2023-24 draft calendar scenarios to be reviewed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At tomorrow's policy committee meeting:

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/CK7QGN6875DE/$file/Final%20221020%20PMC%202023-2024%20SY%20calendar.pdf

This document also has the results of the recent calendar survey.

This link is now broken. The agenda no longer has a document attached.

They revised the calendar graphics on the last three pages:

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/CKDJYM4F7A19/$file/221022%202023-2024%20Draft%20School%20Year%20Calendar%20Memorandum%20-%20UPDATED.pdf

The policy committee agreed to send all 4 scenarios to the full board to be discussed on the 25th. There was a suggestion that the 5-day weekend in February around President's Day be considered for more of the options. Perhaps in lieu of the 2-week winter break.

Thanks for the new link PP. In the past, when they thought about starting a full week earlier, they announced it the year before to give families time to plan. They did not announce it less than a calendar year out. If they want to start that much earlier, they should plan further ahead. Of course, the change did not happen last time because of the Hogan Ocean City order.

I don't really understand why C starts only 2 school days earlier, and yet ends 6 calendar days earlier. The June 18 end date, which they have put on Option D (the only one with the Monday before Labor Day start date) is too late, IMO. They should be shooting to end as close to Memorial Day as possible.

I am also not a fan of the extended Thanksgiving Break. For those of us who work, who takes a full week at Thanksgiving, and then another full week at the end of the year? The half days are enough of a pain.

Option C is Thurs. Aug. 24, 2023 through Wed. June 12, 2024, and Option D is Mon. Aug. 28, 2023 through Fri. June 14, 2024.

I want the one that starts the earliest. Ends the latest. Has 0 half-days. And none of these crazy two week breaks that nobody but teachers get.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At tomorrow's policy committee meeting:

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/CK7QGN6875DE/$file/Final%20221020%20PMC%202023-2024%20SY%20calendar.pdf

This document also has the results of the recent calendar survey.

This link is now broken. The agenda no longer has a document attached.

They revised the calendar graphics on the last three pages:

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/CKDJYM4F7A19/$file/221022%202023-2024%20Draft%20School%20Year%20Calendar%20Memorandum%20-%20UPDATED.pdf

The policy committee agreed to send all 4 scenarios to the full board to be discussed on the 25th. There was a suggestion that the 5-day weekend in February around President's Day be considered for more of the options. Perhaps in lieu of the 2-week winter break.

Thanks for the new link PP. In the past, when they thought about starting a full week earlier, they announced it the year before to give families time to plan. They did not announce it less than a calendar year out. If they want to start that much earlier, they should plan further ahead. Of course, the change did not happen last time because of the Hogan Ocean City order.

I don't really understand why C starts only 2 school days earlier, and yet ends 6 calendar days earlier. The June 18 end date, which they have put on Option D (the only one with the Monday before Labor Day start date) is too late, IMO. They should be shooting to end as close to Memorial Day as possible.

I am also not a fan of the extended Thanksgiving Break. For those of us who work, who takes a full week at Thanksgiving, and then another full week at the end of the year? The half days are enough of a pain.

Option C is Thurs. Aug. 24, 2023 through Wed. June 12, 2024, and Option D is Mon. Aug. 28, 2023 through Fri. June 14, 2024.

I am the PP and goofed on the date b/c I was reading the text on the chart, which, for Option D says the last day is the 18th. The graphic shows the 14th for students.

[Anonymous]

Given that so many standardized tests happen in May, it makes sense to start and end the year earlier. I can appreciate that families need ample warning though, and it may not be fair to do this next year.

I am pro February break and would love to see that implemented at some point. Also this doesn’t really address the issue of dead time in June, but I tend to favor more breaks during the year to longer summers. (So much learning loss.). But I’m not sure what is more inconvenient to working families?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At tomorrow's policy committee meeting:

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/CK7QGN6875DE/$file/Final%20221020%20PMC%202023-2024%20SY%20calendar.pdf

This document also has the results of the recent calendar survey.

This link is now broken. The agenda no longer has a document attached.

