Primarily for northern VA counties: Fix spring break to a stationary week!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's completely fine to align Spring Break with Easter. This is a predominantly Christian nation, so as a practical matter it makes sense to give a holiday when large numbers of people are likely to be off.

I mean, for Pete's sake, they now cancel school for Jewish, Muslim and Hindu holidays, and those are miniscule populations, except in certain clusters where there are higher concentrations of those populations.

Wow, WTF

They don't move an entire week off though for those holidays it's only the crazy notion to have spring break leading up to Easter that some counties in NoVA (and apparently MD) practice!

So what’s the problem? Are you upset that other holidays don’t have a long break attached, or you want a different spring break so you can ski or go to Disney off peak? GTFO.

Wouldn't you A prefer it after 3rd quarter every year (based on the aligned county whose 3rd quarter ends last) and B usually avoid peak travel and get the cost down?
Most Deep South schools tend to have March spring breaks since they end in May although Georgia tends to do the 1st week in April.
Northeast schools usually do the 3rd or 4th week in April but they start and end later then Virginia. The 2nd week of April guarantees all these counties are done with 3rd quarter and have a separate spring break from most other parts of the country.
I don't know how this ridiculous practice started in some of these North Virginia counties to float spring break based on Easter
(and pre-Easter week not post-Easter) but it is ridiculous!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's completely fine to align Spring Break with Easter. This is a predominantly Christian nation, so as a practical matter it makes sense to give a holiday when large numbers of people are likely to be off.

I mean, for Pete's sake, they now cancel school for Jewish, Muslim and Hindu holidays, and those are miniscule populations, except in certain clusters where there are higher concentrations of those populations.

Wow, WTF

They don't move an entire week off though for those holidays it's only the crazy notion to have spring break leading up to Easter that some counties in NoVA (and apparently MD) practice!

So what’s the problem? Are you upset that other holidays don’t have a long break attached, or you want a different spring break so you can ski or go to Disney off peak? GTFO.

Wouldn't you A prefer it after 3rd quarter every year (based on the aligned county whose 3rd quarter ends last) and B usually avoid peak travel and get the cost down?
Most Deep South schools tend to have March spring breaks since they end in May although Georgia tends to do the 1st week in April.
Northeast schools usually do the 3rd or 4th week in April but they start and end later then Virginia. The 2nd week of April guarantees all these counties are done with 3rd quarter and have a separate spring break from most other parts of the country.
I don't know how this ridiculous practice started in some of these North Virginia counties to float spring break based on Easter
(and pre-Easter week not post-Easter) but it is ridiculous!

I have taught in FCPS for 23 years, and except for last year, Spring Break has always moved with Easter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's completely fine to align Spring Break with Easter. This is a predominantly Christian nation, so as a practical matter it makes sense to give a holiday when large numbers of people are likely to be off.

I mean, for Pete's sake, they now cancel school for Jewish, Muslim and Hindu holidays, and those are miniscule populations, except in certain clusters where there are higher concentrations of those populations.

Wow, WTF

They don't move an entire week off though for those holidays it's only the crazy notion to have spring break leading up to Easter that some counties in NoVA (and apparently MD) practice!

So what’s the problem? Are you upset that other holidays don’t have a long break attached, or you want a different spring break so you can ski or go to Disney off peak? GTFO.

Wouldn't you A prefer it after 3rd quarter every year (based on the aligned county whose 3rd quarter ends last) and B usually avoid peak travel and get the cost down?
Most Deep South schools tend to have March spring breaks since they end in May although Georgia tends to do the 1st week in April.
Northeast schools usually do the 3rd or 4th week in April but they start and end later then Virginia. The 2nd week of April guarantees all these counties are done with 3rd quarter and have a separate spring break from most other parts of the country.
I don't know how this ridiculous practice started in some of these North Virginia counties to float spring break based on Easter
(and pre-Easter week not post-Easter) but it is ridiculous!

No, I would not. I don’t think the breaks should be calibrated so that I can save money on a trip, but rather aligned to holidays or known time of year when people travel to be with family, to avoid mass teacher and student absences. Since the majority of teachers and students celebrate Easter, it makes sense to me that Spring break is aligned to that holiday. I’m not religious, my kids aren’t raised in a faith, but we do travel to see family at this time of year because it’s a holiday that we celebrate with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's completely fine to align Spring Break with Easter. This is a predominantly Christian nation, so as a practical matter it makes sense to give a holiday when large numbers of people are likely to be off.

I mean, for Pete's sake, they now cancel school for Jewish, Muslim and Hindu holidays, and those are miniscule populations, except in certain clusters where there are higher concentrations of those populations.

