MCPS snow day waiver denied!

[Anonymous]

My concern with the lengethened school year has nothing to do with the plans (which I responsibly made since I can't take a chance to not have coverage and MCPS has not actually extended in many years regardless of the policy). My concern is that my kids will have completed the planned 10 week 4th quarter and their time will not be well spent in most cases. Teachers feel free to chime in and tell me I am wrong. Tell me what types of activities you will plan. What does 2.0 tell you to do on week 10 of the 4th quarter? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My concern with the lengethened school year has nothing to do with the plans (which I responsibly made since I can't take a chance to not have coverage and MCPS has not actually extended in many years regardless of the policy). My concern is that my kids will have completed the planned 10 week 4th quarter and their time will not be well spent in most cases. Teachers feel free to chime in and tell me I am wrong. Tell me what types of activities you will plan. What does 2.0 tell you to do on week 10 of the 4th quarter? Thanks!

I have an idea. How about they TEACH and not act like robots to a horrible curriculum.

Science: Experiments for all ages, evolution theories, global warming

History: current events, politics, debates. Younger kids can have geography bees or each do a speech on a state/country they want to or have lived in.

Math: critical thinking, Perplexors, how to write a check, managing debt for high schoolers, fun word problems. Math facts review for young ones.

English: spelling bees and grammar for younger ones. Older ones "how to actually write a paper". Seriously, kids in MCPS are not taught study skills, grammar or who to write.

PE - fun games outside.

I mean really, there is so much outside of 2.0 these kids need and never get. The teachers should think outside the box. Any teacher that puts a movie on for my kid will be hearing from me.

[Anonymous]

I bet we won't close schools for cold weather anymore, even if fancy meotorologists name it the "dreaded" polar vortex.

[Anonymous]

MCPS never closed for cold weather.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I bet we won't close schools for cold weather anymore, even if fancy meotorologists name it the "dreaded" polar vortex.

THIS!!! If I am MCPS, you could kiss those snow days good bye going forward. Basically, unless the state was in emergency status, the kids would be in school.

My kids are in HS. Their teachers already told them that their finals will be not be pushed back - so the week of the 9th. Thus, after the finals are over, going to school for my HS kids will not be very productive. They will go but I suspect that it will be social time for the most part.

[Anonymous]

There will be nothing of substance happening during that last week. Do you remember last year (or the years before that)? After Memorial Day weekend, it is all fluff. That's it. So now, we'll have an additional week of fluff.

MCPS should be ashamed that we had last Friday off.

[Anonymous]

My daughter's 8th grade health teacher decided to skip the days planned for teaching about contraceptives entirely due to the number of snow days in the quarter. If the days are added on to the rest of the year, I doubt she and her peers will be re-grouped to get the lessons on contraceptives that they missed.

Yes, I can teach this myself, but I'd rather that MCPS have a plan for adding snow days during the school year. Also, isn't there any guidance on what to keep/skip when days are lost? Couldn't they have skipped a couple of days of the many devoted to nutrition and "good decision making" and not the entire contraceptive lesson?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel really bad for the teachers. For HS, they got stuck trying to jam everything into a smaller time period and now they will have to come up with something random for the kids to do the last week. Exams and grades are already done at this point so no idea what they will do.

The good ones don't schedule vacation during the school year. They use breaks for vacation. Many teachers in MCPS don't like in Montgomery County. The live up in Frederick and have small kids. Frederick unlike MCPS has made attempts to make up some instructional time so they will probably get a waiver. The teachers with kids in Frederick will have to cancel vacation plans and come up with childcare as their kids will be out of school.

I am glad you feel bad for the teachers. As a teacher myself with a child. I was looking forward to the trips we have planned this summer. I think they could have done something to avoid putting extra days at the end of the school year. However many counties failed to do that. So now one of my trips is being cut or I will take those days off depending on when the last day of school will be.

You were on notice that one of your nine weeks off could be a school week. Doesnt make any sense to plan a trip for that week.

+1000

Now we have entitled teachers. And the comment above about specialist doctors only available one week in June or the end of August is total bullshit. Teachers, administration AND parents knew of the snow make-up policy. There was already 4 days by the end of winter break, yet people still went ahead with camp deposits, vacations and doctor appointments. The school is not to blame, Mother Nature is not to blame, the state denying a waiver is not to blame. You are the only one to blame. You prepared wrong and instead of owning up to it, people either whine/complain around their kids. Say "we won't send our kids to school" or just blow it all off saying it is a wasted week with no learning. What fine examples you are showing your kids.

You're questioning my daughter's specialists and their schedules?

At least I'm home with my kids during the summer and don't HAVE to rely on camps as the great sitter!

Much luck to you, asshole!

[Anonymous]

My childs Algebra teacher did not go over the last review packet..just sent out the answers. A day in June will not make up for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I bet we won't close schools for cold weather anymore, even if fancy meotorologists name it the "dreaded" polar vortex.

MCPS did NOT close any days due to cold/polar vortex. All closures were related to ice or snow (or clean-up of ice/snow).

Numerous counties did close due to polar vortex, and MCPS got reamed in social media for not closing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel really bad for the teachers. For HS, they got stuck trying to jam everything into a smaller time period and now they will have to come up with something random for the kids to do the last week. Exams and grades are already done at this point so no idea what they will do.

