t be snow make up days?

Why are you looking for issues if there don't seem to be any issues? DC parents, I swear. Try to find a hobby or something...or I don't know, get a life?

What a strange response. You don’t think a parent would like to hear more about how their child is doing? It doesn’t have to be bad stuff. Why can’t they hear their achievements? They might have some questions or concerns. They might like to discuss social and emotional learning or hear about their child’s strengths or something they’ve overcome or worked really hard at that year? Clearly a troll if you think wanting 15 minutes twice a year to discuss your children’s education is looking for issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A big part of the problem is this new federal holiday that falls right near the end of school and causes all sorts of headaches. Tuesday the 16th having no school isn't helping either.

So sorry that a holiday to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved peoples in our country causes you "all sorts of headaches"

Way to miss the point. This issie is we have a new holiday that makes scheduling the last day of school more difficult. It's not going anywhere, so this is a perennial problem we need to solve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think this is acceptable at all. My kids get “excellent” report cards (elementary) but it really tells me nothing. Since we don’t have any major issues we receive zero individual communication from the school and don’t have any chance to ask questions or speak to the teacher. The only time is during the 2 x a year conferences. What school system thinks it’s acceptable to do cancel parent teacher conferences like this?

And didn’t the kids only miss two days of school and trudge through the snow with all those late start times so there wouldn’t be snow make up days?

Why are you looking for issues if there don't seem to be any issues? DC parents, I swear. Try to find a hobby or something...or I don't know, get a life?

Laura Fuchs, is that you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think scrapping PTC without a concrete plan for how teachers will communicate with parents in lieu of the conferences is such a thumb in the eye to DCPS parents. It really shows how little they value the relationship with families and parents and don't view us as partners in education at all. Very frustrating for those of us who put a lot of effort into not only helping our own kids succeed but also supporting schools and teachers so that the entire community can succeed.

Our oldest started school during the Covid closures and I've never stopped feeling like DCPS would prefer that parents simply not exist. A weird choice for a system that actually has a lot of competition for students from charters, privates, and other area school systems.

It is also a thumb in the eye to teachers, who will have to conjure time out of thin air to hold conferences

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think scrapping PTC without a concrete plan for how teachers will communicate with parents in lieu of the conferences is such a thumb in the eye to DCPS parents. It really shows how little they value the relationship with families and parents and don't view us as partners in education at all. Very frustrating for those of us who put a lot of effort into not only helping our own kids succeed but also supporting schools and teachers so that the entire community can succeed.

Our oldest started school during the Covid closures and I've never stopped feeling like DCPS would prefer that parents simply not exist. A weird choice for a system that actually has a lot of competition for students from charters, privates, and other area school systems.

It is also a thumb in the eye to teachers, who will have to conjure time out of thin air to hold conferences

Right? Like this genuinely sucks for teachers too. As if the “existing communication structures” aren’t already stretched to breaking.

[Anonymous]

If they followed the original snow day plan the last day of school would be a Monday. Now we all know the “open schools and walk through the snow like they do in Siberia” crowd will be there because every day is important. But we know everyone else would skip Monday because it’s the last day and a waste or summer camps will have started. So they decided to use conference day instead, a day most students are likely to attend. Really DCPS bet on not needing two snow days when they made the original calendar. I wonder if the mayor considered the third snow day would be a Monday last day and decided to open school before they really should have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think scrapping PTC without a concrete plan for how teachers will communicate with parents in lieu of the conferences is such a thumb in the eye to DCPS parents. It really shows how little they value the relationship with families and parents and don't view us as partners in education at all. Very frustrating for those of us who put a lot of effort into not only helping our own kids succeed but also supporting schools and teachers so that the entire community can succeed.

Our oldest started school during the Covid closures and I've never stopped feeling like DCPS would prefer that parents simply not exist. A weird choice for a system that actually has a lot of competition for students from charters, privates, and other area school systems.