Wow, WTF

They don't move an entire week off though for those holidays it's only the crazy notion to have spring break leading up to Easter that some counties in NoVA (and apparently MD) practice!

So what’s the problem? Are you upset that other holidays don’t have a long break attached, or you want a different spring break so you can ski or go to Disney off peak? GTFO.

Wouldn't you A prefer it after 3rd quarter every year (based on the aligned county whose 3rd quarter ends last) and B usually avoid peak travel and get the cost down?
Most Deep South schools tend to have March spring breaks since they end in May although Georgia tends to do the 1st week in April.
Northeast schools usually do the 3rd or 4th week in April but they start and end later then Virginia. The 2nd week of April guarantees all these counties are done with 3rd quarter and have a separate spring break from most other parts of the country.
I don't know how this ridiculous practice started in some of these North Virginia counties to float spring break based on Easter
(and pre-Easter week not post-Easter) but it is ridiculous!

No, I would not. I don’t think the breaks should be calibrated so that I can save money on a trip, but rather aligned to holidays or known time of year when people travel to be with family, to avoid mass teacher and student absences. Since the majority of teachers and students celebrate Easter, it makes sense to me that Spring break is aligned to that holiday. I’m not religious, my kids aren’t raised in a faith, but we do travel to see family at this time of year because it’s a holiday that we celebrate with them.

Certainly you'd at least want the 3rd quarter over! Good Friday is the only mass absence day not the entire pre-Easter week. Florida schools don't align with Easter, Georgia schools don't align with Easter, New England schools don't align with Easter all of those areas have a lot of Christians and they don't have a problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to convince Fairfax to do it. Arlington will follow whatever Fairfax does, and I'm sure most of the other counties will too

Fairfax DID do it last year (2022) and there was a high revolt because the other counties didn’t follow and teachers had different breaks from their own kids. FCPS came right back to the standard Easter break the following year. So your theory is wrong.

I think after that happened, the surrounding counties have realized that was a big mistake and are trying to coordinate. That will not happen again.

They clearly didn't since all of the school districts put Spring Break and Easter together before Fairfax finalized that painful calendar process.

Fairfax did it right, got no backup from the other districts, and had to relent.

Yeah, you don’t get backup when you start your process after everyone else finishes.

For the following year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's completely fine to align Spring Break with Easter. This is a predominantly Christian nation, so as a practical matter it makes sense to give a holiday when large numbers of people are likely to be off.

I mean, for Pete's sake, they now cancel school for Jewish, Muslim and Hindu holidays, and those are miniscule populations, except in certain clusters where there are higher concentrations of those populations.

Wow, WTF

They don't move an entire week off though for those holidays it's only the crazy notion to have spring break leading up to Easter that some counties in NoVA (and apparently MD) practice!

So what’s the problem? Are you upset that other holidays don’t have a long break attached, or you want a different spring break so you can ski or go to Disney off peak? GTFO.

Wouldn't you A prefer it after 3rd quarter every year (based on the aligned county whose 3rd quarter ends last) and B usually avoid peak travel and get the cost down?
Most Deep South schools tend to have March spring breaks since they end in May although Georgia tends to do the 1st week in April.
Northeast schools usually do the 3rd or 4th week in April but they start and end later then Virginia. The 2nd week of April guarantees all these counties are done with 3rd quarter and have a separate spring break from most other parts of the country.
I don't know how this ridiculous practice started in some of these North Virginia counties to float spring break based on Easter
(and pre-Easter week not post-Easter) but it is ridiculous!

I have taught in FCPS for 23 years, and except for last year, Spring Break has always moved with Easter.

All pre-Easter? Or some the week after if Easter was early?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's completely fine to align Spring Break with Easter. This is a predominantly Christian nation, so as a practical matter it makes sense to give a holiday when large numbers of people are likely to be off.

I mean, for Pete's sake, they now cancel school for Jewish, Muslim and Hindu holidays, and those are miniscule populations, except in certain clusters where there are higher concentrations of those populations.

Wow, WTF

They don't move an entire week off though for those holidays it's only the crazy notion to have spring break leading up to Easter that some counties in NoVA (and apparently MD) practice!

So what’s the problem? Are you upset that other holidays don’t have a long break attached, or you want a different spring break so you can ski or go to Disney off peak? GTFO.

Wouldn't you A prefer it after 3rd quarter every year (based on the aligned county whose 3rd quarter ends last) and B usually avoid peak travel and get the cost down?
Most Deep South schools tend to have March spring breaks since they end in May although Georgia tends to do the 1st week in April.
Northeast schools usually do the 3rd or 4th week in April but they start and end later then Virginia. The 2nd week of April guarantees all these counties are done with 3rd quarter and have a separate spring break from most other parts of the country.
I don't know how this ridiculous practice started in some of these North Virginia counties to float spring break based on Easter
(and pre-Easter week not post-Easter) but it is ridiculous!

