Seriously FFX? why can't school start on Monday?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC started today (Monday)
Prince William starts 8/27 (Monday)

But not Fairfax. Let's start on a Tuesday to be a huge pain in the ass.

This is why I did not vote for the tax increase.

This.

Hello dummies!

Then teachers are allowed/required to have a certain number of training days (i.e. "teacher work days"). These are days when the kids are NOT in school, but the teachers are still working. When the calendar was created, the school board had to decide which days would be teacher work days. They decided it was more effective/useful (and less disruptive) to have one teacher work day PRIOR to school starting rather than having a random Tuesday in the middle of a month. The Monday before school starts is counted as a "teacher work day" that otherwise would have been a day off for kids during the school year. You, as a parent, would have had to find care for your child regardless of when it was scheduled. Be happy that your teachers are getting the time to learn and be ready to teach your children when they come to school. Look beyond yourself now and then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC started today (Monday)
Prince William starts 8/27 (Monday)

But not Fairfax. Let's start on a Tuesday to be a huge pain in the ass.

This is why I did not vote for the tax increase.

This.

Hello dummies!

Then teachers are allowed/required to have a certain number of training days (i.e. "teacher work days"). These are days when the kids are NOT in school, but the teachers are still working. When the calendar was created, the school board had to decide which days would be teacher work days. They decided it was more effective/useful (and less disruptive) to have one teacher work day PRIOR to school starting rather than having a random Tuesday in the middle of a month. The Monday before school starts is counted as a "teacher work day" that otherwise would have been a day off for kids during the school year. You, as a parent, would have had to find care for your child regardless of when it was scheduled. Be happy that your teachers are getting the time to learn and be ready to teach your children when they come to school. Look beyond yourself now and then.

\


Look beyond yourself? That's more than impossible for OP- they're the only person on earth who has limited vacation and didn't have 248 days to plan for childcare for next Monday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:why is there a teacher workday on Monday? School starts on Tuesday? Why can't they just be normal and even considerate to all the working parents and start school on a Monday??

What is your normal before / after care plan?

I only need after school care. We are on the waiting list for SACC. Our after school babysitter is not available all day because has college classes in the morning. I ended up taking the week vacation alone this week with the children. DH worked. When we get back on Sunday, DH will take Monday off to be with the children. There's no way, our employers would have approved vacation day for Monday after being off the previous week. Not sure why FCPS couldn't have the staff start a day earlier and opened schools on Monday.

You understand that the world doesn't revolve around you and your dismal lack of planning, right? Just think, folks...Some lucky teacher is going to be dealing with this parent all year long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:why is there a teacher workday on Monday? School starts on Tuesday? Why can't they just be normal and even considerate to all the working parents and start school on a Monday??

Teachers want to be ready for your child.

School ended in June. So they had 50 work days since then that they could have used to be "ready". But for some reason they had to use August 27 instead of (say) one of the days the previous week. Whatever...

Except teachers aren't paid in the summer, and most schools don't allow the teachers in the buildings during the summer until 1 or 2 weeks beforehand.

The first day we were allowed back was August 17. I asked to go in on the 16th but the building wasn’t ready.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:why is there a teacher workday on Monday? School starts on Tuesday? Why can't they just be normal and even considerate to all the working parents and start school on a Monday??

Teachers want to be ready for your child.

School ended in June. So they had 50 work days since then that they could have used to be "ready". But for some reason they had to use August 27 instead of (say) one of the days the previous week. Whatever...

Except teachers aren't paid in the summer, and most schools don't allow the teachers in the buildings during the summer until 1 or 2 weeks beforehand.

The first day we were allowed back was August 17. I asked to go in on the 16th but the building wasn’t ready.

Exactly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wish that elementary, middle, and HS in the same pyramid would coordinate Open House times. If you have children of different ages, you’ll really have to rush around to get to each school.

The problem might be with schools in different pyramids. Not all schools follow a perfect pyramid structure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish that elementary, middle, and HS in the same pyramid would coordinate Open House times. If you have children of different ages, you’ll really have to rush around to get to each school.

The problem might be with schools in different pyramids. Not all schools follow a perfect pyramid structure.

