LCPS year-round school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know that it’ll pass just yet, but they’re shifting the Overton window by getting people to at least consider it. Maybe another 1-2 years of acclimating to the idea and they could launch it for the 2030 school year. As a teacher, I see the benefits - right now, as Shernoff says, we have an ad hoc nearly-year round schedule without the benefit of the consistent chunks of time off between quarters. It’s just a hodge podge of inconvenient scattered days off that extend our school calendar interminably, disrupt consistent learning, and create childcare gaps for parents of younger kids. Each year we start earlier and stay in school later - it’s so maddening.

This is exactly how they have been building toward year-round school. Make the calendar increasingly inconvenient because of the start and end times, all the 3 and 4-day weeks for work days, end of quarter days, the day after Halloween, election day, religious holidays, etc. until people are so fed up that they will support year-round school because at least there will be more consistency and five-day weeks. I looked at multiple LCPS calendars for reference, and depending on the year, the year-round calendar provides between 3-5 more weeks of five-days-a-week in school than the current calendars. For 26-27, most months of the school year, the kids have TWO five-days weeks a month. How does that calendar work for anyone -- teachers, students, families?

The thing that really gets me, though, is that the proposed year-round school calendar goes back to federal holidays only. All the religious holidays that have been added to be "inclusive because we have a diverse community" turn out to be not that important after all? That makes me feel like they were added just to drive people towards the year-round school option.

Maybe but they were also added by the previous school board around 2020 and times have changed and it’s a new school board now that doesn’t share the same priorities and ideology. There have also been 3 superintendents in that time (Williams, Ziegler, Spence) so the likelihood this was a decade long plan by multiple superintendents and school boards isn’t as likely as attitudes around education are constantly changing and this is the next big change we’ll make. And then in 10-15 years, probably undo it again.

[Anonymous]

I really just don’t think they have the support for year round. At best support is 50/50 for/against and that’s not enough for a major change like this. And the support is mostly just the parents of young kids who somehow think this will be better daycare for them, even though it’s the same number of school days as it ever was. Parents of MS/HS do not want this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m in LCPS and every one has been talking about this. Everyone is in favor! I haven’t met anyone who disliked it.

My favorite parts-
-3 weeks off in fall, 3 weeks in Christmas, 3 weeks in spring.
-5 weeks of summer.

We’re a wealthy county and people love to take international vacations. Many people also have relatives overseas and this would give time to visit them. Cheaper plane tickets and less crowds at tourist places! 5 weeks is still a really long time for summer.

You must have little kids. I have HS kids and everyone I know hates it. We are all in favor of the new option 7 that starts after Labor Day, Ends June 8 and gets rid of all the extra holidays.

It's interesting because any APS calendar discussion is largely HS parents saying how much they love the random days off so their kid can study ( I suspect it's a couple of people who don't like fighting to get their kid out the door)

Yes. It’s the parents of juniors and seniors who miss a ton of days anyway. They like it because they don’t feel like a bum when their kid is yet again home from school and they just “can’t” make them go. Most parents want fewer random days off and more consistent 5 day weeks and chunky breaks.

Even as an adult if you gave me the option of 5 random federal holidays off or an entire 5 day week off, I'd choose the 5 day week off. I would choose that for my kids too because we don't have local family and we welcome any chance we can get to travel to them or on vacation. Do high school parents realize that those are the options? Random days versus an entire week (or two) off after each quarter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know that it’ll pass just yet, but they’re shifting the Overton window by getting people to at least consider it. Maybe another 1-2 years of acclimating to the idea and they could launch it for the 2030 school year. As a teacher, I see the benefits - right now, as Shernoff says, we have an ad hoc nearly-year round schedule without the benefit of the consistent chunks of time off between quarters. It’s just a hodge podge of inconvenient scattered days off that extend our school calendar interminably, disrupt consistent learning, and create childcare gaps for parents of younger kids. Each year we start earlier and stay in school later - it’s so maddening.

This is exactly how they have been building toward year-round school. Make the calendar increasingly inconvenient because of the start and end times, all the 3 and 4-day weeks for work days, end of quarter days, the day after Halloween, election day, religious holidays, etc. until people are so fed up that they will support year-round school because at least there will be more consistency and five-day weeks. I looked at multiple LCPS calendars for reference, and depending on the year, the year-round calendar provides between 3-5 more weeks of five-days-a-week in school than the current calendars. For 26-27, most months of the school year, the kids have TWO five-days weeks a month. How does that calendar work for anyone -- teachers, students, families?

