School calendar sucks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Moon and Dunne have both acknowledged that the 2025-26 calendar needs to be fixed.

Please PLEASE your school board member instead of posting here!

https://www.fcps.edu/about-fcps/contact-us/school-board

Eye roll.

Nothing will change.

+1
We are stuck with it for next year. Best case they realize what a disaster it is to hand out holidays like candy and dial it back to a saner amount in 2026-2027

Totally agree. The long winter break is totally unnecessary.

The two week winter break was a teacher demand years ago. Wonder if that’s still a priority for them.

It was what we were promised when we began going to school before Labor Day.

Now that most teachers are back at school by August 1-5 so they can begin room set up, and knowing that we are on contract until the end of June, most of us want that two week break. Our summers are only 4-5 weeks now.
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CUE people saying, "Boo-hoo! You only have 4-5 weeks off during the summer. No one else gets that kind of break! Stop complaining!"

Please remember: (1) school breaks are a perk of our job, much like most jobs have some type of perks, (2) many of us use summer to write new curriculum and lessons, (3) many teachers need a summer job in order to make ends meet since we aren't paid over the summer, (4) many of us entered this profession so our schedules would closely-align with our own children's schedules, (5) most of us aren't complaining; we are instead pointing out facts and points to ponder. That's not complaining.

New teachers didn’t even have contract days until Aug 5. Others started August 12. I know very few who go in more than a day or two early for room set up. Our school doesn’t let teachers in much earlier than that.

Interesting. At every school in which I've worked (six schools in the past 28 years), at least 50%, if not closer to 70%, have gone in at least a week early to start their room set up since there is often less than one day of unencumbered time during the week before school opens. The past three years, I've had approximately 5 hours of unencumbered time, and it's often 20 minutes here, 15 minutes there. It's not easy to get anything done with so little time!

[Anonymous]

The calendar is terrible. I wish they would just go to year round school because no of the days off or breaks are hlpful

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The calendar is terrible. I wish they would just go to year round school because no of the days off or breaks are hlpful

Wait are you advocating for school every single week day of the year? You want year round school and also you don't like days off?

[Anonymous]

Instead of so many random teacher workdays in October/November can we have a week off in February? New England has a February break. It's a great time for a ski trip.

I'd also prefer to start close to the beginning of September. Summer is shot due to summer swim, and I'd like to be able to have more time off in August.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Instead of so many random teacher workdays in October/November can we have a week off in February? New England has a February break. It's a great time for a ski trip.

I'd also prefer to start close to the beginning of September. Summer is shot due to summer swim, and I'd like to be able to have more time off in August.

Thanks for letting us know, we'll be sure to advocate that FCPS rework the calendar for the 180,000 student school district around your personal calendar/preferences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Instead of so many random teacher workdays in October/November can we have a week off in February? New England has a February break. It's a great time for a ski trip.

I'd also prefer to start close to the beginning of September. Summer is shot due to summer swim, and I'd like to be able to have more time off in August.

Thanks for letting us know, we'll be sure to advocate that FCPS rework the calendar for the 180,000 student school district around your personal calendar/preferences.

I know you were being sarcastic but that wouldn't be a bad idea. I'm advocating for a 5-day weekend for a compromise to break up the long January-March stretch the most miserable part of the year!

[Anonymous]

Move spring break to the first full week of April starting in 2027 if it's too late for 2026.
An exception can occur in a year that Good Friday would otherwise be the 1st Friday after spring break.
Spring Break 2027 would be April 5-9
(Good Friday is March 26)

No reason to have 12 weeks after spring break way too long of a post SB stretch. Not to mention returning from SB and not being in the 4th MP has to be depressing. As for the January-March slog a 5-day weekend in mid-late February around President's Day should be added to break up the long haul.
Get all 6 NoVA public school systems on board to avoid people losing their minds on misalignments!

Fairfax County
https://www.fcps.edu/about-fcps/leadership/sc...-school-board-clerks

Contacts for the other 5 NoVA public school systems
Loudoun County
https://loudouncountypsva.sites.thrillshare.c...-county-school-board
Arlington County
https://www.apsva.us/contact-aps/
Prince William County
https://www.pwcs.edu/about_us/contact_us
Alexandria City
https://www.acps.k12.va.us/contact-us/concern...es-suggestions-guide
Falls Church City
https://www.fccps.org/page/contact-board

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Instead of so many random teacher workdays in October/November can we have a week off in February? New England has a February break. It's a great time for a ski trip.

I'd also prefer to start close to the beginning of September. Summer is shot due to summer swim, and I'd like to be able to have more time off in August.

Thanks for letting us know, we'll be sure to advocate that FCPS rework the calendar for the 180,000 student school district around your personal calendar/preferences.

I know you were being sarcastic but that wouldn't be a bad idea. I'm advocating for a 5-day weekend for a compromise to break up the long January-March stretch the most miserable part of the year!

Adding a later start makes more sense if they’re keeping Sept 30 as the enrollment cutoff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes! i find it utterly ridiculous that we are starting the school year on August 19 and ending on June 11. And next year is worse!

Agree, school should start the day after Labor Day and end no later than the first week in June. Stop pandering to everyone. There are school systems that do this in the US, it isn't that hard. Come on FCPS, lets get 1 thing right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes! i find it utterly ridiculous that we are starting the school year on August 19 and ending on June 11. And next year is worse!

Agree, school should start the day after Labor Day and end no later than the first week in June. Stop pandering to everyone. There are school systems that do this in the US, it isn't that hard. Come on FCPS, lets get 1 thing right.

Stop it, you're making too much sense!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes! i find it utterly ridiculous that we are starting the school year on August 19 and ending on June 11. And next year is worse!

Agree, school should start the day after Labor Day and end no later than the first week in June. Stop pandering to everyone. There are school systems that do this in the US, it isn't that hard. Come on FCPS, lets get 1 thing right.

This!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes! i find it utterly ridiculous that we are starting the school year on August 19 and ending on June 11. And next year is worse!

Agree, school should start the day after Labor Day and end no later than the first week in June. Stop pandering to everyone. There are school systems that do this in the US, it isn't that hard. Come on FCPS, lets get 1 thing right.

Better yet, start the 3rd week of August and end school the afriday before Memorial day.

This works best for everyone, especially high school students doing summer programs and AP classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes! i find it utterly ridiculous that we are starting the school year on August 19 and ending on June 11. And next year is worse!

Agree, school should start the day after Labor Day and end no later than the first week in June. Stop pandering to everyone. There are school systems that do this in the US, it isn't that hard. Come on FCPS, lets get 1 thing right.

Better yet, start the 3rd week of August and end school the afriday before Memorial day.

This works best for everyone, especially high school students doing summer programs and AP classes.

+1 any time after Memorial Day/stretching into June is wasted, especially at the high school level. Start earlier and end earlier.

[Anonymous]

I just want the week back in the summer somehow.

[Anonymous]

I love it. I'll take random days off every month over a week in the summer every time. I can schedule appointments without having to miss school, my kids are happier to go to school when it's a 4 day week, and long summers just turn into a drag.

My dream is 9 weeks on, 2 weeks off, with a few days sprinkled in for holidays and 6 weeks for summer.