Why did I think the 23rd was a half day in MCPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if the people bitching about the long length of Christmas vacation are Jewish...who complains about vacation being too long? There is no other holiday of the year like Christmas and I hate that there is no time to enjoy the lead-up. The 26th and beyond are anti-climatic. I'd sacrifice some of the week between Christmas and New Years for more time to be with my family beforehand. I HATE that I do most of the preparations in a state of frenzy.

Maybe we should just stop having public schools altogether so that people can just take off whatever days they want to take off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if the people bitching about the long length of Christmas vacation are Jewish...who complains about vacation being too long? There is no other holiday of the year like Christmas and I hate that there is no time to enjoy the lead-up. The 26th and beyond are anti-climatic. I'd sacrifice some of the week between Christmas and New Years for more time to be with my family beforehand. I HATE that I do most of the preparations in a state of frenzy.

Any parent that needs to work and needs to scramble for child care.

If it is Winter Break, you are not scrambling for child care unless you dropped the ball the prior August. The dates were there well in advance (DCUM rumors to the contrary). Plan accordingly for next year.

No...PP was implying that no one would prefer a shorter vacation...well parents who have to figure out and pay for child care might not feel that the schools need to close for a family's "lead up" to Christmas time. It has nothing to do with notification.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I thought it was a half-day too.

BUT I decided to pull 10 year old DS out of school this morning anyway, when I heard he was going to watch movies and do nothing...

We are going to museums, and it will surely be more educational!

That's your son's crappy teacher(s). Not every fifth grader in the county is watching movies this week. Why not demand real instruction instead of further weakening the program by removing another child from the classroom? Makes sense that with 10% and more absenteeism, teachers don't want to have to reteach pre-Break material in early January. At least MS and HS classes can be given independent work to complete if they leave early.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I thought it was a half-day too.

BUT I decided to pull 10 year old DS out of school this morning anyway, when I heard he was going to watch movies and do nothing...

We are going to museums, and it will surely be more educational!

That's your son's crappy teacher(s). Not every fifth grader in the county is watching movies this week. Why not demand real instruction instead of further weakening the program by removing another child from the classroom? Makes sense that with 10% and more absenteeism, teachers don't want to have to reteach pre-Break material in early January. At least MS and HS classes can be given independent work to complete if they leave early.

PP, you make it sound as if it's 100% my responsibility. My responsibility is to my kid. I already voice my support for certain directions in MCPS policy, but if the teachers decide to show movies before Christmas, I prefer to spend those days relaxing with my son. Done.

[Anonymous]

A 6 hour movie?! Are you sure there was nothing more substantive planned in addition to a pre-vacation treat?

[Anonymous]

My MS kid had 2 tests today. Real work is definitely being done this week.

[Anonymous]

My MS kid is going on a field trip tomorrow - Newseum.

[Anonymous]

I am not sending my kids to school tomorrow. I won't complain about not having off (although it is strange we are the only ones) but I just won't send them. Instead we will be wrapping, making sugar cookie cut-outs, watching Christmas movies and going on a hike. Then the nutcracker at night. I took the day off from work too. It is our tradition of a guaranteed full family day.

[Anonymous]

Just curious if the people on here complaining about MCPS having 3 full days of school this week while other districts are off are the same ones who flip their shit over every snow day/professional day/half day that takes place outside of the winter break window.

Or is that a totally different group of people?

Whenever there's a snow day/professional day/half day there are people who adamantly feel as though school should not be closed or close early that day and they cite all sorts of reasons why their child should not be missing out on any instructional time due to snow/professional days etc.

But now I'm reading that many people (?) feel that school should be closed multiple days before the actual holiday occurs?

Unless you are not the ones who complain about other days off, aren't you talking out of both sides of your mouth?

[Anonymous]

Howard county also has a full day of school today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A 6 hour movie?! Are you sure there was nothing more substantive planned in addition to a pre-vacation treat?

PP is full of shit. Probably a movie or two is shown. But a full day of movies with a class of 10 year old boys is logistically not going to happen. Even with video gaming, they get up to move around frequently. Getting them to sit 45 min for a test is hard enough. A G rated movie they have probably seen 2 or 3 times? No way.

She should just be honest that she wanted the day with her son. No shame in that. But don't make it seem like other parents all over the county are content to turn their kids into DVD zombies this week. Plenty of kids are doing curriculum or valuable extra-curricular activities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Howard county also has a full day of school today.

Another reason I'd rather be like HoCo than PG or Frederick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just curious if the people on here complaining about MCPS having 3 full days of school this week while other districts are off are the same ones who flip their shit over every snow day/professional day/half day that takes place outside of the winter break window.

Or is that a totally different group of people?

Whenever there's a snow day/professional day/half day there are people who adamantly feel as though school should not be closed or close early that day and they cite all sorts of reasons why their child should not be missing out on any instructional time due to snow/professional days etc.

But now I'm reading that many people (?) feel that school should be closed multiple days before the actual holiday occurs?

Unless you are not the ones who complain about other days off, aren't you talking out of both sides of your mouth?

It's the "Show and Tell" Mommies who want the days before winter break off. Relatives and their friends from high school are here now. They NEED Larlo and Larlette home from school so they can dress them up cute and parade them. How can you show up your SIL or Suzy Smith Class of '92 if all you have to display is your lukewarm marriage and the house in not quite the right neighborhood?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am not sending my kids to school tomorrow. I won't complain about not having off (although it is strange we are the only ones) but I just won't send them. Instead we will be wrapping, making sugar cookie cut-outs, watching Christmas movies and going on a hike. Then the nutcracker at night. I took the day off from work too. It is our tradition of a guaranteed full family day.

If a hike and cookies is your priority fine. But I don't think it needs to be the school systems priority. It is the equivalent of going to Disney mid November for smaller crowds..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just curious if the people on here complaining about MCPS having 3 full days of school this week while other districts are off are the same ones who flip their shit over every snow day/professional day/half day that takes place outside of the winter break window.

Or is that a totally different group of people?

I wonder about that too. When MCPS closes, that's bad. When MCPS doesn't close, that's bad too. Basically, no matter what MCPS does, it's bad -- or so I infer from the posts on DCUM.