fcps 25-26 calendar

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do parents like the long summer? After about 6 weeks, my kids lose interest in camps! I find they are expensive and their schedule never really works for me (plus, I have several different kids at different camps so I'm running all over the place half the day!) I can't take that much time off work so I'm working all sorts of crazy hours to compensate.

But when I suggest doing something like the British system (4-6 weeks off a few different times a year), parents say they like the long summer. What is to like about it?

We use the swim club that we belong to a lot in the summer. We swim, take lunch or dinner, the kids play, and there are social activities. Why would people join for only 6 weeks?

Oh sweetie, you know those clubs are open in the evenings, right? Ours opens Memorial Day weekend and we go after school three times a week until school ends - the kids love it! And same in September - they are open evenings until mid-September (as long as the weather holds and they can find lifeguard staff) and it's so much fun on weekdays after school!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People suggesting multiple weeks long breaks throughout the year are delusional. How much in a bubble are you that you think everyone else has the time and money to travel during those times? Talk about inequitable. The kids whose parents can’t afford to travel need childcare and there is no one to staff it when college students are not available. Not to mention many teachers would hate this schedule. It would push even more of them out of the profession. Who wants to deal with re-acclimating a classroom full of kids after several weeks off multiple times per year? People here think only of their own families and situations. The school board’s biggest mistake was sending out a survey about the calendar. It makes something simple so overly complicated trying to “let everyone’s voice be heard”. Why we can’t just do things like every other school district in this part of the country, I don’t know.

Nah, most of my teacher colleagues either a) don't care, as long as their schedule mirrors their kids' schedules, or b) would prefer a shorter summer to eliminate summer brain drain and the chaos of the first month back. The first quarter stinks because it's so much review. Coming back from winter break is 30 minutes of reacquainting ourselves to rules and procedures and moving on.

As a secondary teacher, all I care about is getting my days in before the AP exams. Doesn't matter to me if they are full weeks or short weeks, as long as I have an equal number of days with A/B classes and they happen before mid may. June days are worthless, August days are great.

[Anonymous]

If we are starting in August, why aren’t we ending in May. I swear, public schools are so inefficient.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do parents like the long summer? After about 6 weeks, my kids lose interest in camps! I find they are expensive and their schedule never really works for me (plus, I have several different kids at different camps so I'm running all over the place half the day!) I can't take that much time off work so I'm working all sorts of crazy hours to compensate.

But when I suggest doing something like the British system (4-6 weeks off a few different times a year), parents say they like the long summer. What is to like about it?

We use the swim club that we belong to a lot in the summer. We swim, take lunch or dinner, the kids play, and there are social activities. Why would people join for only 6 weeks?

Oh sweetie, you know those clubs are open in the evenings, right? Ours opens Memorial Day weekend and we go after school three times a week until school ends - the kids love it! And same in September - they are open evenings until mid-September (as long as the weather holds and they can find lifeguard staff) and it's so much fun on weekdays after school!

Please don’t call me sweetie.

They’d be reducing the hours by a lot. People were already griping a bit when hours were reduced due to schools opening 2 weeks before Labor Day.

[Anonymous]

The idea that school should be based around the pool is crazy. But then, the idea that PUBLIC school should be based around RELIGIOUS holidays is equally crazy. There are probably more people celebrating swim relay carnival than celebrating Bodhi Day in fairfax county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If we are starting in August, why aren’t we ending in May. I swear, public schools are so inefficient.

How is it inefficient? There are 180 student days. You could cram them all together or spread them out, but they accomplish 180 days throughout the year either way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do parents like the long summer? After about 6 weeks, my kids lose interest in camps! I find they are expensive and their schedule never really works for me (plus, I have several different kids at different camps so I'm running all over the place half the day!) I can't take that much time off work so I'm working all sorts of crazy hours to compensate.

But when I suggest doing something like the British system (4-6 weeks off a few different times a year), parents say they like the long summer. What is to like about it?

I like long summers, especially now that my oldest is in HS.
Between vacation, swim team, pre-school band (or sports for others) practice the summer flies by.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People suggesting multiple weeks long breaks throughout the year are delusional. How much in a bubble are you that you think everyone else has the time and money to travel during those times? Talk about inequitable. The kids whose parents can’t afford to travel need childcare and there is no one to staff it when college students are not available. Not to mention many teachers would hate this schedule. It would push even more of them out of the profession. Who wants to deal with re-acclimating a classroom full of kids after several weeks off multiple times per year? People here think only of their own families and situations. The school board’s biggest mistake was sending out a survey about the calendar. It makes something simple so overly complicated trying to “let everyone’s voice be heard”. Why we can’t just do things like every other school district in this part of the country, I don’t know.

