FCPS Early Release Mondays

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will this fully eliminate the instances where classes have a standing sub one day a week for training/ meetings (which has been happening in my kiddos classrooms the last few years already)? Or is this lost learning time/ more routine juggling for the kiddos in addition to all that....?

Nope, this is completely different. These early release days are essentially for the reading trainings.

Yes. The state just mandated 32 ADDITIONAL hours of reading training on top of all the other stuff we have to do.

The state should pay for that instead of taking it out of existing instructional time. Way to go Glenn Youngkin - screwing teachers and students!

Aren't teachers supposed to learn this stuff in teacher college? Why do they need nearly a full week of training every year?

OMG. Are you dense? Google Virginia Literacy Act - teachers up until very recently were not taught the correct curriculum. I don't like Glenn Youngkin, but I 100% agree that literacy instruction in the U.S. has gone to shit over the past 30 years and only in the past 3 or so years as FCPS has pushed back towards phonics and the "science of reading" has childrens' ability to read become better. I have two kids in FCPS ES - one who was taught the Lucy Calkins way and has required a ton of tutoring to actually learn how to read and one who was taught using the Wilson method that is at grade level. I KNOW that teachers need to be retrained on the RIGHT way to teach children how to read. I just think the implementation of training (3 hour early release days) is all wrong. I agree that it's needed, I just don't like the way LCPS or FCPS are doing it.

This.

[Anonymous]

I'm sure parents with means (i.e. most of us here) can find a way to ensure that their children are learning during these days.

We will book tutoring during these early release days. It is not worth anyone's time to stress about this. Make a trip to the library and have your child work on a lego set.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish they would have done this on Fridays so we could get a jump start on the weekend.

They probably don't want the teachers to leave early for the weekend

Wouldn’t the training be mandatory for teachers? Why should this be a problem?

Given most parents who telework do so on Fridays, and parents who would want more family time would benefit from early Friday’s, I really see no justification in not doing this Friday afternoons.

So telework Monday

How does that work in the higher FARMs rate schools where parents are more likely to have jobs that require in person? I wish my kids were still young enough for me to enjoy these early Mondays

That comment is to parent complaining that they telework Friday so Friday early release would be better for them. For the rest of us without luxury to telework, we will use the school care and don’t have tolerance to hear others that have flexibility asking for even more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish they would have done this on Fridays so we could get a jump start on the weekend.

They probably don't want the teachers to leave early for the weekend

Wouldn’t the training be mandatory for teachers? Why should this be a problem?

Given most parents who telework do so on Fridays, and parents who would want more family time would benefit from early Friday’s, I really see no justification in not doing this Friday afternoons.

Are they not working when “teleworking”?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish they would have done this on Fridays so we could get a jump start on the weekend.

They probably don't want the teachers to leave early for the weekend

Wouldn’t the training be mandatory for teachers? Why should this be a problem?

Given most parents who telework do so on Fridays, and parents who would want more family time would benefit from early Friday’s, I really see no justification in not doing this Friday afternoons.

So telework Monday

Still doesn’t answer the question of why we’re addressing absenteeism in teachers by punishing parents. If the teachers will not show up for mandatory training if it’s held on Friday that is 100% a discipline/employee problem. Let the kids at least get a longer weekend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:WTAF is this. Do they not want our kids to actually learn? My 1st grader has done nothing for 2 weeks as it is. Along with 4 day weeks seemingly every other week. Reid is a joke.

Nope, it's not Michelle Reid's fault, this is 100% GLENN YOUNGKIN'S fault. He passed the law requiring additional teacher planning time. Look it up: VIRGINIA LITERACY ACT.

But but but....Glenn makes everything better lol. Nope!

Wrong. Fcps should drop all the non required fcps training nonsense and use the existing teacher workdays for the state mandated trainings. They did this to themselves but made a loop hole to count full school days, the attorney general should close the loophole on early release to force fcps to drop their silly not required training

Would love dropping the non-state required training as has been too much of that for a long time. FCPS pointing finger of early release days on state is hiding the ball that FCPS has SO much non-required training that puts on teachers already.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most school districts in VA are replacing their planned county training to ensure that the new state-mandated training this gets done on the exsisting teacher workdays.

FCPS has 14 (!!!) teacher/staff development days already on the calendar. Surely they can find a way to fit this training in there since most of the state is doing this.

+1. I am just reading the email sent on this and am furious. I cannot believe with the litany of teacher work days and no school days already built into the existing calendar that they cannot find teacher planning time. I absolutely hate FCPS and the lack of school time for the kids. The kids are never, ever in class. I just don't understand it. The county is clearly anti-working parents and ensuring that our children have zero time in school. I don't get it. And on Mondays no less. What a complete joke.

And looking at the calendar, FCPS already has at least 1 Monday off every month! Now we get to add another early release Monday. Seriously, what complete a-holes.

It’s all baby steps to 4 day school which will be justified as needed for teacher training, not enough teachers, not enough buses or bus drivers… but will still be 10000 days off so will be year-round school to get in 180 days

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Early release on Fri or late start Mondays are much better. Early release Mondays are the pits.

It sucks for parents, but this is the only way to get teachers to show up. Otherwise they'd just be taking long weekends.

That makes most sense. But sucks for parents so much. I wonder why they couldn't do full days, so we could at least plan a long weekend somewhere fun and educational.

We're going to take advantage and take long weekends. There will be NO learning on 3 hour early release days, none.

