2016-2017 MCPS Calendar

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd also prefer an August 21 start date and an earlier finish in June.

Do you all know why this is only done in the south? SPORTS!

You can not have Spring sports starting here when there is still snow on the ground! They already get delayed and have a shortened season enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd also prefer an August 21 start date and an earlier finish in June.

Do you all know why this is only done in the south? SPORTS!

You can not have Spring sports starting here when there is still snow on the ground! They already get delayed and have a shortened season enough.

Snow on the ground in Montgomery County.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd also prefer an August 21 start date and an earlier finish in June.

Do you all know why this is only done in the south? SPORTS!

You can not have Spring sports starting here when there is still snow on the ground! They already get delayed and have a shortened season enough.

Snow on the ground in Montgomery County.

Yes, there have been many years my kids's baseball/softball teams can not start until close to April because of snow or frozen fields. 2 and 4 years ago there was snow on the ground in March. Freezing temps too. The ground needs to have 2-3 inches of warm clay/grass for the fields to be playable. I am sure it is the same for high school sports. They need time to maintenance them before the season starts or there is an injury liability. Plus you have to take into account that MCPS takes a Spring Break during Spring season most years so they have to start 10 days earlier than normal to account for that. Then take away 7-10 days at the end of the year due to them starting school earlier and these kids are starting Spring tryouts in late February. Does that seem logical?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow..which school? The Bethesda Magazine statistics showed only 5% of all kids were out. Your classes are an outlier.

Mine are an outlier as well, then. Lots of Middle Eastern, African, and Asian Muslims in my classes this year. They all took off one Eid this year. We were already off for the other. I'm Catholic, but support the right of students to observe their religious holidays regardless of their faith tradition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd also prefer an August 21 start date and an earlier finish in June.

Do you all know why this is only done in the south? SPORTS!

You can not have Spring sports starting here when there is still snow on the ground! They already get delayed and have a shortened season enough.

Snow on the ground in Montgomery County.

Yes, there have been many years my kids's baseball/softball teams can not start until close to April because of snow or frozen fields. 2 and 4 years ago there was snow on the ground in March. Freezing temps too. The ground needs to have 2-3 inches of warm clay/grass for the fields to be playable. I am sure it is the same for high school sports. They need time to maintenance them before the season starts or there is an injury liability. Plus you have to take into account that MCPS takes a Spring Break during Spring season most years so they have to start 10 days earlier than normal to account for that. Then take away 7-10 days at the end of the year due to them starting school earlier and these kids are starting Spring tryouts in late February. Does that seem logical?

We shouldn't have a no-school day for Eid, but we should base the school calendar on spring sports try-outs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do teachers need a professional work day three weeks into the school year?

Yes. We usually have one 4 weeks into the school year to prepare grade and interims. I and other teachers could use it a week earlier to grade and then have the following week to push students to improve their grades before interims by turning in late work and redoing assignments they failed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don't need a professional day on September 12. I need them at the end of the quarters. I sincerely hope they're not planning to make preservice week 4 days instead of 5. That's the most likely situation. If they do then they'd better cut out all of the BS meetings and trainings we're forced to sit through instead of getting our rooms ready and preparing for Q1. Is this an operational issue for MCPS? If so then why not just close?

-teacher

Thank you. I'm the one who asked whether a September 12 professional day would be useful for teachers. You have confirmed what I suspected.

One person's opinion confirms what you suspected? I guess you didn't get an A in statistics. Maybe it was one of your family's religious holidays the day they taught sample size and your parents kept you home from school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And sadly, they don't view Veterans Day worthy enough for a holiday.

I'm a teacher from a military family. Let's close MCPS on Veterans Day and move November conferences to the next school day. Parents can take a full day off work to watch their kids on 11/11 and then a half day again on 11/12 to meet with us to discuss Larla's progress.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And sadly, they don't view Veterans Day worthy enough for a holiday.