Nah, most of my teacher colleagues either a) don't care, as long as their schedule mirrors their kids' schedules, or b) would prefer a shorter summer to eliminate summer brain drain and the chaos of the first month back. The first quarter stinks because it's so much review. Coming back from winter break is 30 minutes of reacquainting ourselves to rules and procedures and moving on.

As a secondary teacher, all I care about is getting my days in before the AP exams. Doesn't matter to me if they are full weeks or short weeks, as long as I have an equal number of days with A/B classes and they happen before mid may. June days are worthless, August days are great.

Go talk to elementary teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People suggesting multiple weeks long breaks throughout the year are delusional. How much in a bubble are you that you think everyone else has the time and money to travel during those times? Talk about inequitable. The kids whose parents can’t afford to travel need childcare and there is no one to staff it when college students are not available. Not to mention many teachers would hate this schedule. It would push even more of them out of the profession. Who wants to deal with re-acclimating a classroom full of kids after several weeks off multiple times per year? People here think only of their own families and situations. The school board’s biggest mistake was sending out a survey about the calendar. It makes something simple so overly complicated trying to “let everyone’s voice be heard”. Why we can’t just do things like every other school district in this part of the country, I don’t know.

+1 except for the survey part.
They already knew what they wanted to do and built the survey so their "must dos" weren't even choices for people to vote on. There was no option in the survey to vote against the new religious holidays for instance.

re: summer - camps and longer sitter stints depend on the college kids being home. There is not enough labor to staff up camps at similar levels during non-summer periods of time. Also the HS kids that are willing to also work at camps in the summer would be less likely to do that on breaks throughout the year since they'd be more likely to want at least part of that time to decompress or do school work.

[Anonymous]

The idea that businesses wouldn’t find a way to adapt is amusing. If school suddenly became 3 days a week, they’d figure things out. When a snow day happens, camps magically appear. When there are teacher workdays, there are camps. They wouldn’t be staffed by out of state college kids, sure—but I can’t tell you the last time my kids went to one that was. They are staffed by adults (parents who want part time work mostly) and high schoolers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If we are starting in August, why aren’t we ending in May. I swear, public schools are so inefficient.

That was what was supposed to happen originally, when FCPS switched to an August start.

But then, they screwed it up.

[Anonymous]

School sports resume August 1st.

FCPS has made it very difficult for high school students to do summer programs, most of which start in early June. They have also eliminated most of summer vacation for the high schoolers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People suggesting multiple weeks long breaks throughout the year are delusional. How much in a bubble are you that you think everyone else has the time and money to travel during those times? Talk about inequitable. The kids whose parents can’t afford to travel need childcare and there is no one to staff it when college students are not available. Not to mention many teachers would hate this schedule. It would push even more of them out of the profession. Who wants to deal with re-acclimating a classroom full of kids after several weeks off multiple times per year? People here think only of their own families and situations. The school board’s biggest mistake was sending out a survey about the calendar. It makes something simple so overly complicated trying to “let everyone’s voice be heard”. Why we can’t just do things like every other school district in this part of the country, I don’t know.

The childcare cost/burden would be the same with a shorter summer and longer breaks. It's the same number of school days on and school days off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The calendar seems longer than when I was a kid… maybe by about 2-3 weeks? My memory isn’t great though. I wonder what teachers think of the shortened summers? That always seemed like the best perk of the job.

As someone whose DD starts with FCPS this fall...teachers are paid as contract employees based on days - usually 195-day contracted employees - they get paid once a month and have to ensure they budget correctly because they don't get paid the "summer" months. So this might have something to do with it. Although I also see it as a downside because they'd have less summertime to get a 2nd job which many teachers do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The calendar seems longer than when I was a kid… maybe by about 2-3 weeks? My memory isn’t great though. I wonder what teachers think of the shortened summers? That always seemed like the best perk of the job.

As someone whose DD starts with FCPS this fall...teachers are paid as contract employees based on days - usually 195-day contracted employees - they get paid once a month and have to ensure they budget correctly because they don't get paid the "summer" months. So this might have something to do with it. Although I also see it as a downside because they'd have less summertime to get a 2nd job which many teachers do.

Also - remember...not all of FCPS is UMC - there are many and probably a lot more now (we all know the woes of overcrowded schools) who are on free or reduced lunch programs and these students are the ones who truly suffer with extended summer breaks.