Will the school year end?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why we don't get back unused snow days that were built into the calendar. We had 5 days built in. Why don't the move the year-end date up 5 days since they were not used.

We live in Charles County, MD and this is what we did this year. We got back five days. School ends next Thursday! YAY!

Catholic schools (at least the one my kids go to) also back the un-used snow days. School is out next Thursday.

The schools could at least do half days the last week.

A week of half-days would be a major pain to deal with for working parents.

At that point you might as well end school. Kids show up for 1 hr in the classroom, eat lunch at 1015am , then dismissed?

They have extra hours banked that they could use to reduce the last week for students. Do high schools do half days the last week?

No wonder people don’t want to teach elementary.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:This is why the calendars don't make sense. These are days that supposedly count towards the legal requirement but yet everyone knows that everyone is checked out. If FCPS cared about education, this wouldn't be happening. We need to have more full weeks during/before SOLs when actual instruction is happening and have the summer start earlier. No one wants to be in school in June. These days shouldn't and don't count.

Actually, what should happen is whole year schooling - there should be no 2+ months off in the summer, have school be year round and have more breaks throughout the year.

No thanks! We love out summers.

You'd still get a month in the summer but longer breaks throughout the year and throw in some more 4 day weeks.

Having the whole summer off it an antiquated vestige of slower times that are now long gone, time to move on and improve the model.

Then move somewhere that offers it. Or enroll your kids in a year round school so you can get less time with your kids. Don’t force it upon all of us. I chose my job to get the summer off with my kid and they are already slowly taking it away. Soon, I’ll just quit. What’s the point if my benefit of summer off is taken away? I can work somewhere else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why the calendars don't make sense. These are days that supposedly count towards the legal requirement but yet everyone knows that everyone is checked out. If FCPS cared about education, this wouldn't be happening. We need to have more full weeks during/before SOLs when actual instruction is happening and have the summer start earlier. No one wants to be in school in June. These days shouldn't and don't count.

Actually, what should happen is whole year schooling - there should be no 2+ months off in the summer, have school be year round and have more breaks throughout the year.

No thanks! We love out summers.

+1 Our much needed summers.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Guessing PPs have ES students?

It’s worse in HS. Seniors have been done with school since mid-May and many schools begin an “internship” program and seniors don’t even come into the school building. The program is called by different names but seniors are to spend the time interning or volunteering-basically a free play thing.

My HS junior was thrilled to have use of a graduating senior’s parking pass to park in the school lot. Check out your HS - parking lots aren’t full.

Kept my student home yesterday to visit with a family friend.

I interviewed at a high school earlier this week in the middle of the day, and I was shocked how many parking spaces were open in the parking lot.

Are they getting in their required days/minutes?

In the ES we are repeatedly told that instruction needs to continue through the end of the school year and that our classroom should look “normal” through a certain date. My admin won’t even let us start packing anything (that they know of at least) until June 14. The list of things that need to be done before the end of the SY (in addition to grades) is a bit overwhelming.

Such a crappy profession. Im packing don't care.

Yes our end of year checklist is HUGE plus report cards.

I’m still teaching but the kids are DONE. Behaviors are worse and it’s unpleasant.

Same. Teaching and trying to complete DSAs, PRFs and record that info in spreadsheets just as an example. Progress Reports? Ugh. Don’t get me started about trying to complete those.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Guessing PPs have ES students?

It’s worse in HS. Seniors have been done with school since mid-May and many schools begin an “internship” program and seniors don’t even come into the school building. The program is called by different names but seniors are to spend the time interning or volunteering-basically a free play thing.

My HS junior was thrilled to have use of a graduating senior’s parking pass to park in the school lot. Check out your HS - parking lots aren’t full.

Kept my student home yesterday to visit with a family friend.

I interviewed at a high school earlier this week in the middle of the day, and I was shocked how many parking spaces were open in the parking lot.

Are they getting in their required days/minutes?

In the ES we are repeatedly told that instruction needs to continue through the end of the school year and that our classroom should look “normal” through a certain date. My admin won’t even let us start packing anything (that they know of at least) until June 14. The list of things that need to be done before the end of the SY (in addition to grades) is a bit overwhelming.

Such a crappy profession. Im packing don't care.

Yes our end of year checklist is HUGE plus report cards.

I’m still teaching but the kids are DONE. Behaviors are worse and it’s unpleasant.

Same. Teaching and trying to complete DSAs, PRFs and record that info in spreadsheets just as an example. Progress Reports? Ugh. Don’t get me started about trying to complete those.

Come on. Just look at the trend of the kid and round up. 3s and 4s. Not hard. Have a nice summer comment and done.

[Anonymous]

May 12th was DC’s last SOL in elementary school. Teaching abruptly ended. So, NO new learning going on for the last 5 weeks of school. The teachers created busy work for in class with POGPOL and magazines. There’s no new instruction. It’s pathetic. The kids are bored. They sprinkle in picnics, STEAM, games, and field day. They try to make everyone happy with useless Spirit Days and fill out this sheet on why your teacher is your favorite. Blah, blah, blah.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:May 12th was DC’s last SOL in elementary school. Teaching abruptly ended. So, NO new learning going on for the last 5 weeks of school. The teachers created busy work for in class with POGPOL and magazines. There’s no new instruction. It’s pathetic. The kids are bored. They sprinkle in picnics, STEAM, games, and field day. They try to make everyone happy with useless Spirit Days and fill out this sheet on why your teacher is your favorite. Blah, blah, blah.

