Explain ridiculously early 2023/24 start date?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Random days off during a school year disrupt learning less than a longer summer.

No. As a teacher, those random days break into routine and instruction. Sure, there is learning loss in the summer, but to have loss you must first have gain. It is really hard to make progress when there are constant interruptions.

It is astounding how parents and the school board just do not grasp the importance of listening to teachers. Many teachers dislike the new calendar due to all the disruptions and the fact that it shortens summer by a week. There is no substitute for being done with a school year. Random days off are not as restorative as a longer summer. We are losing teachers left and right and instead of listening to them we are making the job increasingly less desirable.

And yea I know there are like two teachers here who say they like the new calendar blah blah blah. You are very much in the minority and you know it.

Agree! It totally breaks momentum to have a bunch of 3 and 4 day weeks. With block scheduling, having students on a Thursday and then not seeing them until the following Tuesday is really disruptive. Throw in all the testing (VGA, Reading/Math inventory, random screeners), sometimes I am only teaching content once a week to some classes during certain points of the year.

There are places in Virginia with more compact school years. Nelson County, VA started school this week and finish Memorial Day. They have a two week Winter Break and a week for Spring Break just like FCPS. Their semester ends the day before Winter Break.
https://www.nelson.k12.va.us/en-US

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Random days off during a school year disrupt learning less than a longer summer.

No. As a teacher, those random days break into routine and instruction. Sure, there is learning loss in the summer, but to have loss you must first have gain. It is really hard to make progress when there are constant interruptions.

It is astounding how parents and the school board just do not grasp the importance of listening to teachers. Many teachers dislike the new calendar due to all the disruptions and the fact that it shortens summer by a week. There is no substitute for being done with a school year. Random days off are not as restorative as a longer summer. We are losing teachers left and right and instead of listening to them we are making the job increasingly less desirable.

And yea I know there are like two teachers here who say they like the new calendar blah blah blah. You are very much in the minority and you know it.

+1000

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I’m loving the simplicity of National Presbyterian’s calendar! Wow!

https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1672929300/nps/p4j14aia0vs3orqcmpu5/2023-2024NPSMajorDatesCalendar.pdf

It’s a lot easier when you are a religious school and don’t have to accommodate more than one religion’s holidays.

The public school shouldn't be accommodating any religious holidays. And before someone drags up Christmas, it's far more than than a religious holiday in the US.

So you think we should accommodate only Christian religious holidays?

DP. I don’t think they should accommodate any religious holidays. I don’t care if they want to have school on Christmas, but the fact is that most other businesses take the day off (and it happens to be a federal holiday) so it will be hard to get anyone to come in on that day.

I'll just note for the crowd that Christmas isn't even a school holiday. Winter Break covers that week, but Christmas itself isn't celebrated.

The Jewish and Muslim holidays are explicitly religious holidays and should not be celebrated by the public school.

I'm fine with chalking up Xmas / Winter break for that reason but I think they should get rid of all religious holidays and stop pegging spring break to easter.

I grew up in the Bible Belt. Our spring holiday was not tied to Easter.

Same. Spring break should be tied to quarter end, PERIOD.

I agree with this, but the reason they tie it to Easter is to match up with surrounding counties which also tie to Easter. The teachers overwhelmingly wanted this because a lot teach in one district but have children in a different district. So if FCPS, Loudon, Arlington, ACPS all broke from Easter I think it would be supported. But I'm guessing we don't all end 3rd quarter at the same time.

My spouse is actually a teacher (career switcher) - and I said - you have to teach in FCPS so you have the same school calendar as our kids. So those people can cry me a river, LOL.

“Those people” represent about 40% of the teaching staff.

And some of that 40% are people who live outside of Fairfax county because they can’t afford to live where they work.

Fine - but thems the breaks if you don't work in the school district where your kids live - your breaks might not line up.

[Anonymous]

I hope whoever is commenting here on not liking the school calendar is NOT voting the same people in to the school board again. I don't like the calendar, and I am NOT voting for any incumbents in the next election.

[Anonymous]

Popped over here from APS board, same arguments going on there... that our calendar is all screwed up because we have to align with neighboring jurisdictions. Clearly nobody but admin and the school board in any of the jurisdictions like the way these calendars are, and everyone blaming everyone else for the jacked up calendars.

[Anonymous]

Boo! Terrible calendar and we are locked in for how many years?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Boo! Terrible calendar and we are locked in for how many years?

I mean they “set” the calendars for a few years in advance but I’ll be honest - with SB elections this year (right? Please say yes!) a future SB might decide to take a closer “look” at some of the upcoming calendars. Too late to do something about this year and probably next (24-25), but 25-26+ I think could still be on the table.

[Anonymous]

Early August start and late June closing. FCPS is clueless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Early August start and late June closing. FCPS is clueless.

Trying to please all the political groups with the holidays. Unfortunately, will religious holidays outweigh some of the other decisions that SB has made?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Early August start and late June closing. FCPS is clueless.

I’m not a fan of the calendar, but I wouldn’t say August 21 is “early August” or June 12 is “late June”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Early August start and late June closing. FCPS is clueless.

Trying to please all the political groups with the holidays. Unfortunately, will religious holidays outweigh some of the other decisions that SB has made?

This is exactly it. They have groups they are afraid to piss off because they are either running for re-election to the school board several or for statewide office. It’s not because they actually care about people feeling “represented” by having everyone stay home on days that have zero effect on logistical operations. They are pandering to these progressive groups so they can have their support on the next election.

I hope the Republicans put up some sane candidates, or the Democrats find people who aren’t so far left. I want this school board out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hope whoever is commenting here on not liking the school calendar is NOT voting the same people in to the school board again. I don't like the calendar, and I am NOT voting for any incumbents in the next election.

Amen. Are they finally up for reelection this year? Clean sweep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hope whoever is commenting here on not liking the school calendar is NOT voting the same people in to the school board again. I don't like the calendar, and I am NOT voting for any incumbents in the next election.

What real choice do we have? I’m not voting MAGA that’s for sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope whoever is commenting here on not liking the school calendar is NOT voting the same people in to the school board again. I don't like the calendar, and I am NOT voting for any incumbents in the next election.

What real choice do we have? I’m not voting MAGA that’s for sure.

1. So, you are voting for a ridiculous number of random days off--making kids go from mid-August to mid-June.
2. You are voting for people who have done nothing to improve academics.
3. You are voting for people who pander to the LGBQT lobby--without showing any sympathy or concern for the views of others. They do not even pretend to try to reach a reasonable compromise.
4. You are voting for people who think that it is perfectly okay for school staff (teachers,, counselors, administrators) to hide pertinent information from parents about sometimes risky decisions their children are making.
5. You are voting for a SB which approves paying big bucks to consultants who have little or no accountability.
6. You are voting for a SB who does not understand that "equity" means all the same treatment.
7. You are voting for a SB who throws money into programs that have no value and solve no problems.
8. You are voting for a SB that puts diversity--at any cost--over merit.

etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope whoever is commenting here on not liking the school calendar is NOT voting the same people in to the school board again. I don't like the calendar, and I am NOT voting for any incumbents in the next election.

Amen. Are they finally up for reelection this year? Clean sweep.

Yes but most of them aren’t running for re-election. https://ballotpedia.org/Fairfax_County_Public_Schools,_Virginia,_elections_(2023)

Only Meren, Frisch, and Anderson are running for re-election as well as Sizemore-Heizer who is running in her district (Braddock) where she is currently an AL member.