Proposed APS Calendar Policy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS parent who is VERY happy about the religious observance days, although I think there are too many conference / prof development days in the calendar, and would like to see the kids in school on Election Day since most of the rest of the world has to work then as well. About to go comment on Mary's page.

So everyone should get every religious holiday off; but you begrudge teachers their mandatory professional development days and parent-teacher conference days?

Let’s start by trimming the number of days teachers are required to be in school before the year starts.

Let’s have PD offered during the year based on what the teachers agree would be useful.

I'd rather have a week break in October for teachers to do ALL of their PD for the year. Done. Then put those scattered days back as school days throughout the rest of the year. But we've got to stop all these choppy part-time weeks. It's a PIA for everyone (except those who insist their kids need mental health breaks every week. That's what the weekends are for, folks! If your kids can't handle so much, maybe you shouldn't let them do so many extracurriculars)

What you want isn't important. At all. This is about what benefits teachers (and thus kids) the most

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS parent who is VERY happy about the religious observance days, although I think there are too many conference / prof development days in the calendar, and would like to see the kids in school on Election Day since most of the rest of the world has to work then as well. About to go comment on Mary's page.

So everyone should get every religious holiday off; but you begrudge teachers their mandatory professional development days and parent-teacher conference days?

Let’s start by trimming the number of days teachers are required to be in school before the year starts.

Let’s have PD offered during the year based on what the teachers agree would be useful.

I'd rather have a week break in October for teachers to do ALL of their PD for the year. Done. Then put those scattered days back as school days throughout the rest of the year. But we've got to stop all these choppy part-time weeks. It's a PIA for everyone (except those who insist their kids need mental health breaks every week. That's what the weekends are for, folks! If your kids can't handle so much, maybe you shouldn't let them do so many extracurriculars)

What you want isn't important. At all. This is about what benefits teachers (and thus kids) the most

Make the same response to everyone else who has cited their preference in this chain, have you?
And who are you to say that clustering days off and minimizing disruptions in the routine throughout the year would not benefit teachers and thus kids the most?

[Anonymous]

A week off in October rather than the scattered days would be AMAZING.

[Anonymous]

I would be less upset about all the random days off during the school year if Extended Day offered childcare on those days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would be less upset about all the random days off during the school year if Extended Day offered childcare on those days.

It’s not great for teenagers either. A lot of kids take the opportunity to party the night before holidays and during the day. No parents home and they’re smoking weed and who knows what else unsupervised.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would be less upset about all the random days off during the school year if Extended Day offered childcare on those days.

It used to. It was all at one school, so it wasn't as convenient or fun as regular extended day, but it was something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was an AEM post today detailing the 12 mos v 10 mos employee inequity. Just crazy this isn’t being covered by the press.

Also saw this posted online: https://www.gazetteleader.com/arlington/opinion/letter-aps-calendar-proposal-does-not-prioritize-learning-7471776

Oh that letter! It's from one of the notorious APEs. Now they are attacking religious minorities who finally got their holidays.

Personally my kids benefit from the holidays. They are appreciated as mental health breaks from a hectic intense schedule.

Ewww.

They still polluting APS education email lists with their ignorance and aggression. Zero self-awareness.

Yep APE just happened to conveniently share their letter on DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was an AEM post today detailing the 12 mos v 10 mos employee inequity. Just crazy this isn’t being covered by the press.

Also saw this posted online: https://www.gazetteleader.com/arlington/opinion/letter-aps-calendar-proposal-does-not-prioritize-learning-7471776

Oh that letter! It's from one of the notorious APEs. Now they are attacking religious minorities who finally got their holidays.

Personally my kids benefit from the holidays. They are appreciated as mental health breaks from a hectic intense schedule.

Ewww.

They still polluting APS education email lists with their ignorance and aggression. Zero self-awareness.

"The schedule doesn't prioritize learning!"

Wait, no, it doesn't prioritize the need for childcare. Or sobriety (only the OD happened during school):

"APS’s plan, however, persists with this policy, leaving working families to grapple with costly child-care alternatives during closures. Older students are also left unsupervised, a serious concern given recent student drug overdoses."

And we're concerned about teachers' incomes! Only not enough to pay them more!

"Moreover, APS staff deserve a traditional summer break. These unpaid religious holidays have shrunk summer break by a week, affecting teachers’ ability to supplement their income."

APE has always seen APS as childcare. It's the same old theme.

And I love how they feign concern for drug overdoses. Anything to make their point!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS parent who is VERY happy about the religious observance days, although I think there are too many conference / prof development days in the calendar, and would like to see the kids in school on Election Day since most of the rest of the world has to work then as well. About to go comment on Mary's page.

So everyone should get every religious holiday off; but you begrudge teachers their mandatory professional development days and parent-teacher conference days?

Let’s start by trimming the number of days teachers are required to be in school before the year starts.

Let’s have PD offered during the year based on what the teachers agree would be useful.