They revised the calendar graphics on the last three pages:

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/CKDJYM4F7A19/$file/221022%202023-2024%20Draft%20School%20Year%20Calendar%20Memorandum%20-%20UPDATED.pdf

The policy committee agreed to send all 4 scenarios to the full board to be discussed on the 25th. There was a suggestion that the 5-day weekend in February around President's Day be considered for more of the options. Perhaps in lieu of the 2-week winter break.

Thanks for the new link PP. In the past, when they thought about starting a full week earlier, they announced it the year before to give families time to plan. They did not announce it less than a calendar year out. If they want to start that much earlier, they should plan further ahead. Of course, the change did not happen last time because of the Hogan Ocean City order.

I don't really understand why C starts only 2 school days earlier, and yet ends 6 calendar days earlier. The June 18 end date, which they have put on Option D (the only one with the Monday before Labor Day start date) is too late, IMO. They should be shooting to end as close to Memorial Day as possible.

I am also not a fan of the extended Thanksgiving Break. For those of us who work, who takes a full week at Thanksgiving, and then another full week at the end of the year? The half days are enough of a pain.

Option C is Thurs. Aug. 24, 2023 through Wed. June 12, 2024, and Option D is Mon. Aug. 28, 2023 through Fri. June 14, 2024.

I want the one that starts the earliest. Ends the latest. Has 0 half-days. And none of these crazy two week breaks that nobody but teachers get.

Sounds like someone who uses the educational system as their personal babysitter rather than someone who actually cares about education. Good thing your way will never, ever happen

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At tomorrow's policy committee meeting:

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/CK7QGN6875DE/$file/Final%20221020%20PMC%202023-2024%20SY%20calendar.pdf

This document also has the results of the recent calendar survey.

This link is now broken. The agenda no longer has a document attached.

They revised the calendar graphics on the last three pages:

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/CKDJYM4F7A19/$file/221022%202023-2024%20Draft%20School%20Year%20Calendar%20Memorandum%20-%20UPDATED.pdf

The policy committee agreed to send all 4 scenarios to the full board to be discussed on the 25th. There was a suggestion that the 5-day weekend in February around President's Day be considered for more of the options. Perhaps in lieu of the 2-week winter break.

Thanks for the new link PP. In the past, when they thought about starting a full week earlier, they announced it the year before to give families time to plan. They did not announce it less than a calendar year out. If they want to start that much earlier, they should plan further ahead. Of course, the change did not happen last time because of the Hogan Ocean City order.

I don't really understand why C starts only 2 school days earlier, and yet ends 6 calendar days earlier. The June 18 end date, which they have put on Option D (the only one with the Monday before Labor Day start date) is too late, IMO. They should be shooting to end as close to Memorial Day as possible.

I am also not a fan of the extended Thanksgiving Break. For those of us who work, who takes a full week at Thanksgiving, and then another full week at the end of the year? The half days are enough of a pain.

Option C is Thurs. Aug. 24, 2023 through Wed. June 12, 2024, and Option D is Mon. Aug. 28, 2023 through Fri. June 14, 2024.

I want the one that starts the earliest. Ends the latest. Has 0 half-days. And none of these crazy two week breaks that nobody but teachers get.

Since teachers aren’t paid over the summer, two week paid vacations during winter and spring break are the same as what other salaried professionals enjoy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Given that so many standardized tests happen in May, it makes sense to start and end the year earlier. I can appreciate that families need ample warning though, and it may not be fair to do this next year.

I am pro February break and would love to see that implemented at some point. Also this doesn’t really address the issue of dead time in June, but I tend to favor more breaks during the year to longer summers. (So much learning loss.). But I’m not sure what is more inconvenient to working families?

I grew up with February break in private school and then 2 of my three kids also had it in private. It sucked if you didn’t have money to go somewhere warm.

[Anonymous]

I don't need a 2-week-long winter break, but I would like them to extend it to add on Friday Dec. 22 and Tuesday Jan. 2.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't need a 2-week-long winter break, but I would like them to extend it to add on Friday Dec. 22 and Tuesday Jan. 2.