The good ones don't schedule vacation during the school year. They use breaks for vacation. Many teachers in MCPS don't like in Montgomery County. The live up in Frederick and have small kids. Frederick unlike MCPS has made attempts to make up some instructional time so they will probably get a waiver. The teachers with kids in Frederick will have to cancel vacation plans and come up with childcare as their kids will be out of school.

I am glad you feel bad for the teachers. As a teacher myself with a child. I was looking forward to the trips we have planned this summer. I think they could have done something to avoid putting extra days at the end of the school year. However many counties failed to do that. So now one of my trips is being cut or I will take those days off depending on when the last day of school will be.

You were on notice that one of your nine weeks off could be a school week. Doesnt make any sense to plan a trip for that week.

+1000

Now we have entitled teachers. And the comment above about specialist doctors only available one week in June or the end of August is total bullshit. Teachers, administration AND parents knew of the snow make-up policy. There was already 4 days by the end of winter break, yet people still went ahead with camp deposits, vacations and doctor appointments. The school is not to blame, Mother Nature is not to blame, the state denying a waiver is not to blame. You are the only one to blame. You prepared wrong and instead of owning up to it, people either whine/complain around their kids. Say "we won't send our kids to school" or just blow it all off saying it is a wasted week with no learning. What fine examples you are showing your kids.

You're questioning my daughter's specialists and their schedules?

At least I'm home with my kids during the summer and don't HAVE to rely on camps as the great sitter!

Much luck to you, asshole!

+1,000,000...too many on this board judge without knowing anything of someone else's situation. I am with you on this one! Also, thanks for teaching our kids. Some of us do appreciate what you do for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For MCPS to have school on Easter Monday, the state would have to grant a waiver. State law requires schools to close on Easter Monday (and Good Friday too).

The state has already given a waiver to Anne Arundel county and maybe one more school system for attending on Easter Monday. I suspect that MCPS will resubmit a proposal that includes classes on April 21, June 13, June 16-17 and maybe 18 and then ask for a waiver the last 1 (or 2, depending on the status of the 18th).

It's Frederick County. Frederick County gave up a professional development day in mid-March and is cutting Spring Break down to Thurs/Fri only. The kids will also attend on Easter Monday.

I find it's so much more rational than tacking on days to the end of the year or, even, adding 15 minutes to each day. It may even result in some actual learning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter's 8th grade health teacher decided to skip the days planned for teaching about contraceptives entirely due to the number of snow days in the quarter. If the days are added on to the rest of the year, I doubt she and her peers will be re-grouped to get the lessons on contraceptives that they missed.

Yes, I can teach this myself, but I'd rather that MCPS have a plan for adding snow days during the school year. Also, isn't there any guidance on what to keep/skip when days are lost? Couldn't they have skipped a couple of days of the many devoted to nutrition and "good decision making" and not the entire contraceptive lesson?

If I were you, I would e-mail the principal about this. This isn't really about snow days and make-ups. This is about a teacher making a bad decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good - they may come back with another plan, like extending the school day. What I found most annoying about the whole thing is that there is a contingency plan in place and MCPS did absolutely nothing to follow it. Now the parents, teachers and students had to suffer while all of this was sorted out, but in the end it was the right decision. Don't state how you are going to handle a situation and not come thru. And don't blame the unique winter. It doesn't matter how or why school is closed, only that it was closed and you noted that those days would be made up.

Well stated and completely correct -- could not agree with you more!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel really bad for the teachers. For HS, they got stuck trying to jam everything into a smaller time period and now they will have to come up with something random for the kids to do the last week. Exams and grades are already done at this point so no idea what they will do.

The good ones don't schedule vacation during the school year. They use breaks for vacation. Many teachers in MCPS don't like in Montgomery County. The live up in Frederick and have small kids. Frederick unlike MCPS has made attempts to make up some instructional time so they will probably get a waiver. The teachers with kids in Frederick will have to cancel vacation plans and come up with childcare as their kids will be out of school.

I am glad you feel bad for the teachers. As a teacher myself with a child. I was looking forward to the trips we have planned this summer. I think they could have done something to avoid putting extra days at the end of the school year. However many counties failed to do that. So now one of my trips is being cut or I will take those days off depending on when the last day of school will be.

You were on notice that one of your nine weeks off could be a school week. Doesnt make any sense to plan a trip for that week.

+1000

Now we have entitled teachers. And the comment above about specialist doctors only available one week in June or the end of August is total bullshit. Teachers, administration AND parents knew of the snow make-up policy. There was already 4 days by the end of winter break, yet people still went ahead with camp deposits, vacations and doctor appointments. The school is not to blame, Mother Nature is not to blame, the state denying a waiver is not to blame. You are the only one to blame. You prepared wrong and instead of owning up to it, people either whine/complain around their kids. Say "we won't send our kids to school" or just blow it all off saying it is a wasted week with no learning. What fine examples you are showing your kids.

You're questioning my daughter's specialists and their schedules?

At least I'm home with my kids during the summer and don't HAVE to rely on camps as the great sitter!

Much luck to you, asshole!

So you work 9-3pm 180 days out of 365 and you can't find any other date for a specialist but a few days after school ends? That is a shame. You know what? School shouldn't make up those days. You work 175 days instead because it sounds really tough to work around your very "rigid" schedule.