Explain ridiculously early 2023/24 start date?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Simply don’t understand it. Raised in PA. Started school the day after Labor Day, had Columbus and Veterans days off, Thanksgiving, Friday after Thanksgiving and the following Monday (first day of hunting season) off in the fall. Two week break at Christmas, both Presidents birthdays in February, spring break week at Easter and out no later than June10th.

No teacher in service days, no days of at the end of the quarter, no CRT training, etc. All teacher training, usually a week or less, done in August.

Worked fine then, could work now.

Really? Can't you just give it a rest? Come on.

Racists can't help it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People in Europe vacation in August. Why wouldn’t we consider August a vacation month here?

we are not Europe?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AGREED!!!

But they did all those surveys and we have a lot of transplants in the NOVA region from the south who think school should end at memorial day and start again in mid-August. It does not make sense to anyone who lives here long term and realizes that the government basically shuts down in August - which has a ripple effect to private sector. We should have summer from mid-June until Labor Day, possibly the week before Labor if it's a particularly late one.

Although the real issue is that the school year is too long because they added tons of professional development days that the teachers don't even want, and they added lot of religious holidays to assuage their guilt of tying spring break to Easter (again, wanted on the surveys because it helps FCPS line up with other districts) and giving a "Christmas" break.

Married to someone who works on the Hill and I have been saying this since they moved the start date before Labor Day years ago. I say it every year on the surveys about the calendar. So frustrating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate it. One week before Labor Day is fine. Beyond that and you pretty much lose August as a vacation month. Same for June. Beyond 1.5 weeks takes away that month as a vacation month. Plus the water in the pools is colder then. With all the activities starting in August, it makes sense to have 8 weeks free of activities for families to actually have a break from school.

YOU HAVE THREE FULL WEEKS in August to vacate and that isn't enough for you? You can't make a vacation to fit in a three week period? I think that's a planning or mental failure on your part, not a failure of the school calendar.

Except that if you have kids in fall sports in HS, that started yesterday.

[Anonymous]

We don't have to do 180 days - we could use hours but the SB insists on doing 180 days.
We have two weeks off for winter break and one week off for spring break and many religious holidays - those days all add up to elongate the calendar.
We used to start post-Labor Day which I liked. The SB wanted to change it for really no legitimate reason - & at the time claimed that moving the start before labor day would help with AP prep and SOL prep. The dumb thing was that SOL prep was already backloaded as much as possible so it made no difference to move the calendar up for that and it was a real red herring in the whole decision- leaving only AP test prep affected - and those same kids are the same ones likely with less time now to work on the common app before school starts - so it's all a wash for them anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We don't have to do 180 days - we could use hours but the SB insists on doing 180 days.
We have two weeks off for winter break and one week off for spring break and many religious holidays - those days all add up to elongate the calendar.
We used to start post-Labor Day which I liked. The SB wanted to change it for really no legitimate reason - & at the time claimed that moving the start before labor day would help with AP prep and SOL prep. The dumb thing was that SOL prep was already backloaded as much as possible so it made no difference to move the calendar up for that and it was a real red herring in the whole decision- leaving only AP test prep affected - and those same kids are the same ones likely with less time now to work on the common app before school starts - so it's all a wash for them anyway.

Literally every year when they do these surveys, the majority want an August start. So everyone clamoring about Labor Day, most parents wanted an August start.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Too many O days

O days still count, it’s the additional holidays and staff development days.

The teacher contract went from 194 to 195 days. It’s not additional staff development days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have friends in California that started school yesterday - so the trend overall is earlier start dates.

Wow that is nuts.

Stafford County starts August 9

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An August start is fine, but there needs to be an earlier end to the year. This school calendar is way too long, and it includes a ridiculous amount of PD days.

This!

AMEN!!!-this summer was a joke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don't have to do 180 days - we could use hours but the SB insists on doing 180 days.
We have two weeks off for winter break and one week off for spring break and many religious holidays - those days all add up to elongate the calendar.
We used to start post-Labor Day which I liked. The SB wanted to change it for really no legitimate reason - & at the time claimed that moving the start before labor day would help with AP prep and SOL prep. The dumb thing was that SOL prep was already backloaded as much as possible so it made no difference to move the calendar up for that and it was a real red herring in the whole decision- leaving only AP test prep affected - and those same kids are the same ones likely with less time now to work on the common app before school starts - so it's all a wash for them anyway.

Literally every year when they do these surveys, the majority want an August start. So everyone clamoring about Labor Day, most parents wanted an August start.

Some....I have talked to many that want after Labor Day start or to get out earlier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People in Europe vacation in August. Why wouldn’t we consider August a vacation month here?

we are not Europe?

They also end much later (some schools go until July). My kids attended an international school that started around Labor Day and ended in the first week of July. They got a lot of breaks during the year, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don't have to do 180 days - we could use hours but the SB insists on doing 180 days.
We have two weeks off for winter break and one week off for spring break and many religious holidays - those days all add up to elongate the calendar.
We used to start post-Labor Day which I liked. The SB wanted to change it for really no legitimate reason - & at the time claimed that moving the start before labor day would help with AP prep and SOL prep. The dumb thing was that SOL prep was already backloaded as much as possible so it made no difference to move the calendar up for that and it was a real red herring in the whole decision- leaving only AP test prep affected - and those same kids are the same ones likely with less time now to work on the common app before school starts - so it's all a wash for them anyway.

Literally every year when they do these surveys, the majority want an August start. So everyone clamoring about Labor Day, most parents wanted an August start.

Some....I have talked to many that want after Labor Day start or to get out earlier.

Read the stats from the survey. The majority of parents want to start in August, not after Labor Day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Arlington, Loudoun and Prince William Counties have all seen the light and shortened their winter breaks this year. They have 12 days (including weekends) and FCPS has 17 days (including weekends.)

That is ludicrous.

Until we have a school board that stays in their own lane and puts educating our kids at the forefront of their mission, this is going to perpetuate. More staff development days, more religious holidays, longer winter and spring breaks…. Why do they have off Veteran’s Day?! They used to be in school and honor the Veterans with special programs.

Comical complaint in a thread about the summer being too short.

Seems fitting as the response was tied to the 17-day never ending winter break.

The calendar is so front-heavy with teacher workdays, staff development, federal holidays, religious holidays, etc… That is also when a lot of the assessments happen in ES.

But hey—there’s May with just ONE day off for Memorial Day. The month/holiday/time of year when kids would welcome extra time around that long weekend with nicer weather and pools being open.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don't have to do 180 days - we could use hours but the SB insists on doing 180 days.
We have two weeks off for winter break and one week off for spring break and many religious holidays - those days all add up to elongate the calendar.
We used to start post-Labor Day which I liked. The SB wanted to change it for really no legitimate reason - & at the time claimed that moving the start before labor day would help with AP prep and SOL prep. The dumb thing was that SOL prep was already backloaded as much as possible so it made no difference to move the calendar up for that and it was a real red herring in the whole decision- leaving only AP test prep affected - and those same kids are the same ones likely with less time now to work on the common app before school starts - so it's all a wash for them anyway.

Literally every year when they do these surveys, the majority want an August start. So everyone clamoring about Labor Day, most parents wanted an August start.

Some....I have talked to many that want after Labor Day start or to get out earlier.

Read the stats from the survey. The majority of parents want to start in August, not after Labor Day.

Can you post a link to the last one?

[Anonymous]

Reading this makes me so happy that I’m almost done with FCPS. I will no longer be subject to the school calendar. Yay me!