The thing that really gets me, though, is that the proposed year-round school calendar goes back to federal holidays only. All the religious holidays that have been added to be "inclusive because we have a diverse community" turn out to be not that important after all? That makes me feel like they were added just to drive people towards the year-round school option.

Good point. If they can remove the religious holidays to have year round school, they can remove them and just have a normal calendar with a nice long summer, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know that it’ll pass just yet, but they’re shifting the Overton window by getting people to at least consider it. Maybe another 1-2 years of acclimating to the idea and they could launch it for the 2030 school year. As a teacher, I see the benefits - right now, as Shernoff says, we have an ad hoc nearly-year round schedule without the benefit of the consistent chunks of time off between quarters. It’s just a hodge podge of inconvenient scattered days off that extend our school calendar interminably, disrupt consistent learning, and create childcare gaps for parents of younger kids. Each year we start earlier and stay in school later - it’s so maddening.

This is exactly how they have been building toward year-round school. Make the calendar increasingly inconvenient because of the start and end times, all the 3 and 4-day weeks for work days, end of quarter days, the day after Halloween, election day, religious holidays, etc. until people are so fed up that they will support year-round school because at least there will be more consistency and five-day weeks. I looked at multiple LCPS calendars for reference, and depending on the year, the year-round calendar provides between 3-5 more weeks of five-days-a-week in school than the current calendars. For 26-27, most months of the school year, the kids have TWO five-days weeks a month. How does that calendar work for anyone -- teachers, students, families?

The thing that really gets me, though, is that the proposed year-round school calendar goes back to federal holidays only. All the religious holidays that have been added to be "inclusive because we have a diverse community" turn out to be not that important after all? That makes me feel like they were added just to drive people towards the year-round school option.

Good point. If they can remove the religious holidays to have year round school, they can remove them and just have a normal calendar with a nice long summer, too.

I think this is where they will land. And they will act like it’s this amazing mental breakthrough, when it’s actually just what the calendar was way back before all the random holidays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know that it’ll pass just yet, but they’re shifting the Overton window by getting people to at least consider it. Maybe another 1-2 years of acclimating to the idea and they could launch it for the 2030 school year. As a teacher, I see the benefits - right now, as Shernoff says, we have an ad hoc nearly-year round schedule without the benefit of the consistent chunks of time off between quarters. It’s just a hodge podge of inconvenient scattered days off that extend our school calendar interminably, disrupt consistent learning, and create childcare gaps for parents of younger kids. Each year we start earlier and stay in school later - it’s so maddening.

This is exactly how they have been building toward year-round school. Make the calendar increasingly inconvenient because of the start and end times, all the 3 and 4-day weeks for work days, end of quarter days, the day after Halloween, election day, religious holidays, etc. until people are so fed up that they will support year-round school because at least there will be more consistency and five-day weeks. I looked at multiple LCPS calendars for reference, and depending on the year, the year-round calendar provides between 3-5 more weeks of five-days-a-week in school than the current calendars. For 26-27, most months of the school year, the kids have TWO five-days weeks a month. How does that calendar work for anyone -- teachers, students, families?

The thing that really gets me, though, is that the proposed year-round school calendar goes back to federal holidays only. All the religious holidays that have been added to be "inclusive because we have a diverse community" turn out to be not that important after all? That makes me feel like they were added just to drive people towards the year-round school option.

Good point. If they can remove the religious holidays to have year round school, they can remove them and just have a normal calendar with a nice long summer, too.

But some of us would prefer to have a shorter summer. 10 weeks is too long. 6-7 weeks would be perfect.

[Anonymous]

Year-round school is all about the parents, not the students. Let's just be honest for once. It's to please the parents. The students will end up on anxiety meds because they never get a break.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Year-round school is all about the parents, not the students. Let's just be honest for once. It's to please the parents. The students will end up on anxiety meds because they never get a break.

What are you talking about? They get more substantial breaks with consistency in the weekly calendar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Year-round school is all about the parents, not the students. Let's just be honest for once. It's to please the parents. The students will end up on anxiety meds because they never get a break.

What are you talking about? They get more substantial breaks with consistency in the weekly calendar.

