Proposed APS Calendar Policy

[Anonymous]

I see that the policy says they will maximize the number of 5 day weeks when possible.

I hope this means aligning grade prep, training days, conferences, and early release to align with set holidays to also maximize 3-5 day weekends, even 2.5 day weekends.

The annoying part of mid-week days off is that nothing special happens. When holidays align to make a longer than normal weekend, families can visit relatives, go on trips, or do other special things and actually make it a restful break.

[Anonymous]

It's amazing how so many other school systems in the country are able to figure out this stuff. APS just continues to go down hill in a lot of different areas. It's sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my experience, APS doesn't teach anything in June, so we may as well end in May if we are starting mid-August. But my kid is a senior, so I can no longer get myself to care deeply about this stuff. Basically, though, they will not be learning anything as far as I can tell from here on out. Exams next week, then teachers are literally just filling time until the end of the year, which is a complete waste.

In contrast, my kid in Catholic school has exams literally on the last day of school, so will be learning right up until the end.

My kids' HS ends Memorial day and starts second to last week in August.

They don't have all those miscellaneous holidays. Only Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Presidents day, Winter break (it's been only 1-1.5 weeks) and a 10-day spring break. Very few days off--so they have the full month of June, July and most of August off.

I much prefer this then all the random days my kids had off in APS.

If the county does this--you will start seeing summer camps follow the new schedule. Right now my kids get a jump on summer jobs with everyone still in school until almost the end of June.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t mind the calendar since the breaks seem good for my kids. What I wish existed was an optional Extended Day camp for full days off. I would gladly pay 1 fee for coverage of all single day holidays. There could be a hybrid option for holidays and early release days.

I bet parents would pay for that even if it was at a central location for each section of Arlington. Like using ATS for ATS, Ashlawn, Tuckahoe, and Cardinal.

That would be amazing if there was an option for extended day over the breaks. I know lots of folks that would pay for that setup.

Fairfax does this! But their extended day program, SACC, is a separate entity, I believe. In APS, extended day is part of APS.

[Anonymous]

We would jump for joy if APS did more of a spring, fall, winter and then summer break with just federal holidays off. The amount of other holidays they are off is so disruptive. And, we are a family that technically celebrates one of the "other" religious holidays. We use to just pull our kiddos out if we wanted to, otherwise, they stayed in school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t mind the calendar since the breaks seem good for my kids. What I wish existed was an optional Extended Day camp for full days off. I would gladly pay 1 fee for coverage of all single day holidays. There could be a hybrid option for holidays and early release days.

I bet parents would pay for that even if it was at a central location for each section of Arlington. Like using ATS for ATS, Ashlawn, Tuckahoe, and Cardinal.

That would be amazing if there was an option for extended day over the breaks. I know lots of folks that would pay for that setup.

Fairfax does this! But their extended day program, SACC, is a separate entity, I believe. In APS, extended day is part of APS.

Oh interesting about Fairfax! Guess that's also why APS Extended Day is more unlike "Rec" or whatever it's called in Alexandria that is only around $500 for the full school year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I see that the policy says they will maximize the number of 5 day weeks when possible.

I hope this means aligning grade prep, training days, conferences, and early release to align with set holidays to also maximize 3-5 day weekends, even 2.5 day weekends.

The annoying part of mid-week days off is that nothing special happens. When holidays align to make a longer than normal weekend, families can visit relatives, go on trips, or do other special things and actually make it a restful break.

I saw this two, but its down around like principle #9, and it specifically says "when possible". I'm pretty sure that means, in practice, everything above it is going to take priority, and if anyone complains, they'll say they did their best to maximize 5-day weeks, but oh well.

[Anonymous]

With school starting earlier and earlier does the "need to be 5 years old by the end of September" still stand? Or do kids now need to be 5 years old by September 1?

[Anonymous]

Starting early makes sense. Ending late doesn’t. Very little learning happens in June, even in elementary schools. Many teachers stop teaching after SOLs and who can blame them. Students are burnt out. Less interruptions during the school year are better and we can definitely find a way to end a week early in June. Also holidays need to be planned better. Schedule teacher work days on these religious holidays. Have early release days scheduled right before one of the scheduled holidays. If you can’t schedule a teachers work day on a scheduled holiday then have the teacher’s work day the day before or day after. Instead of a wishy washy commitment to maximizing weeks where students go to school five days a week, let’s set that commitment in stone. And also let’s commit to ending a week early in June.

[Anonymous]

If we start earlier, we need to cut out the added holidays and get out when the rest of the schools with early starts get out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If we start earlier, we need to cut out the added holidays and get out when the rest of the schools with early starts get out.

What local schools with a early start get out earlier in June? FCPS does not.

[Anonymous]

Here are facts.

APS does not care what any of us think. It's all about what the teachers want and the teachers want to match FCPS. I had a School Board Member tell me this to my face when they moved to pre-Labor Day start.

The added religious holidays will only go away if FCPS gets rid of them.

We are basically an FCPS outpost in many ways. Same reason we have to close or delay when there is not a real weather issue in Arlington. Gotta follow FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here are facts.

APS does not care what any of us think. It's all about what the teachers want and the teachers want to match FCPS. I had a School Board Member tell me this to my face when they moved to pre-Labor Day start.

The added religious holidays will only go away if FCPS gets rid of them.

We are basically an FCPS outpost in many ways. Same reason we have to close or delay when there is not a real weather issue in Arlington. Gotta follow FCPS.

I think this is right and I wish they would just be more transparent about it. It’s obnoxious to ask for feedback when they aren’t going to listen to any of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here are facts.

APS does not care what any of us think. It's all about what the teachers want and the teachers want to match FCPS. I had a School Board Member tell me this to my face when they moved to pre-Labor Day start.

The added religious holidays will only go away if FCPS gets rid of them.

We are basically an FCPS outpost in many ways. Same reason we have to close or delay when there is not a real weather issue in Arlington. Gotta follow FCPS.

Yes, but at the same time, APS still somehow can't manage to match FCPS. If matching FCPS is the number one most important thing, why don't we just write a calendar policy that says FCPS calendar = APS calendar and call it a day? Instead we go through these contortions and still don't match.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here are facts.

APS does not care what any of us think. It's all about what the teachers want and the teachers want to match FCPS. I had a School Board Member tell me this to my face when they moved to pre-Labor Day start.

The added religious holidays will only go away if FCPS gets rid of them.

We are basically an FCPS outpost in many ways. Same reason we have to close or delay when there is not a real weather issue in Arlington. Gotta follow FCPS.

I think this is right and I wish they would just be more transparent about it. It’s obnoxious to ask for feedback when they aren’t going to listen to any of it.

I don't think it's always been like this - I'm a FCPS teacher with kids in APS - but I think now that they are starting plan calendars in increments of 2-3 years at a time, they are trying to align them. It makes sense - so many teachers live in other counties than where they work. To have different Spring Breaks, etc. like they did last year are a disaster.