I'd rather have a week break in October for teachers to do ALL of their PD for the year. Done. Then put those scattered days back as school days throughout the rest of the year. But we've got to stop all these choppy part-time weeks. It's a PIA for everyone (except those who insist their kids need mental health breaks every week. That's what the weekends are for, folks! If your kids can't handle so much, maybe you shouldn't let them do so many extracurriculars)

What you want isn't important. At all. This is about what benefits teachers (and thus kids) the most

Make the same response to everyone else who has cited their preference in this chain, have you?
And who are you to say that clustering days off and minimizing disruptions in the routine throughout the year would not benefit teachers and thus kids the most?

Teachers here have said that they prefer to have PD scheduled to allow them to go into class the next day and start implementing what they learned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS parent who is VERY happy about the religious observance days, although I think there are too many conference / prof development days in the calendar, and would like to see the kids in school on Election Day since most of the rest of the world has to work then as well. About to go comment on Mary's page.

So everyone should get every religious holiday off; but you begrudge teachers their mandatory professional development days and parent-teacher conference days?

Let’s start by trimming the number of days teachers are required to be in school before the year starts.

Let’s have PD offered during the year based on what the teachers agree would be useful.

I'd rather have a week break in October for teachers to do ALL of their PD for the year. Done. Then put those scattered days back as school days throughout the rest of the year. But we've got to stop all these choppy part-time weeks. It's a PIA for everyone (except those who insist their kids need mental health breaks every week. That's what the weekends are for, folks! If your kids can't handle so much, maybe you shouldn't let them do so many extracurriculars)

What you want isn't important. At all. This is about what benefits teachers (and thus kids) the most

Make the same response to everyone else who has cited their preference in this chain, have you?
And who are you to say that clustering days off and minimizing disruptions in the routine throughout the year would not benefit teachers and thus kids the most?

Teachers here have said that they prefer to have PD scheduled to allow them to go into class the next day and start implementing what they learned.

Fine. Assuming they are actually ready to start implementing what they just learned the very next day, make PD days Mondays or Fridays, eliminate ER days entirely, shorten the winter break, stop providing "grade prep days" that extend breaks, and go back to a secular calendar with reasonable accommodations for individual religious needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A week off in October rather than the scattered days would be AMAZING.

+1. Please end the scattered days. A floating week in fall could be made to accommodate holy days in the Jewish calendar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A week off in October rather than the scattered days would be AMAZING.

+1. Please end the scattered days. A floating week in fall could be made to accommodate holy days in the Jewish calendar.

How? You think it's equitable for Jews to not celebrate their holidays on the holiday?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A week off in October rather than the scattered days would be AMAZING.

+1. Please end the scattered days. A floating week in fall could be made to accommodate holy days in the Jewish calendar.

How? You think it's equitable for Jews to not celebrate their holidays on the holiday?!

I think they mean the week off would correspond to when the Jewish holidays are that year. Like spring break generally "floats" according to Easter.
That said, I think correlating it to a specific non-majority religion really isn't the intent of the week off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS parent who is VERY happy about the religious observance days, although I think there are too many conference / prof development days in the calendar, and would like to see the kids in school on Election Day since most of the rest of the world has to work then as well. About to go comment on Mary's page.

So everyone should get every religious holiday off; but you begrudge teachers their mandatory professional development days and parent-teacher conference days?

Let’s start by trimming the number of days teachers are required to be in school before the year starts.

Let’s have PD offered during the year based on what the teachers agree would be useful.

I'd rather have a week break in October for teachers to do ALL of their PD for the year. Done. Then put those scattered days back as school days throughout the rest of the year. But we've got to stop all these choppy part-time weeks. It's a PIA for everyone (except those who insist their kids need mental health breaks every week. That's what the weekends are for, folks! If your kids can't handle so much, maybe you shouldn't let them do so many extracurriculars)

What you want isn't important. At all. This is about what benefits teachers (and thus kids) the most

Make the same response to everyone else who has cited their preference in this chain, have you?
And who are you to say that clustering days off and minimizing disruptions in the routine throughout the year would not benefit teachers and thus kids the most?

Teachers here have said that they prefer to have PD scheduled to allow them to go into class the next day and start implementing what they learned.

Fine. Assuming they are actually ready to start implementing what they just learned the very next day, make PD days Mondays or Fridays, eliminate ER days entirely, shorten the winter break, stop providing "grade prep days" that extend breaks, and go back to a secular calendar with reasonable accommodations for individual religious needs.

Boy, you just couldn't be more hostile to teachers, could you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A week off in October rather than the scattered days would be AMAZING.

+1. Please end the scattered days. A floating week in fall could be made to accommodate holy days in the Jewish calendar.

Weren't the holy days in September last year? I'm not sure that works. I would be okay with an October break--just extend the days off on the existing short week.

I would prefer that we follow the lead of FCC and just excuse anyone who is out for religious reasons. Right now there are too many breaks in weird places and some religions are being left out.