You do realize that each high school has 4+ elementary schools that feed into it, right? And perhaps 2-3 middle schools? Even if it is a pretty "direct" feeder HS, there are at least FIVE elementary/middle schools that have to have an open house? Do you really expect the HS to coordinate with all the ESs and MS? It doesn't take more than 15-20 min. to go to an ES open house and maybe 30 min. at a MS or HS open house (if you have to wait in line for a locker). You can't get this all done in 2 hours?

[Anonymous]

I would prefer after labor day because we can have a longer vacation. Please note that school is not childcare, the schools are not here to feed and watch your children, it's education. This is the irritating part, we have to supplement education out of pocket because schools have been forced into shelling out money for childcare needs.

[Anonymous]

Yes there is so much supplementing of education going on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish that elementary, middle, and HS in the same pyramid would coordinate Open House times. If you have children of different ages, you’ll really have to rush around to get to each school.

The problem might be with schools in different pyramids. Not all schools follow a perfect pyramid structure.

You do realize that each high school has 4+ elementary schools that feed into it, right? And perhaps 2-3 middle schools? Even if it is a pretty "direct" feeder HS, there are at least FIVE elementary/middle schools that have to have an open house? Do you really expect the HS to coordinate with all the ESs and MS? It doesn't take more than 15-20 min. to go to an ES open house and maybe 30 min. at a MS or HS open house (if you have to wait in line for a locker). You can't get this all done in 2 hours?

Our ES always checked with the MS and HS before scheduling. The MS checked with the HS before scheduling. This is the easier way. If it is a split feed then the ES checked with both MS and both HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't care what day of the week they start on, but I also really hate the combined open house/back to school night. It is so chaotic and why must every school have it at the same exact time on Thursday???

They don’t. Our Open House is on Friday and we have BTSN mid-September.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wish that elementary, middle, and HS in the same pyramid would coordinate Open House times. If you have children of different ages, you’ll really have to rush around to get to each school.

I'm in the SLHS pyramid, and have one in Elementary, Middle and High this year. None of the 3 conflict. I thought pyramids always coordinated on this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm the PP that wrote that parents like you are why I quit teaching public school.

According to FFX website, https://www.fcps.edu/news/fairfax-county-school-board-adopts-2018-19-standard-school-year-calendar

They announced that it would start on a Tuesday December 15, 2017. Since you love to count how many days for teachers- that was a whopping 248 days ago, and you didn't plan for care. Sounds like your problem, not theirs. Stop projecting your disdain for having to spend time with your children onto those teachers.

I love spending time with my kids and have taken four weeks off with my them this summer. I'll also take two weeks off for winter break. A random Tuesday starts is disruptive. I did plan for care--I'm taking the day off. That doesn't mean I have to like it. Having a combined open house and back to school night as implemented by my DC's school did not work well last year and there was feedback to that effect. Despite that feedback, teachers voted to keep that format. That's fine, but I won't bend over backwards for teacher breakfasts/lunches/teacher appreciation week....

[Anonymous]

I agree that open house and back to school night should be different days. Back to school night after your child has met your teacher works much better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:why is there a teacher workday on Monday? School starts on Tuesday? Why can't they just be normal and even considerate to all the working parents and start school on a Monday??

What is your normal before / after care plan?

I only need after school care. We are on the waiting list for SACC. Our after school babysitter is not available all day because has college classes in the morning. I ended up taking the week vacation alone this week with the children. DH worked. When we get back on Sunday, DH will take Monday off to be with the children. There's no way, our employers would have approved vacation day for Monday after being off the previous week. Not sure why FCPS couldn't have the staff start a day earlier and opened schools on Monday.

You understand that the world doesn't revolve around you and your dismal lack of planning, right? Just think, folks...Some lucky teacher is going to be dealing with this parent all year long.

You do understand that there are many working parents in a similar situation to the PP's, right? She took time off to spend with her kids and her employer would balk at another day off so close to a week long vacation. Many people have similar situations. The fact that teachers are so oblivious to working parents' need to work around ill-planed FCPS days off says a lot about the bubble they live in.