I have taught in FCPS for 23 years, and except for last year, Spring Break has always moved with Easter.

All pre-Easter? Or some the week after if Easter was early?

Looks like they were all pre-Easter aligned even in 2008 (earliest Easter in our lifetime). These were a full month difference!
Spring break 2008 March 17-21 http://web.archive.org/web/20080607205913/http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/about/07-08cal.htm
Spring break 2011 April 18-22 http://web.archive.org/web/20110816214428/http://www.fcps.edu/DHR/employees/oec/pdfs/stcalendar10-11.pdf
What a dumb way to decide spring break. Looks like they don't want to admit it though but the pattern speaks for itself.
D. Spring Vacation
Spring vacation is a full Monday-through-Friday week for students and less-than-12-
month employees.
http://web.archive.org/web/20080509150826/http://www.fcps.edu/Directives/R1344.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's completely fine to align Spring Break with Easter. This is a predominantly Christian nation, so as a practical matter it makes sense to give a holiday when large numbers of people are likely to be off.

I mean, for Pete's sake, they now cancel school for Jewish, Muslim and Hindu holidays, and those are miniscule populations, except in certain clusters where there are higher concentrations of those populations.

Wow, WTF

They don't move an entire week off though for those holidays it's only the crazy notion to have spring break leading up to Easter that some counties in NoVA (and apparently MD) practice!

So what’s the problem? Are you upset that other holidays don’t have a long break attached, or you want a different spring break so you can ski or go to Disney off peak? GTFO.

Wouldn't you A prefer it after 3rd quarter every year (based on the aligned county whose 3rd quarter ends last) and B usually avoid peak travel and get the cost down?
Most Deep South schools tend to have March spring breaks since they end in May although Georgia tends to do the 1st week in April.
Northeast schools usually do the 3rd or 4th week in April but they start and end later then Virginia. The 2nd week of April guarantees all these counties are done with 3rd quarter and have a separate spring break from most other parts of the country.
I don't know how this ridiculous practice started in some of these North Virginia counties to float spring break based on Easter
(and pre-Easter week not post-Easter) but it is ridiculous!

No, I would not. I don’t think the breaks should be calibrated so that I can save money on a trip, but rather aligned to holidays or known time of year when people travel to be with family, to avoid mass teacher and student absences. Since the majority of teachers and students celebrate Easter, it makes sense to me that Spring break is aligned to that holiday. I’m not religious, my kids aren’t raised in a faith, but we do travel to see family at this time of year because it’s a holiday that we celebrate with them.

Certainly you'd at least want the 3rd quarter over! Good Friday is the only mass absence day not the entire pre-Easter week. Florida schools don't align with Easter, Georgia schools don't align with Easter, New England schools don't align with Easter all of those areas have a lot of Christians and they don't have a problem.

I really don't want Spring Break the second week of April! That sounds awful and March would feel eternal.

Anyway, its all moot until at least 2027. Loudoun is already set through 2026.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's completely fine to align Spring Break with Easter. This is a predominantly Christian nation, so as a practical matter it makes sense to give a holiday when large numbers of people are likely to be off.

I mean, for Pete's sake, they now cancel school for Jewish, Muslim and Hindu holidays, and those are miniscule populations, except in certain clusters where there are higher concentrations of those populations.

Wow, WTF

They don't move an entire week off though for those holidays it's only the crazy notion to have spring break leading up to Easter that some counties in NoVA (and apparently MD) practice!

So what’s the problem? Are you upset that other holidays don’t have a long break attached, or you want a different spring break so you can ski or go to Disney off peak? GTFO.

Wouldn't you A prefer it after 3rd quarter every year (based on the aligned county whose 3rd quarter ends last) and B usually avoid peak travel and get the cost down?
Most Deep South schools tend to have March spring breaks since they end in May although Georgia tends to do the 1st week in April.
Northeast schools usually do the 3rd or 4th week in April but they start and end later then Virginia. The 2nd week of April guarantees all these counties are done with 3rd quarter and have a separate spring break from most other parts of the country.
I don't know how this ridiculous practice started in some of these North Virginia counties to float spring break based on Easter
(and pre-Easter week not post-Easter) but it is ridiculous!

No, I would not. I don’t think the breaks should be calibrated so that I can save money on a trip, but rather aligned to holidays or known time of year when people travel to be with family, to avoid mass teacher and student absences. Since the majority of teachers and students celebrate Easter, it makes sense to me that Spring break is aligned to that holiday. I’m not religious, my kids aren’t raised in a faith, but we do travel to see family at this time of year because it’s a holiday that we celebrate with them.

