Why is fcps starting so early???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Way too many days off. But I like starting 2 werks before Labor Day. I just wish they would end during the first week in June. Nothing happens in June. Once people see June 1st on the calendar, they completely check out. So pushing more breaks/vacations into the school year and pushing the end date further into June is equal to taking away learning time.

A day in June is not equal to a day in August, October, January or March (or any other month). June days have very very little educational value in most fcps schools.

When fcps switched to a pre labor day start, ending in early June was the entire justification, along with more time to study for AP exams.

This school board somehow managed to screw up the calendar too.

2023 cannot come soon enough.

+1

But you can also blame all the people who filled out the calendar surveys saying they want Columbus Day, Veterans Day, the Wed. before Tgiving, TWO weeks at Christmas, MLK, a week for spring break, plus a bunch of teacher training days OFF.

It's the old adage about "you can't keep your cake and eat it too!" You can't take off all kinds of days during the school year and STILL end the year early.

I "voted" to end school in the first week of June. I'm happy to have the kids in school for various minor federal holidays and "only" 10 days off at Christmas. I think it would be more educational for kids to be IN school on MLK day, Indigenous Peoples Day (formerly Columbus Day), and Veterans Day. And we certainly don't need to be keeping kids out of school in a PUBLIC (non-sectarian) school for Yom Kippur, Diwali, Good Friday and Eid! If those are important days for you to celebrate among your religious compatriots, then take the day off from PUBLIC school. There is no reason everyone needs to stop learning because some people need to attend to religious events. And if it is really important to you --- consider a religious school where your holidays are everyone's holidays.

But, if a public school is going to stuff the calendar with all of those days off -- then the only way to get the minimum number of days is to start earlier and go later June.

I don’t know. That’s more on the survey itself. Of course if you ask “Would you like A, B and C” people are going to say “Yes to all”.

If you remember the survey, it did ask you to balance extra days off during the year versus a longer calendar. I prefer the extra days off during the year to a long summer break.

+1 This is what the survey did. I think some people just can't believe that there might be a majority of people who want something different than they want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Way too many days off. But I like starting 2 werks before Labor Day. I just wish they would end during the first week in June. Nothing happens in June. Once people see June 1st on the calendar, they completely check out. So pushing more breaks/vacations into the school year and pushing the end date further into June is equal to taking away learning time.

A day in June is not equal to a day in August, October, January or March (or any other month). June days have very very little educational value in most fcps schools.

When fcps switched to a pre labor day start, ending in early June was the entire justification, along with more time to study for AP exams.

This school board somehow managed to screw up the calendar too.

2023 cannot come soon enough.

+1

But you can also blame all the people who filled out the calendar surveys saying they want Columbus Day, Veterans Day, the Wed. before Tgiving, TWO weeks at Christmas, MLK, a week for spring break, plus a bunch of teacher training days OFF.

It's the old adage about "you can't keep your cake and eat it too!" You can't take off all kinds of days during the school year and STILL end the year early.

I "voted" to end school in the first week of June. I'm happy to have the kids in school for various minor federal holidays and "only" 10 days off at Christmas. I think it would be more educational for kids to be IN school on MLK day, Indigenous Peoples Day (formerly Columbus Day), and Veterans Day. And we certainly don't need to be keeping kids out of school in a PUBLIC (non-sectarian) school for Yom Kippur, Diwali, Good Friday and Eid! If those are important days for you to celebrate among your religious compatriots, then take the day off from PUBLIC school. There is no reason everyone needs to stop learning because some people need to attend to religious events. And if it is really important to you --- consider a religious school where your holidays are everyone's holidays.

But, if a public school is going to stuff the calendar with all of those days off -- then the only way to get the minimum number of days is to start earlier and go later June.

I don’t know. That’s more on the survey itself. Of course if you ask “Would you like A, B and C” people are going to say “Yes to all”.

If you remember the survey, it did ask you to balance extra days off during the year versus a longer calendar. I prefer the extra days off during the year to a long summer break.

+1 This is what the survey did. I think some people just can't believe that there might be a majority of people who want something different than they want.

The survey never asked if we wanted religious holidays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Way too many days off. But I like starting 2 werks before Labor Day. I just wish they would end during the first week in June. Nothing happens in June. Once people see June 1st on the calendar, they completely check out. So pushing more breaks/vacations into the school year and pushing the end date further into June is equal to taking away learning time.

