Will voting out the school board make the school calendar sane again?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please tell me how to vote to get any improvement to this horrific school calendar that is a complete atrocity to working families and disservice too kids trying to learn. I don’t care if I have to vote blue, red or purple - it just needs to change for next year.

The calendars are planned out for the next three years. Take a look at them now and start planning ahead for childcare. Here are some ideas.

(When I had a school-aged child, my husband and I took turns taking days off. Or we would partner with another family and take turns that way. You're going to need to start working with other families as your kids get older anyway. Having a parent carpool saved us when our daughter was in high school sports and didn't have her license yet. She had to be picked up after school every day.)

1. Community and Local Program Options

Park Authority Day Camps: Fairfax County Park Authority often offers one-day “Schools Out” camps or workshops at recreation centers. These usually run 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. and include sports, crafts, and games.

Local YMCAs or JCCs: Many host “Schools Out” programs with flexible drop-off and pickup times.

STEM or Art Centers: Look for one-day workshops at places like Code Ninjas, iCode, ArtSpace, or local pottery/painting studios.

Sports Clubs: Soccer, basketball, and gymnastics facilities sometimes offer day clinics during school breaks.

2. Parent-Organized Solutions

Childcare Swap: Partner with a few trusted families to rotate childcare duties on teacher workdays. Each parent takes one day off work to host a small group of kids.

Shared Sitter/Nanny Pool: Team up with neighbors to hire one sitter for a group of children—lowering costs and adding built-in playmates.

High School Helpers: Many responsible high school students are available for daytime babysitting on no-school days. Ask through neighborhood groups or school parent chats.

3. Flexible Work Options

Adjust Work Hours: If possible, shift hours earlier or later to accommodate a partial day at home.

Remote Work Day: Some parents coordinate with their managers to work from home when schools close.

Split Schedule with a Partner or Friend: One parent covers the morning, another covers the afternoon—so neither has to take a full day off.

Clearly written by someone not dealing with this.

Like ChatGPT?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please tell me how to vote to get any improvement to this horrific school calendar that is a complete atrocity to working families and disservice too kids trying to learn. I don’t care if I have to vote blue, red or purple - it just needs to change for next year.

The calendars are planned out for the next three years. Take a look at them now and start planning ahead for childcare. Here are some ideas.

(When I had a school-aged child, my husband and I took turns taking days off. Or we would partner with another family and take turns that way. You're going to need to start working with other families as your kids get older anyway. Having a parent carpool saved us when our daughter was in high school sports and didn't have her license yet. She had to be picked up after school every day.)

1. Community and Local Program Options

Park Authority Day Camps: Fairfax County Park Authority often offers one-day “Schools Out” camps or workshops at recreation centers. These usually run 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. and include sports, crafts, and games.

Local YMCAs or JCCs: Many host “Schools Out” programs with flexible drop-off and pickup times.

STEM or Art Centers: Look for one-day workshops at places like Code Ninjas, iCode, ArtSpace, or local pottery/painting studios.

Sports Clubs: Soccer, basketball, and gymnastics facilities sometimes offer day clinics during school breaks.

2. Parent-Organized Solutions

Childcare Swap: Partner with a few trusted families to rotate childcare duties on teacher workdays. Each parent takes one day off work to host a small group of kids.

Shared Sitter/Nanny Pool: Team up with neighbors to hire one sitter for a group of children—lowering costs and adding built-in playmates.

High School Helpers: Many responsible high school students are available for daytime babysitting on no-school days. Ask through neighborhood groups or school parent chats.

3. Flexible Work Options

Adjust Work Hours: If possible, shift hours earlier or later to accommodate a partial day at home.

Remote Work Day: Some parents coordinate with their managers to work from home when schools close.

Split Schedule with a Partner or Friend: One parent covers the morning, another covers the afternoon—so neither has to take a full day off.

Clearly written by someone not dealing with this.

I dealt with it for seven years from kindergarten to sixth grade, and I dabbled in a little bit of all of these options. It all worked out in the end, and my kid is thriving.

The people who struggle with this do not have the time to post on DCUM.
They are not suburban moms living a comfortable lifestyle.

I'm a suburban mom living a comfortable lifestyle. And I have a demanding job. And I do plan ahead but sometimes still have to scramble to find care for my kids on these days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's so insane about the school year calendar? I think it's great that we're observing religious holidays beyond the Christian ones.

We don't observe the Christian holidays.

Easter is on a sunday. So it is never observed by FCPS.

Christmas is a federal holdiay, on a week that every industry in our area including most of the federal government shuts down.

Christmas would be off no matter what, for secular reasons.

Christian holidays are not acknowledged at all in the school calendar. Nor in communications. It’s been many, many years since anyone from the schools wrote or said; “Merry Christmas to those who celebrate”. All holidays, and school celebrations, have become “Winter” or “Spring” only, without any cultural (or religious) acknowledgment, ever. That’s the status quo. Jewish holidays have been added quietly. Jewish appreciation is thrown together with Asian month, iirc. Kids are not reading Anne Frank and still have not heard anything about WW2 in school.