K-12 has become all about the parents. It is no longer about the students. K-12 has become about making sure the parents are happy and productive and can do what they need to do. It is no longer about the students. At all. The changes to schedule are all about the parents. About their narcissism and self involvement. "I need to work". That's the sum total. It has nothing to do with the children and their needs. The students suffer. Just put them on anti-anxiety meds so you as the parent can get to your job and focus on yourself, build yourself. Your kids can fail and flail and you'll just blame them for not keeping up. Let's just be honest.

[Anonymous]

I hate the idea of year round school so much we’d probably sell our house and move to avoid it. I can’t fathom going to school in July and August. And what on earth are kids going to do for three weeks in Oct and March? Sounds awful

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Year-round school is all about the parents, not the students. Let's just be honest for once. It's to please the parents. The students will end up on anxiety meds because they never get a break.

Not all parents. Just the whiny ES ones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Year-round school is all about the parents, not the students. Let's just be honest for once. It's to please the parents. The students will end up on anxiety meds because they never get a break.

What are you talking about? They get more substantial breaks with consistency in the weekly calendar.

K-12 has become all about the parents. It is no longer about the students. K-12 has become about making sure the parents are happy and productive and can do what they need to do. It is no longer about the students. At all. The changes to schedule are all about the parents. About their narcissism and self involvement. "I need to work". That's the sum total. It has nothing to do with the children and their needs. The students suffer. Just put them on anti-anxiety meds so you as the parent can get to your job and focus on yourself, build yourself. Your kids can fail and flail and you'll just blame them for not keeping up. Let's just be honest.

Maybe the anxiety comes because of the inconsistency.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Year-round school is all about the parents, not the students. Let's just be honest for once. It's to please the parents. The students will end up on anxiety meds because they never get a break.

Not all parents. Just the whiny ES ones.

You seem to not understand "year-round school." We will have the same number of school days; they will just be organized differently. The one that I like is 9 weeks on, 2 weeks off with a 7 week summer. Students also get off Thanksgiving week and Memorial/Labor Days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Year-round school is all about the parents, not the students. Let's just be honest for once. It's to please the parents. The students will end up on anxiety meds because they never get a break.

Not all parents. Just the whiny ES ones.

You seem to not understand "year-round school." We will have the same number of school days; they will just be organized differently. The one that I like is 9 weeks on, 2 weeks off with a 7 week summer. Students also get off Thanksgiving week and Memorial/Labor Days.

I understand it perfectly. The one Loudoun has proposed offers 3 weeks off a the breaks not two (the transition year offers two, but the end goal is three.)

I am unequivocally opposed to this. Teens need the summer to work, prep for AP classes and SATs. This is also their only chance to attend summer enrichment camps/programs in other places. A year round schedule would be terrible for AP classes, they would not get to nearly all the material in time. AP exams are in early May. Also, 3 weeks off at random times of the year are completely pointless. Year round school would be the end of teen summer work, summer internships, and summer enrichment camps. Our students would be at a distinct disadvantage in college applications to areas that don’t do this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Year-round school is all about the parents, not the students. Let's just be honest for once. It's to please the parents. The students will end up on anxiety meds because they never get a break.

Not all parents. Just the whiny ES ones.

You seem to not understand "year-round school." We will have the same number of school days; they will just be organized differently. The one that I like is 9 weeks on, 2 weeks off with a 7 week summer. Students also get off Thanksgiving week and Memorial/Labor Days.

I understand it perfectly. The one Loudoun has proposed offers 3 weeks off a the breaks not two (the transition year offers two, but the end goal is three.)

I am unequivocally opposed to this. Teens need the summer to work, prep for AP classes and SATs. This is also their only chance to attend summer enrichment camps/programs in other places. A year round schedule would be terrible for AP classes, they would not get to nearly all the material in time. AP exams are in early May. Also, 3 weeks off at random times of the year are completely pointless. Year round school would be the end of teen summer work, summer internships, and summer enrichment camps. Our students would be at a distinct disadvantage in college applications to areas that don’t do this.

Teens already get out mid-June amd go back mid-August. They could start working summer jobs on the evenings/weekends, just like they do now. They could prep for the AP tests just like they do now (even having it a little better since they start the school year earlier). There are plenty of summer enrichment camps or internships that they could do during the 5 weeks, 6 weeks, 7 weeks that they have off. Yes, they would miss out on some that start in early June, but they already miss out on those.

But you already know all of that. You just don't prefer the year round schedule. That's fine. But many of us do prefer it and hope it will happen one of these years.