A day in June is not equal to a day in August, October, January or March (or any other month). June days have very very little educational value in most fcps schools.

When fcps switched to a pre labor day start, ending in early June was the entire justification, along with more time to study for AP exams.

This school board somehow managed to screw up the calendar too.

2023 cannot come soon enough.

+1

But you can also blame all the people who filled out the calendar surveys saying they want Columbus Day, Veterans Day, the Wed. before Tgiving, TWO weeks at Christmas, MLK, a week for spring break, plus a bunch of teacher training days OFF.

It's the old adage about "you can't keep your cake and eat it too!" You can't take off all kinds of days during the school year and STILL end the year early.

I "voted" to end school in the first week of June. I'm happy to have the kids in school for various minor federal holidays and "only" 10 days off at Christmas. I think it would be more educational for kids to be IN school on MLK day, Indigenous Peoples Day (formerly Columbus Day), and Veterans Day. And we certainly don't need to be keeping kids out of school in a PUBLIC (non-sectarian) school for Yom Kippur, Diwali, Good Friday and Eid! If those are important days for you to celebrate among your religious compatriots, then take the day off from PUBLIC school. There is no reason everyone needs to stop learning because some people need to attend to religious events. And if it is really important to you --- consider a religious school where your holidays are everyone's holidays.

But, if a public school is going to stuff the calendar with all of those days off -- then the only way to get the minimum number of days is to start earlier and go later June.

I don’t know. That’s more on the survey itself. Of course if you ask “Would you like A, B and C” people are going to say “Yes to all”.

If you remember the survey, it did ask you to balance extra days off during the year versus a longer calendar. I prefer the extra days off during the year to a long summer break.

+1 This is what the survey did. I think some people just can't believe that there might be a majority of people who want something different than they want.

Are any surveys used for anything beyond (1) ignoring or (2) papering up decisions already made?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Way too many days off. But I like starting 2 werks before Labor Day. I just wish they would end during the first week in June. Nothing happens in June. Once people see June 1st on the calendar, they completely check out. So pushing more breaks/vacations into the school year and pushing the end date further into June is equal to taking away learning time.

A day in June is not equal to a day in August, October, January or March (or any other month). June days have very very little educational value in most fcps schools.

When fcps switched to a pre labor day start, ending in early June was the entire justification, along with more time to study for AP exams.

This school board somehow managed to screw up the calendar too.

2023 cannot come soon enough.

+1

But you can also blame all the people who filled out the calendar surveys saying they want Columbus Day, Veterans Day, the Wed. before Tgiving, TWO weeks at Christmas, MLK, a week for spring break, plus a bunch of teacher training days OFF.

It's the old adage about "you can't keep your cake and eat it too!" You can't take off all kinds of days during the school year and STILL end the year early.

I "voted" to end school in the first week of June. I'm happy to have the kids in school for various minor federal holidays and "only" 10 days off at Christmas. I think it would be more educational for kids to be IN school on MLK day, Indigenous Peoples Day (formerly Columbus Day), and Veterans Day. And we certainly don't need to be keeping kids out of school in a PUBLIC (non-sectarian) school for Yom Kippur, Diwali, Good Friday and Eid! If those are important days for you to celebrate among your religious compatriots, then take the day off from PUBLIC school. There is no reason everyone needs to stop learning because some people need to attend to religious events. And if it is really important to you --- consider a religious school where your holidays are everyone's holidays.

But, if a public school is going to stuff the calendar with all of those days off -- then the only way to get the minimum number of days is to start earlier and go later June.

I don’t know. That’s more on the survey itself. Of course if you ask “Would you like A, B and C” people are going to say “Yes to all”.

If you remember the survey, it did ask you to balance extra days off during the year versus a longer calendar. I prefer the extra days off during the year to a long summer break.

+1 This is what the survey did. I think some people just can't believe that there might be a majority of people who want something different than they want.

The survey never asked if we wanted religious holidays.

What did you think they meant by that question?

[Anonymous]

Because DC now has to have days off for religious holidays that we don't celebrate. But, not EVERYONE'S holidays are recognized. Just some . . .

And to clarify, I don't not care who celebrates what. But they should be treated as an excused absence that you make up like any other excused absence. Religion does not belong in public schools. Period.