+1. I would much rather add those two days off than have the full thanksgiving week off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't need a 2-week-long winter break, but I would like them to extend it to add on Friday Dec. 22 and Tuesday Jan. 2.

+1. I would much rather add those two days off than have the full thanksgiving week off.

This is a good suggestion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At tomorrow's policy committee meeting:

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/CK7QGN6875DE/$file/Final%20221020%20PMC%202023-2024%20SY%20calendar.pdf

This document also has the results of the recent calendar survey.

This link is now broken. The agenda no longer has a document attached.

They revised the calendar graphics on the last three pages:

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/CKDJYM4F7A19/$file/221022%202023-2024%20Draft%20School%20Year%20Calendar%20Memorandum%20-%20UPDATED.pdf

The policy committee agreed to send all 4 scenarios to the full board to be discussed on the 25th. There was a suggestion that the 5-day weekend in February around President's Day be considered for more of the options. Perhaps in lieu of the 2-week winter break.

Thanks for the new link PP. In the past, when they thought about starting a full week earlier, they announced it the year before to give families time to plan. They did not announce it less than a calendar year out. If they want to start that much earlier, they should plan further ahead. Of course, the change did not happen last time because of the Hogan Ocean City order.

I don't really understand why C starts only 2 school days earlier, and yet ends 6 calendar days earlier. The June 18 end date, which they have put on Option D (the only one with the Monday before Labor Day start date) is too late, IMO. They should be shooting to end as close to Memorial Day as possible.

I am also not a fan of the extended Thanksgiving Break. For those of us who work, who takes a full week at Thanksgiving, and then another full week at the end of the year? The half days are enough of a pain.

Option C is Thurs. Aug. 24, 2023 through Wed. June 12, 2024, and Option D is Mon. Aug. 28, 2023 through Fri. June 14, 2024.

I want the one that starts the earliest. Ends the latest. Has 0 half-days. And none of these crazy two week breaks that nobody but teachers get.

Since teachers aren’t paid over the summer, two week paid vacations during winter and spring break are the same as what other salaried professionals enjoy.

Don't know any salaried professionals that get 2 weeks at Xmas and Spring break. Think you have to work for the county, federal gov or a bank for that kind of slackness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't need a 2-week-long winter break, but I would like them to extend it to add on Friday Dec. 22 and Tuesday Jan. 2.

+1. I would much rather add those two days off than have the full thanksgiving week off.

Yes! Stop catering to working families and help the elite take their frequent European vacations and Caribbean getaways!

[Anonymous]

Ok so to summarize (and I hope mcps is reading):

Start on the normal day, end on the normal day.
Don’t mess with Thanksgiving, no two-week winter break but consider Dec 22 and Jan 2.
If you are able to align some days off/professional days to make a Feb break/longer long weekend that would be nice.
Reduce useless half days, consider having then be late start instead of early release

And we know you are adding extra systemwide closure days so central office and administrators get extra paid days off and we know this comes with a cost of paying essential employees who have to work anyway overtime while also giving yourselves extra paid vacation. I see you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wish they’d eliminate half days. They are a joke and a hardship for working families. Why not just combine these half days in some way or take the full day off. Enough already.

They can’t combine them. They need 180 days of school. The half days count as a day of school. So two half days count as two, a full day and a day off counts as one.

[Anonymous]

There are pros and cons to the various calendars.

It absolutely does not make sense to me to trade a week of summer for a week at Christmas. (Or Thanksgiving + a day in Feb) That does not actually add instructional days before May; it is just an earlier start. What makes sense is that if they start a week earlier, they end a week earlier. Full stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS is so clueless. Their first calendar option has school starting a WEEk earlier when the survey only had the option of starting “up to the 3 days earlier”.

I had many students miss the entire first week of school this year for vacations. Would be much worse starting a week earlier. It would be almost time for interims by Labor Day.

And if anybody complains about professional days, just remind them that the alternative is to hire more teachers so more planning time and PD can happen during a school day. I teach over 100 students but MCPS is only required to give me 27 minutes of planning time daily. I desperately need professional days to get anything done.

Interims are the fourth week of school.