I am an ES teacher and your situation seems school specific. Our ES finished testing the beginning of last week. New instruction has been happening. My class has a test next week. Does the new concepts slow down? Yes. But next week my class have 2 projects due, a test and a final essay. Fun activities are also sprinkled in but learning is happening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:May 12th was DC’s last SOL in elementary school. Teaching abruptly ended. So, NO new learning going on for the last 5 weeks of school. The teachers created busy work for in class with POGPOL and magazines. There’s no new instruction. It’s pathetic. The kids are bored. They sprinkle in picnics, STEAM, games, and field day. They try to make everyone happy with useless Spirit Days and fill out this sheet on why your teacher is your favorite. Blah, blah, blah.

I am an ES teacher and your situation seems school specific. Our ES finished testing the beginning of last week. New instruction has been happening. My class has a test next week. Does the new concepts slow down? Yes. But next week my class have 2 projects due, a test and a final essay. Fun activities are also sprinkled in but learning is happening.

+1
This week we multiplied larger numbers (2 digit by 1 digit), continued with word study (Latin roots), practiced book club activities, finished a unit about ancient Rome and started the science unit about simple machines. Next week: word study, the empire of Mali, simple machines... No picnics, game or field days. Our class party/game day will be on June 16.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:May 12th was DC’s last SOL in elementary school. Teaching abruptly ended. So, NO new learning going on for the last 5 weeks of school. The teachers created busy work for in class with POGPOL and magazines. There’s no new instruction. It’s pathetic. The kids are bored. They sprinkle in picnics, STEAM, games, and field day. They try to make everyone happy with useless Spirit Days and fill out this sheet on why your teacher is your favorite. Blah, blah, blah.

I am an ES teacher and your situation seems school specific. Our ES finished testing the beginning of last week. New instruction has been happening. My class has a test next week. Does the new concepts slow down? Yes. But next week my class have 2 projects due, a test and a final essay. Fun activities are also sprinkled in but learning is happening.

Yeah I’ve worked in 4 schools and haven’t seen this in any of them. We are still teaching and the kids are still doing work.

[Anonymous]

No new instruction at our school. All the standards were taught prior to the SOLs. This was to give them the best leg up on the test. No standards are left to teach after any SOL. We use projects as work, but it’s not imparting new knowledge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No new instruction at our school. All the standards were taught prior to the SOLs. This was to give them the best leg up on the test. No standards are left to teach after any SOL. We use projects as work, but it’s not imparting new knowledge.

My ES grade level never finishes all of the standards prior to testing. The FCPS pacing never gets us done beforehand.

I've never understood the desire to rush and then spend weeks reviewing.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I hate how they stop all instruction after SOLs. There are SO many fun learning activities they could do!

My FCPS-educated 6th grader can't read or write cursive for gods sakes. They have had three board game days since last week.

No one needs to learn how to read or write in cursive anymore. Teach them how to sign their name and they’ll be fine.

Note to self: Teach kids cursive this summer.

Teach them to type instead.

Nobody writes cursive except Frandma in her birthday and Christmas cards.

The future is AI and auto text or at least voice over. Like it or not, it's coming...

It would be nice if they could read Frandma's and Frandpa's handwriting.

+1

[Anonymous]

You’re all probably wrong that “no new learning” is happening. Of course there’s lots of events and activities in the schedule but my 3rd grader came home yesterday and said her teacher introduced them to 4th grade math for a little low stakes intro and practice before school gets out. I’m a high school teacher and my kids learned a new grammar skill this week and then went and implemented it into a piece of writing they had completed last week. It’s not the same pace as like, January, when you’re plowing through curriculum still, but it’s absolutely not nothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate how they stop all instruction after SOLs. There are SO many fun learning activities they could do!

My FCPS-educated 6th grader can't read or write cursive for gods sakes. They have had three board game days since last week.

No one needs to learn how to read or write in cursive anymore. Teach them how to sign their name and they’ll be fine.

Note to self: Teach kids cursive this summer.

Teach them to type instead.

Nobody writes cursive except Frandma in her birthday and Christmas cards.

The future is AI and auto text or at least voice over. Like it or not, it's coming...

It would be nice if they could read Frandma's and Frandpa's handwriting.

Ok, then teach them. Why do some of you think school is responsible for every single piece of knowledge you want your kids to possess? I teach my kids lots of things I want them to know but that aren’t necessarily in the school curriculum. It’s called parenting, try it sometime. Whining about how your 6th grader doesn’t know something you want them to know is so asinine. Teach it to them if you want them to know it so bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope these last 2 weeks go quickly. We are so burnt out. Maybe a 2 week winter break isn’t the best idea after all…

Or religious days but we aren’t allowed to say that.

That’s fine, as long as we have zero Christian holidays off too, whether they’re federal holidays or not.