APS cutting instructional days from calendar

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has a calendar been recommended yet? It was supposed to have happened in November.

Yes.

https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/arlington/Board.nsf/files/C99PRJ65E025/$file/H-1%202022-23%20School%20Year%20Calendar.pdf
If link doesn's twork. Go to apsva.us and find it under the Board docs for Dec 2nd school board meeting. Click view agenda, scroll down to the calendar on the agenda and click there.

APS is aligning spring break with all the districts that have decided already. I wonder if FCPS will pull a last minute switch again.

FCPS is just starting to develop their 2022-2023 calendar.

Exactly. That's what happened this year, APS aligned to all the other districts because FCPS said they would have spring break tied to Easter and then they switched after everyone else finalized their calendar.

Oh, I see. Thanks. So really, it wouldn't be a last minute switch for next year after making the change last year. Maybe they are planning on having a fixed spring break in the future.

FCPS used to develop their calendar a lot earlier than this.

FCPS recently held a Zoom focus group for calendar input with whoever wanted to register and during the Zoom presentation they surveyed respondents on everything about the calendar. I’m pretty sure they will stick to the fixed week of spring break/uncoupling it from Easter (currently the 1st week of April) like this year. The only thing that could change that is teachers requesting this not happen if they live out of county and their kid would be on a different spring break schedule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a non-issue. APE is trying to make something out of nothing. Instructional hours are what count, not number of school days.

Eh, tell that to all the people who work jobs and have to find care on random Wednesdays.

That’s not what education is for. Sorry. Get a sitter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a non-issue. APE is trying to make something out of nothing. Instructional hours are what count, not number of school days.

Eh, tell that to all the people who work jobs and have to find care on random Wednesdays.

Teachers aren't being paid to be babysitters.

Don't start this silliness again. Of COURSE school is childcare. It's not pejorative. It's factual.

Nope. Sorry. Your kids are entitled to education. You are not entitled to daily childcare. DP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a non-issue. APE is trying to make something out of nothing. Instructional hours are what count, not number of school days.

Eh, tell that to all the people who work jobs and have to find care on random Wednesdays.

Teachers aren't being paid to be babysitters.

Don't start this silliness again. Of COURSE school is childcare. It's not pejorative. It's factual.

Nope. Sorry. Your kids are entitled to education. You are not entitled to daily childcare. DP

NP and yes, kids are entitled to education, so it’s pretty shameful for APS to cut instructional days.

Our children are also should be entitled to consistent, safe environments. Hasn’t this pandemic revealed that so many family lack a social safety net and the lack of equitable childcare disproportionately sidelines women and POC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm fine with fewer days if it was due to snow days (which have become all but useless). I'm not fine with starting early, ending just as late and having fewer days. Let them out earlier in June. It's ridiculous to stay in school so late when you are starting in August.

Yes, this! Fewer days? Fine. Then give the kids a longer summer. Or at very least a week off in October or February. Not tons of random days off mid week. Just start after Labor Day & end by Memorial Day. That’s what Maryland was doing a few years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm fine with fewer days if it was due to snow days (which have become all but useless). I'm not fine with starting early, ending just as late and having fewer days. Let them out earlier in June. It's ridiculous to stay in school so late when you are starting in August.

Yes, this! Fewer days? Fine. Then give the kids a longer summer. Or at very least a week off in October or February. Not tons of random days off mid week. Just start after Labor Day & end by Memorial Day. That’s what Maryland was doing a few years ago.

Yes! I grew up in NY and we would have a week off in February. It was great!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has a calendar been recommended yet? It was supposed to have happened in November.

Yes.

https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/arlington/Board.nsf/files/C99PRJ65E025/$file/H-1%202022-23%20School%20Year%20Calendar.pdf
If link doesn's twork. Go to apsva.us and find it under the Board docs for Dec 2nd school board meeting. Click view agenda, scroll down to the calendar on the agenda and click there.

APS is aligning spring break with all the districts that have decided already. I wonder if FCPS will pull a last minute switch again.

FCPS is just starting to develop their 2022-2023 calendar.

Exactly. That's what happened this year, APS aligned to all the other districts because FCPS said they would have spring break tied to Easter and then they switched after everyone else finalized their calendar.

Oh, I see. Thanks. So really, it wouldn't be a last minute switch for next year after making the change last year. Maybe they are planning on having a fixed spring break in the future.

FCPS used to develop their calendar a lot earlier than this.

FCPS recently held a Zoom focus group for calendar input with whoever wanted to register and during the Zoom presentation they surveyed respondents on everything about the calendar. I’m pretty sure they will stick to the fixed week of spring break/uncoupling it from Easter (currently the 1st week of April) like this year. The only thing that could change that is teachers requesting this not happen if they live out of county and their kid would be on a different spring break schedule.

I can't get the calendar slide (p. 5 I think) to load from the website. It freezes up. I can view the slides before and after, but not the actual calendar. It looks like it's sideways?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm fine with fewer days if it was due to snow days (which have become all but useless). I'm not fine with starting early, ending just as late and having fewer days. Let them out earlier in June. It's ridiculous to stay in school so late when you are starting in August.

Yes, this! Fewer days? Fine. Then give the kids a longer summer. Or at very least a week off in October or February. Not tons of random days off mid week. Just start after Labor Day & end by Memorial Day. That’s what Maryland was doing a few years ago.