+1000

I hate to break it to you, but there's no real learning going on, period, because today's classrooms are so disrupted by maladapted students. Teachers constantly have to stop to correct behavior. Nice of you to think there's learning happening, though. It's cute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will this fully eliminate the instances where classes have a standing sub one day a week for training/ meetings (which has been happening in my kiddos classrooms the last few years already)? Or is this lost learning time/ more routine juggling for the kiddos in addition to all that....?

Nope, this is completely different. These early release days are essentially for the reading trainings.

Yes. The state just mandated 32 ADDITIONAL hours of reading training on top of all the other stuff we have to do.

The state should pay for that instead of taking it out of existing instructional time. Way to go Glenn Youngkin - screwing teachers and students!

Aren't teachers supposed to learn this stuff in teacher college? Why do they need nearly a full week of training every year?

OMG. Are you dense? Google Virginia Literacy Act - teachers up until very recently were not taught the correct curriculum. I don't like Glenn Youngkin, but I 100% agree that literacy instruction in the U.S. has gone to shit over the past 30 years and only in the past 3 or so years as FCPS has pushed back towards phonics and the "science of reading" has childrens' ability to read become better. I have two kids in FCPS ES - one who was taught the Lucy Calkins way and has required a ton of tutoring to actually learn how to read and one who was taught using the Wilson method that is at grade level. I KNOW that teachers need to be retrained on the RIGHT way to teach children how to read. I just think the implementation of training (3 hour early release days) is all wrong. I agree that it's needed, I just don't like the way LCPS or FCPS are doing it.

I also think they need to add this to the universities requirements for education majors. K-8 should have more, but High School requirements should also have some. Plus, add it to the requirements to be board certified.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Early release on Fri or late start Mondays are much better. Early release Mondays are the pits.

It sucks for parents, but this is the only way to get teachers to show up. Otherwise they'd just be taking long weekends.

That makes most sense. But sucks for parents so much. I wonder why they couldn't do full days, so we could at least plan a long weekend somewhere fun and educational.

We're going to take advantage and take long weekends. There will be NO learning on 3 hour early release days, none.

+1000

I hate to break it to you, but there's no real learning going on, period, because today's classrooms are so disrupted by maladapted students. Teachers constantly have to stop to correct behavior. Nice of you to think there's learning happening, though. It's cute.

Then doesn’t matter if days off or not then.

[Anonymous]

What are teachers learning during the rest of the days of professional development? Presumably they are also learning literacy so they could just shift that part to the state mandated learning? At this point, teachers are getting almost as much learning as the kids.

[Anonymous]

Did someone already answer in this thread- it says taking some of the built in snow days. So if use up snow days for ES, does this mean end of year HS and MS could end earlier than ES?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure parents with means (i.e. most of us here) can find a way to ensure that their children are learning during these days.

We will book tutoring during these early release days. It is not worth anyone's time to stress about this. Make a trip to the library and have your child work on a lego set.

This is the problem. Parents with means will be fine. I talk to and work with a lot of families that are struggling. They do not have the option to telework, as many are employed in jobs which require in-person, on-site labor. The result is that kids stay home alone and are unattended. This is a huge issue over the summers - which is already well documented and researched by most school systems - when kids have higher instances of drug use, arrest, pregnancies, and similar issues. I know DCUM only worries about the rich families and inconveniences but I find this move by FCPS to be a complete slap in the face to families that cannot pay additional $$$$ for more care when kids should be in school. FCPS needs to do their job. My clients demand that I do my job at work. Why can we not demand that FCPS do theirs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure parents with means (i.e. most of us here) can find a way to ensure that their children are learning during these days.

We will book tutoring during these early release days. It is not worth anyone's time to stress about this. Make a trip to the library and have your child work on a lego set.

This is the problem. Parents with means will be fine. I talk to and work with a lot of families that are struggling. They do not have the option to telework, as many are employed in jobs which require in-person, on-site labor. The result is that kids stay home alone and are unattended. This is a huge issue over the summers - which is already well documented and researched by most school systems - when kids have higher instances of drug use, arrest, pregnancies, and similar issues. I know DCUM only worries about the rich families and inconveniences but I find this move by FCPS to be a complete slap in the face to families that cannot pay additional $$$$ for more care when kids should be in school. FCPS needs to do their job. My clients demand that I do my job at work. Why can we not demand that FCPS do theirs?

Isn’t this a way that FCPS is doing their work at work? By providing teachers time AT work to DO work?

There’s a lot that needs to be accomplished when students aren’t in the classroom, but teachers don’t get time during the work day to do it. I’m comfortable saying 40% of my job needs to be done when I don’t have students in my classroom, but I’m given 30 minutes a day to do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure parents with means (i.e. most of us here) can find a way to ensure that their children are learning during these days.

We will book tutoring during these early release days. It is not worth anyone's time to stress about this. Make a trip to the library and have your child work on a lego set.

This is the problem. Parents with means will be fine. I talk to and work with a lot of families that are struggling. They do not have the option to telework, as many are employed in jobs which require in-person, on-site labor. The result is that kids stay home alone and are unattended. This is a huge issue over the summers - which is already well documented and researched by most school systems - when kids have higher instances of drug use, arrest, pregnancies, and similar issues. I know DCUM only worries about the rich families and inconveniences but I find this move by FCPS to be a complete slap in the face to families that cannot pay additional $$$$ for more care when kids should be in school. FCPS needs to do their job. My clients demand that I do my job at work. Why can we not demand that FCPS do theirs?

I agree this is an equity issue. It also puts more strain on the schools that have more working families because the letter promised that schools will occupy children until the usual time to go home. If more kids require that, those schools will have to find the staff to implement it.

Are there any full day Mondays this year? Many Mondays are off - the ones that aren't will be half days?