[Anonymous]

Long summer breaks are terrible for knowledge retention. This schedule is a step in the right direction, but I wish summer break was even shorter, maybe 6 weeks, and we got longer fall, winter, and spring breaks. Same amount of days off, just scheduled to actually promote learning and not prop up vacation industries.

[Anonymous]

I like the calendar.

[Anonymous]

As a teacher I hate this calendar. All the random days off a terrible for keeping classes on a routine especially with A day/B day or other sorts of alternating day schedules.

[Anonymous]

Cuz they wanna get this shit over with asap! They hate their jobs! It's FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Since I spent my childhood going back to school in September in Europe, when the weather is already autumnal, I can never get my head around starting in August, and having a month of sweltering weather at school.

However this is how things are done here, and I suppose with climate change, it's all going to get worse weather-wise. Ugh. I need to retire in some Scandinavian country or Canada.

With the exception of recess, they’re sitting in AC all day. They’ll be fine.

If only this were true.

yes, the AC chugs along but things aren’t cool at the elementary school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher I hate this calendar. All the random days off a terrible for keeping classes on a routine especially with A day/B day or other sorts of alternating day schedules.

+1. Too many days off. Very annoying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My friends in Georgia and Florida have already started school.

But they got out May 25th

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Way too many days off. But I like starting 2 werks before Labor Day. I just wish they would end during the first week in June. Nothing happens in June. Once people see June 1st on the calendar, they completely check out. So pushing more breaks/vacations into the school year and pushing the end date further into June is equal to taking away learning time.

A day in June is not equal to a day in August, October, January or March (or any other month). June days have very very little educational value in most fcps schools.

When fcps switched to a pre labor day start, ending in early June was the entire justification, along with more time to study for AP exams.

This school board somehow managed to screw up the calendar too.

2023 cannot come soon enough.

+1

But you can also blame all the people who filled out the calendar surveys saying they want Columbus Day, Veterans Day, the Wed. before Tgiving, TWO weeks at Christmas, MLK, a week for spring break, plus a bunch of teacher training days OFF.

It's the old adage about "you can't keep your cake and eat it too!" You can't take off all kinds of days during the school year and STILL end the year early.

I "voted" to end school in the first week of June. I'm happy to have the kids in school for various minor federal holidays and "only" 10 days off at Christmas. I think it would be more educational for kids to be IN school on MLK day, Indigenous Peoples Day (formerly Columbus Day), and Veterans Day. And we certainly don't need to be keeping kids out of school in a PUBLIC (non-sectarian) school for Yom Kippur, Diwali, Good Friday and Eid! If those are important days for you to celebrate among your religious compatriots, then take the day off from PUBLIC school. There is no reason everyone needs to stop learning because some people need to attend to religious events. And if it is really important to you --- consider a religious school where your holidays are everyone's holidays.

But, if a public school is going to stuff the calendar with all of those days off -- then the only way to get the minimum number of days is to start earlier and go later June.

I don’t know. That’s more on the survey itself. Of course if you ask “Would you like A, B and C” people are going to say “Yes to all”.

If you remember the survey, it did ask you to balance extra days off during the year versus a longer calendar. I prefer the extra days off during the year to a long summer break.

+1 This is what the survey did. I think some people just can't believe that there might be a majority of people who want something different than they want.

I didn't poll everyone I know, but I and my two close friends chose the longer calendar on the survey. I am perfectly happy with this schedule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Long summer breaks are terrible for knowledge retention. This schedule is a step in the right direction, but I wish summer break was even shorter, maybe 6 weeks, and we got longer fall, winter, and spring breaks. Same amount of days off, just scheduled to actually promote learning and not prop up vacation industries.

My kids FCPS high school’s schedule for the last week of school was a huge waste of everyone’s time.
Dismissal at 11am, each day the last week. Imagine what teens get into when they’re cut loose at 11am every day during the last week of school.

The week before the last week was a 4 day week with Wednesday off. Wednesday.

Academy program buses stopped running 3 weeks before the end of the year. 3 weeks. If your kid relied on the bus because they didn’t have a car, they would just stay at their home school and sit in the library. Missing the last 3 weeks of their Academy class.

Massive waste and obvious that the school was just making the required yearly hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ROVA (the rest of Virginia) is already going back to school this week and next week.

And when is their last day of school? People need to stop posting about how schools further south are starting now. They get out early too! And I bet they don’t have off for everyone’s religious holiday.

This exactly. They aren’t off for Diwali.