I'm a teacher from a military family. Let's close MCPS on Veterans Day and move November conferences to the next school day. Parents can take a full day off work to watch their kids on 11/11 and then a half day again on 11/12 to meet with us to discuss Larla's progress.

Honestly, I would rather have the day off to spend with my child on Veterans Day. I have not had one useful teacher conference in the 8 years I have been going. I say do away with conferences, which are non-existent in MS and HS anyway. Also, we are two working parents and have always managed to schedule teacher conferences early in the morning avoiding any time off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd also prefer an August 21 start date and an earlier finish in June.

Do you all know why this is only done in the south? SPORTS!

I had no idea Kansas City was in the South! http://www.kcpublicschools.org/calendar

For those not interested in choosing the month and year from the pull down menus, last day this year is May 17.

Kansas was the first "southern" state I googled. I guess their darlings try out in the mud.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And sadly, they don't view Veterans Day worthy enough for a holiday.

I'm a teacher from a military family. Let's close MCPS on Veterans Day and move November conferences to the next school day. Parents can take a full day off work to watch their kids on 11/11 and then a half day again on 11/12 to meet with us to discuss Larla's progress.

Honestly, I would rather have the day off to spend with my child on Veterans Day. I have not had one useful teacher conference in the 8 years I have been going. I say do away with conferences, which are non-existent in MS and HS anyway. Also, we are two working parents and have always managed to schedule teacher conferences early in the morning avoiding any time off.

Conferences in MCPS are K-8. So not non-existent in middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And sadly, they don't view Veterans Day worthy enough for a holiday.

I'm a teacher from a military family. Let's close MCPS on Veterans Day and move November conferences to the next school day. Parents can take a full day off work to watch their kids on 11/11 and then a half day again on 11/12 to meet with us to discuss Larla's progress.

Honestly, I would rather have the day off to spend with my child on Veterans Day. I have not had one useful teacher conference in the 8 years I have been going. I say do away with conferences, which are non-existent in MS and HS anyway. Also, we are two working parents and have always managed to schedule teacher conferences early in the morning avoiding any time off.

Conferences in MCPS are K-8. So not non-existent in middle school.

MS conferences are not like ES, trust me. The teachers only schedule with you for one on one meeting if your child is having problems. Otherwise they have an open house where you wait in line for the opportunity to chat with a particular teacher for 2-3 minutes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

MS conferences are not like ES, trust me. The teachers only schedule with you for one on one meeting if your child is having problems. Otherwise they have an open house where you wait in line for the opportunity to chat with a particular teacher for 2-3 minutes.

I went to an ES conference and MS conference today. You're right, MS conferences are not like ES conferences. But both are conferences, and I learned useful information at both.

Also, why would MS conferences be like ES conferences? My MS student has 7 teachers. The MS teachers have 100+ students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd also prefer an August 21 start date and an earlier finish in June.

Do you all know why this is only done in the south? SPORTS!

I had no idea Kansas City was in the South! http://www.kcpublicschools.org/calendar

For those not interested in choosing the month and year from the pull down menus, last day this year is May 17.

Kansas was the first "southern" state I googled. I guess their darlings try out in the mud.

Not the PP but you have way too much time on your hands.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And sadly, they don't view Veterans Day worthy enough for a holiday.

I'm a teacher from a military family. Let's close MCPS on Veterans Day and move November conferences to the next school day. Parents can take a full day off work to watch their kids on 11/11 and then a half day again on 11/12 to meet with us to discuss Larla's progress.

Honestly, I would rather have the day off to spend with my child on Veterans Day. I have not had one useful teacher conference in the 8 years I have been going. I say do away with conferences, which are non-existent in MS and HS anyway. Also, we are two working parents and have always managed to schedule teacher conferences early in the morning avoiding any time off.

That has not been my experience with Parent Teacher conference, I have had very well prepared and thought out discussions with my children's teachers.