Next Year's School Calendar

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I actually think ALL religious holidays ought to be removed, including "Easter Monday" (which is not a thing).

Make religious holidays an excused absence and move along.

As for the so-called "operational reasons" for having YK and RH off, I'm calling BS. I've had kids in the MCPS system for a looooong time and substitutes are pretty much uniformly retired teachers, mostly African American. Yes, there are Black Jews. No, there is not a critical mass to the point that it would influence ability to get subs.

I don't think the operational argument is that the subs take off for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

That is exactly the argument a PP made. And I quote: "I'm sure you'll all be on here complaining when schools are open on Jewish holidays and there aren't enough subs in the system to cover all of the vacancies. Schools aren't closed on Jewish holidays for religious reasons. They're closed for operational reasons. Schools can't even fill all vacancies from the sub system on a regular day."

The PP is saying that the TEACHERS take off. When the teachers take off, then you need subs. And there aren't enough subs to fill in for the teachers taking off.

Hasn't your child ever had a paraprofessional or administrator or other teacher take over the class when the teacher was out, because the teacher couldn't get a sub?

[Anonymous]

French PP, I'm awfully tickled to find out that France is a place that has year round tourism or no actual tourism at all.

[Anonymous]

Another Catholic that thinks they should do away with all the religious holidays UNLESS there is an operational reason.

The school has to accommodate the teacher's religious observances, so if the demographics of the teaching staff mean that they will not be able to adequately cover classes on a particular religious holiday, it makes sense to have it off. It might be worth thinking about having those holidays double as teacher planning days --- and the teachers that can't use that as a planning day due to religious obligations could trade out a different day, for which they could get a sub in their classroom.

But I am concerned about the ability to cover classrooms during the Jewish holidays. A lot of my kids' teachers are Jewish, and most Jews do observe the two high holy days. Unlike Catholics, almost none of which still go to mass on Good Friday (and even if they do, mass is at 3:30 and there are churches all over MoCo, so they could leave school at 3:15 and still make it, in most cases). I think a PP that posted that there are not enough subs is correct -- my kids repeatedly tell me that they had to combine two classes (so 25+25 kids) into one because a teacher was out sick. If they have 10% of the teachers out because of a holiday, can they cover that with subs? That would be 1200 subs. Even if only 3% of teachers are Jewish, they would still need about 400 non-Jewish subs. Can they reliably pull that many on a particular day?

[Anonymous]

I think it is time for the school year calendar to be more in sync with working parents' calendar. Assuming the majority of people have off on federal holidays (I know not everyone does but possibly most?) - it would make sense for school closures to be limited to the fed holidays and nix the other religious holidays, professional days and long spring break.
This would benefit teachers as well - many teachers are also parents! Families need time to spend together. It is valuable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it is time for the school year calendar to be more in sync with working parents' calendar. Assuming the majority of people have off on federal holidays (I know not everyone does but possibly most?) - it would make sense for school closures to be limited to the fed holidays and nix the other religious holidays, professional days and long spring break.
This would benefit teachers as well - many teachers are also parents! Families need time to spend together. It is valuable.

No.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree that eliminating the Jewish holidays is a good option. We cannot possibly incorporate the holidays of all religions into the school calendar, so it would be best to eliminate as many as possible. MCPS has always been accommodating to students and staff who wish to take off for religious reasons. I hope MCPS will petition Governor Hogan to eliminate Good Friday and Easter Monday as mandatory school holidays, as well.

I like the calendar that eliminates those holidays and keeps Spring Break. All parties need a break at that time of year.

At least on the Jewish Holidays those that are Jewish go to temple and observe the holiday. "Easter Monday" is just stupid. I don't know anyone who goes to church or prays on this day. They need to get rid of that day on the state level.

[Anonymous]

Jewish teacher here, I hope parents are okay with teachers calling out twice in September. Even if MoCo board decides to make the Jewish holidays a full day of school, teachers and admin (including principals or other staff will be out).

Therefore, learning is unlikely to happen with subs.

[Anonymous]

I'm Orthodox, so losing the days in September would just mean I run out of personal leave and go into unpaid leave at the beginning of Sukkos instead of Shemini Atzeres. I'm in a position that works with students but doesn't require a sub, so as long as nobody gives me a hard time about the days off I have to take (and nobody ever has yet), I can't really complain. This is life if you're Orthodox.