Yes! I grew up in NY and we would have a week off in February. It was great!

As a skier I would love a week off in Feb and just a one week Xmas break.

[Anonymous]

Once again, APE is omitting facts to make it fit their narrative. The state says 180 days or 990 instructional hours but it is the instructional hours that matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Once again, APE is omitting facts to make it fit their narrative. The state says 180 days or 990 instructional hours but it is the instructional hours that matter.

How are they omitting facts? They say exactly that in the newsletter? The point is this a cut from pre-pandemic calendar and kids desperately need more time in school. You know how you make up learning losses? More time in the classroom!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm fine with fewer days if it was due to snow days (which have become all but useless). I'm not fine with starting early, ending just as late and having fewer days. Let them out earlier in June. It's ridiculous to stay in school so late when you are starting in August.

Yes, this! Fewer days? Fine. Then give the kids a longer summer. Or at very least a week off in October or February. Not tons of random days off mid week. Just start after Labor Day & end by Memorial Day. That’s what Maryland was doing a few years ago.

Yes! I grew up in NY and we would have a week off in February. It was great!

As a skier I would love a week off in Feb and just a one week Xmas break.

Privilege 👆🏼

Of course school is not daycare, but until employers are more flexible with parents, the less random half days and middle of the week days off children have the better for the entire community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has a calendar been recommended yet? It was supposed to have happened in November.

Yes.

https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/arlington/Board.nsf/files/C99PRJ65E025/$file/H-1%202022-23%20School%20Year%20Calendar.pdf
If link doesn's twork. Go to apsva.us and find it under the Board docs for Dec 2nd school board meeting. Click view agenda, scroll down to the calendar on the agenda and click there.

APS is aligning spring break with all the districts that have decided already. I wonder if FCPS will pull a last minute switch again.

FCPS is just starting to develop their 2022-2023 calendar.

Exactly. That's what happened this year, APS aligned to all the other districts because FCPS said they would have spring break tied to Easter and then they switched after everyone else finalized their calendar.

Oh, I see. Thanks. So really, it wouldn't be a last minute switch for next year after making the change last year. Maybe they are planning on having a fixed spring break in the future.

FCPS used to develop their calendar a lot earlier than this.

FCPS recently held a Zoom focus group for calendar input with whoever wanted to register and during the Zoom presentation they surveyed respondents on everything about the calendar. I’m pretty sure they will stick to the fixed week of spring break/uncoupling it from Easter (currently the 1st week of April) like this year. The only thing that could change that is teachers requesting this not happen if they live out of county and their kid would be on a different spring break schedule.

Surveys have gone out to FCPS staff about Spring Break this year and if they will have to take off another week because their kids are in neighboring districts. The number who answered yes was quite high for teachers and staff saying yes, so it will be interesting to see what happens considering we already have a stub shortage.

[Anonymous]

I always thought 180 days was a federal requirement for funding, not a state requirement. Huh.

I find the APS proposal frustrating because it feels like the administration is advocating for doing the bare minimum at a time when students need more instruction, not less. Why are they looking for loopholes to do even less for students? If teachers are stressed they should be asking for more supports to get their job done, not ways to offer less instruction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Of course school is not daycare, but until employers are more flexible with parents, the less random half days and middle of the week days off children have the better for the entire community.

Yes, the U.S. needs to provide a better social safety net, including reliable, affordable childcare for families that need it.

But we need to stop demanding that teachers step in every time society fails.

Tell Arlington County to provide camps. Work with your neighbors to take turns dealing with days when school is closed. Stop telling teachers to babysit your kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has a calendar been recommended yet? It was supposed to have happened in November.

Yes.

https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/arlington/Board.nsf/files/C99PRJ65E025/$file/H-1%202022-23%20School%20Year%20Calendar.pdf
If link doesn's twork. Go to apsva.us and find it under the Board docs for Dec 2nd school board meeting. Click view agenda, scroll down to the calendar on the agenda and click there.

APS is aligning spring break with all the districts that have decided already. I wonder if FCPS will pull a last minute switch again.

FCPS is just starting to develop their 2022-2023 calendar.

Exactly. That's what happened this year, APS aligned to all the other districts because FCPS said they would have spring break tied to Easter and then they switched after everyone else finalized their calendar.

Oh, I see. Thanks. So really, it wouldn't be a last minute switch for next year after making the change last year. Maybe they are planning on having a fixed spring break in the future.

FCPS used to develop their calendar a lot earlier than this.

FCPS recently held a Zoom focus group for calendar input with whoever wanted to register and during the Zoom presentation they surveyed respondents on everything about the calendar. I’m pretty sure they will stick to the fixed week of spring break/uncoupling it from Easter (currently the 1st week of April) like this year. The only thing that could change that is teachers requesting this not happen if they live out of county and their kid would be on a different spring break schedule.

Surveys have gone out to FCPS staff about Spring Break this year and if they will have to take off another week because their kids are in neighboring districts. The number who answered yes was quite high for teachers and staff saying yes, so it will be interesting to see what happens considering we already have a stub shortage.

“Yes” to keeping the fixed week? Is that what you mean? We both teach for FCPS and that’s what we answered.