Certainly you'd at least want the 3rd quarter over! Good Friday is the only mass absence day not the entire pre-Easter week. Florida schools don't align with Easter, Georgia schools don't align with Easter, New England schools don't align with Easter all of those areas have a lot of Christians and they don't have a problem.

I really don't want Spring Break the second week of April! That sounds awful and March would feel eternal.

Anyway, its all moot until at least 2027. Loudoun is already set through 2026.

Today is the start of summer vacation of LC but next year they have to wait an extra week and a day and in 2026 they have to wait another few days so both these calendars need other revisions anyways.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's completely fine to align Spring Break with Easter. This is a predominantly Christian nation, so as a practical matter it makes sense to give a holiday when large numbers of people are likely to be off.

I mean, for Pete's sake, they now cancel school for Jewish, Muslim and Hindu holidays, and those are miniscule populations, except in certain clusters where there are higher concentrations of those populations.

Wow, WTF

They don't move an entire week off though for those holidays it's only the crazy notion to have spring break leading up to Easter that some counties in NoVA (and apparently MD) practice!

So what’s the problem? Are you upset that other holidays don’t have a long break attached, or you want a different spring break so you can ski or go to Disney off peak? GTFO.

Wouldn't you A prefer it after 3rd quarter every year (based on the aligned county whose 3rd quarter ends last) and B usually avoid peak travel and get the cost down?
Most Deep South schools tend to have March spring breaks since they end in May although Georgia tends to do the 1st week in April.
Northeast schools usually do the 3rd or 4th week in April but they start and end later then Virginia. The 2nd week of April guarantees all these counties are done with 3rd quarter and have a separate spring break from most other parts of the country.
I don't know how this ridiculous practice started in some of these North Virginia counties to float spring break based on Easter
(and pre-Easter week not post-Easter) but it is ridiculous!

I have taught in FCPS for 23 years, and except for last year, Spring Break has always moved with Easter.

All pre-Easter? Or some the week after if Easter was early?

Yep, all pre-Easter. My older son was born in 2005 and we started going to the same place in Georgia every year in 2006. Some years it was cold, others it was hot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most public school districts in New England have spring break late in the spring and not tied to Easter week or any religious holiday. That might be due in part to the longer winters in New England.

Here in the DC area Spring Break used to be the week after Easter since Easter Monday was a holiday for most people at the time.

They also have a February break that we do not have .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's completely fine to align Spring Break with Easter. This is a predominantly Christian nation, so as a practical matter it makes sense to give a holiday when large numbers of people are likely to be off.

I mean, for Pete's sake, they now cancel school for Jewish, Muslim and Hindu holidays, and those are miniscule populations, except in certain clusters where there are higher concentrations of those populations.

Wow, WTF

They don't move an entire week off though for those holidays it's only the crazy notion to have spring break leading up to Easter that some counties in NoVA (and apparently MD) practice!

So what’s the problem? Are you upset that other holidays don’t have a long break attached, or you want a different spring break so you can ski or go to Disney off peak? GTFO.

Wouldn't you A prefer it after 3rd quarter every year (based on the aligned county whose 3rd quarter ends last) and B usually avoid peak travel and get the cost down?
Most Deep South schools tend to have March spring breaks since they end in May although Georgia tends to do the 1st week in April.
Northeast schools usually do the 3rd or 4th week in April but they start and end later then Virginia. The 2nd week of April guarantees all these counties are done with 3rd quarter and have a separate spring break from most other parts of the country.
I don't know how this ridiculous practice started in some of these North Virginia counties to float spring break based on Easter
(and pre-Easter week not post-Easter) but it is ridiculous!

No, I would not. I don’t think the breaks should be calibrated so that I can save money on a trip, but rather aligned to holidays or known time of year when people travel to be with family, to avoid mass teacher and student absences. Since the majority of teachers and students celebrate Easter, it makes sense to me that Spring break is aligned to that holiday. I’m not religious, my kids aren’t raised in a faith, but we do travel to see family at this time of year because it’s a holiday that we celebrate with them.

Certainly you'd at least want the 3rd quarter over! Good Friday is the only mass absence day not the entire pre-Easter week. Florida schools don't align with Easter, Georgia schools don't align with Easter, New England schools don't align with Easter all of those areas have a lot of Christians and they don't have a problem.

I really don't want Spring Break the second week of April! That sounds awful and March would feel eternal.

Anyway, its all moot until at least 2027. Loudoun is already set through 2026.

Today is the start of summer vacation of LC but next year they have to wait an extra week and a day and in 2026 they have to wait another few days so both these calendars need other revisions anyways.

If you think they are going to revise the final, publicized calendars, you must be new here.