But as has been said upthread, there is a reason MCPS has historically closed on those two days and it isn't because they want everybody to hear tekias shofar. If that operational concern has suddenly disappeared and there's data to prove it, then fine, but otherwise it seems like shooting themselves in the foot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Jewish teacher here, I hope parents are okay with teachers calling out twice in September. Even if MoCo board decides to make the Jewish holidays a full day of school, teachers and admin (including principals or other staff will be out).

Therefore, learning is unlikely to happen with subs.

It's absolutely fine for teachers to take personal days. It is the schools responsibility to have a reliable substitute list and/or a reliable support staff. Don't you take days off sometimes without worrying too much about whether the kids are learning in your absence? It's great that you are so dedicated but the kids do need to be able to function - and learn- when you are absent.
Signed,
A parent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it is time for the school year calendar to be more in sync with working parents' calendar. Assuming the majority of people have off on federal holidays (I know not everyone does but possibly most?) - it would make sense for school closures to be limited to the fed holidays and nix the other religious holidays, professional days and long spring break.
This would benefit teachers as well - many teachers are also parents! Families need time to spend together. It is valuable.

No.

No you don't want to have days off from work that the kids are off from school?

[Anonymous]

The same parents that like Hogans choice don't care that we have either 2 or 4 fewer school days over all and are the same parents that will be complaining that their kids will have to miss school so they get the whole Easter week in. Its just about priorities. If it the beach..you are a winner right now!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Saw a memo circulating. There are four different proposals, some of which cut Jewish holidays and Spring break.

Cut spring break?? No way.

Cut it completely? That will not happen.

It could be reduced to the Friday before Easter and the Monday after Easter, though.

We are in Charles County and they did this for this year. We are disappointed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm Orthodox, so losing the days in September would just mean I run out of personal leave and go into unpaid leave at the beginning of Sukkos instead of Shemini Atzeres. I'm in a position that works with students but doesn't require a sub, so as long as nobody gives me a hard time about the days off I have to take (and nobody ever has yet), I can't really complain. This is life if you're Orthodox.

But as has been said upthread, there is a reason MCPS has historically closed on those two days and it isn't because they want everybody to hear tekias shofar. If that operational concern has suddenly disappeared and there's data to prove it, then fine, but otherwise it seems like shooting themselves in the foot.

Orthodox people take off almost three WEEKS for the holidays (Rosh Hashanah through Shemini Atzeret)? I know no one who does this. Maybe my Orthodox family isn't really Orthodox. Also, Sukkot is 7 days long. They're talking about taking away 2 days. How does that move you from the end of the holiday to the beginning in terms of leave?

[Anonymous]

We didn't used to get a full week for Thanksgiving, but we always got a full week for Spring Break, which was combined with the Easter holiday. That's five days right there (M-W at TG and F/M of Easter). People want to travel on these holidays now, and that means the long weekends are less valuable than full weeks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I am person who posted the foreign - French - school calendar, with the shorter summer and longer breaks during the year.

I'm willing to be convinced there is an economic benefit to this new MCPS calendar which would outweigh the proven benefits of a more spread-out school year, but for now I'm not seeing it.

Longer fall, winter and spring breaks could be wonderful economic opportunities for tourism. France has beaches, lakes, cute countryside and mountains that are touristed during those times. I believe Maryland would use its beaches, lakes, countryside and hills to the same effect. The school-year breaks could also be wonderful opportunities for camps.

To answer the other PP with a question about secular and religious single days off : many of them are bunched up in May, due to French history, and that month is annoying.

The French public school system has longer school days that the American one, and teacher training usually happens outside of the students' presence in school, because duh - teachers have to be with their students on days the students are there. I was surprised to see all these professional days during the school year when we first entered MCPS. The French system has minimal disruptions for students compared to here, with the occasional exception that unions are very strong in France, and some teachers love to protest in the street (with or without their students!) whenever anyone hints at education change.

My point is that it's interesting to see how other countries do things. The fear that we're stuck with no good options is merely a sign that we haven't brainstormed enough. There HAS to be something better out there!

Curious, who will run these camps offered every 6 weeks year round? College students tend to run the summer camps here in America.