It is also a thumb in the eye to teachers, who will have to conjure time out of thin air to hold conferences

Right? Like this genuinely sucks for teachers too. As if the “existing communication structures” aren’t already stretched to breaking.

Then cancel the wellness day and reinstate PTCs. Unless, of course, that goes against the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If they followed the original snow day plan the last day of school would be a Monday. Now we all know the “open schools and walk through the snow like they do in Siberia” crowd will be there because every day is important. But we know everyone else would skip Monday because it’s the last day and a waste or summer camps will have started. So they decided to use conference day instead, a day most students are likely to attend. Really DCPS bet on not needing two snow days when they made the original calendar. I wonder if the mayor considered the third snow day would be a Monday last day and decided to open school before they really should have.

What’s weird is we’ve had years with snow days when they didn’t add make up days. Last year we had three snow days and they only added one make up day. The year before I think it was 2 snow days and they didn’t add any make up days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love that they kept the Wellness Day, but scrapped PTCs. (Eyeroll....) Way to keep accountability to an absolute minimum, DC teachers' union.

Can't wait until my DC heads to her older siblings' charter...

For the record, they didn’t ask the Union about this. If they had, I can assure you teachers would have either given up that wellness day or kept PTC. We now have to report to work on June 22nd….

I think you're wrong - the union would not have given up wellness day

I absolutely believe WTU would have given up a wellness day to avoid reporting on the 22nd. I don’t believe they would have given it up for PTCs.

No they would not. The most vocal teachers in the union never want to give up any days off. They also wanted school closed for a week after the snow storm. No way WTU gives up the wellness day.

[Anonymous]

I’d like to hear what the teacher union has to say about this. Agree it is going to suck for teachers too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love that they kept the Wellness Day, but scrapped PTCs. (Eyeroll....) Way to keep accountability to an absolute minimum, DC teachers' union.

Can't wait until my DC heads to her older siblings' charter...

For the record, they didn’t ask the Union about this. If they had, I can assure you teachers would have either given up that wellness day or kept PTC. We now have to report to work on June 22nd….

I think you're wrong - the union would not have given up wellness day

I absolutely believe WTU would have given up a wellness day to avoid reporting on the 22nd. I don’t believe they would have given it up for PTCs.

No they would not. The most vocal teachers in the union never want to give up any days off. They also wanted school closed for a week after the snow storm. No way WTU gives up the wellness day.

I think it would be unfair to take away the wellness day if that’s what it is designated as. Teachers might have already planned trips or family events. However I’m confused by the wellness day in general as it doesn’t seem to work well here. Why not add a day to Thanksgiving or some other holiday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d like to hear what the teacher union has to say about this. Agree it is going to suck for teachers too.

That’s their union’s fault. IOW their own fault. They can suck it up like the parents do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love that they kept the Wellness Day, but scrapped PTCs. (Eyeroll....) Way to keep accountability to an absolute minimum, DC teachers' union.

Can't wait until my DC heads to her older siblings' charter...

For the record, they didn’t ask the Union about this. If they had, I can assure you teachers would have either given up that wellness day or kept PTC. We now have to report to work on June 22nd….

I think you're wrong - the union would not have given up wellness day

I absolutely believe WTU would have given up a wellness day to avoid reporting on the 22nd. I don’t believe they would have given it up for PTCs.

No they would not. The most vocal teachers in the union never want to give up any days off. They also wanted school closed for a week after the snow storm. No way WTU gives up the wellness day.

I don't think it's about giving the day up or wanting schools closed. It's a long weekend a month out. A lot of ppl (this teacher included) have already planned and paid for travel over the weekend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d like to hear what the teacher union has to say about this. Agree it is going to suck for teachers too.

That’s their union’s fault. IOW their own fault. They can suck it up like the parents do.

Thank you for your helpful contribution to the conversation

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d like to hear what the teacher union has to say about this. Agree it is going to suck for teachers too.

That’s their union’s fault. IOW their own fault. They can suck it up like the parents do.

Thank you for your helpful contribution to the conversation

Why feel sorry for the teachers because of the cancelled PTCs?