Are you kidding? All of this started years ago BECAUSE of Jewish holidays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Create your own calendar. What do you remove (25/26 version)? Italicized are federal holidays (plus the two embedded in Winter Break). Total of 39 days.

Labor Day (x2) - dictated by law, unable to be removed
Sept. 9th - special election, teacher workday
Rosh Hashanah
Yom Kippur
Columbus/Indigenous - staff development
Diwali
Nov. 3 - School planning day (end of Q1)
Nov. 4 - Election and teacher workday (end of Q1)
Veteran's Day
Thanksgiving (x3)
Winter Break (x10)
MLK day
Jan. 29 - Staff Development (end of Q2)
Jan. 30 - Teacher Workday (end of Q2)
President's Day
Lunar New Year - Teacher Workday
Eid al-Fitr
Spring Break (x5)
Apr. 6 - Teacher Workday (end of Q3)
Orthodox Good Friday - School Planning Day
Memorial Day
May. 26 - Teacher Workday
May. 27 - Eid al-Adha

We only started having Veteran's Day off two years ago. We should also remove Eid - it's ridiculous to have a holiday that changes a few weeks before the day. We can't plan for it. It should be an excused absence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's so insane about the school year calendar? I think it's great that we're observing religious holidays beyond the Christian ones.

We don't observe the Christian holidays.

Easter is on a sunday. So it is never observed by FCPS.

Christmas is a federal holdiay, on a week that every industry in our area including most of the federal government shuts down.

Christmas would be off no matter what, for secular reasons.

Spring break is tied to Easter. FCPS has said this. So yes, spring break is absolutely tied to a Christian holiday.

This needs to change, look at the 2027 spring break. MARCH 22-26 with another June 17 last day. This is a big difference to the 2025 calendar which had spring break April 14-18 and the last day on June 11. That is 12 weeks post spring break a full month longer than 2025! In fact the post spring break stretch is even longer than the winter break to spring break stretch! Spring break should be moved a week or two later.

The problem is the end date, not Spring Break.

No, the end date is the same every year, Spring Break swings widely based on when Easter is that year. Spring Break should be the first week of April or the week after quarter end every year like it is in most of the country.

LOL, if the end date was the same every year, then we'd be done in early June. It's been getting further and further into June every year.

Most people like Spring Break the way it is, but starting way earlier and ending way later are a real problem.

Most people DON'T like spring break the way it shifts a few do but MOST DO NOT! Spring break should be secular based ex 1st week of April or post 3rd quarter.
I do agree that starting earlier and ending later is a problem that must be fixed. The school year should end two weeks sooner then it does.

FCPS tried to disconnect Spring Break from Easter a few years ago and it failed horribly. Unless you can get all the school systems to play along, it simply won't happen.

It failed because of teachers who are also parents. I agree, we should get the surrounding school districts to agree upon a week. I am sure if they planned a few years ahead, they would all agree to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought they sent an email out this year saying they were going to revisit the calendars?

Really?? With the implication being that they now understand there is a desire on the part of many to return to sanity? (Well, except for, apparently, on the part of the trollish moms on here whose kids are in their 30s now.)

Btw, they could have foreseen the chaos if they actually asked people if this is what they want.

"Please give me a swiss cheese calendar that makes it difficult to predict what is happening week to week, sets my child up for failure, and lengthens the school year for all so that everyone is undeniably exhausted by the end." --No one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought they sent an email out this year saying they were going to revisit the calendars?

Really?? With the implication being that they now understand there is a desire on the part of many to return to sanity? (Well, except for, apparently, on the part of the trollish moms on here whose kids are in their 30s now.)

Btw, they could have foreseen the chaos if they actually asked people if this is what they want.

"Please give me a swiss cheese calendar that makes it difficult to predict what is happening week to week, sets my child up for failure, and lengthens the school year for all so that everyone is undeniably exhausted by the end." --No one.

Are you new? They sent out a comprehensive survey a few years ago before they added all these holidays. They even shared the results.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought they sent an email out this year saying they were going to revisit the calendars?

Really?? With the implication being that they now understand there is a desire on the part of many to return to sanity? (Well, except for, apparently, on the part of the trollish moms on here whose kids are in their 30s now.)

Btw, they could have foreseen the chaos if they actually asked people if this is what they want.

"Please give me a swiss cheese calendar that makes it difficult to predict what is happening week to week, sets my child up for failure, and lengthens the school year for all so that everyone is undeniably exhausted by the end." --No one.

Are you new? They sent out a comprehensive survey a few years ago before they added all these holidays. They even shared the results.

Yes, actually. So people actually wanted this crap? I guess you get what you deserve.

[Anonymous]

As a teacher and a parent, I actually love the calendar with lots of 4 day weeks. Gives students time to do age-appropriate things they individually need to do or are interested in that are not possible during the school day with large classes and teachers trying to drag everyone as long the same path. Can't afford private so this makes public more palatable. With two working parents we plan childcare using the calendars provided years ahead. Wish this was more people's experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's so insane about the school year calendar? I think it's great that we're observing religious holidays beyond the Christian ones.

We don't observe the Christian holidays.

Easter is on a sunday. So it is never observed by FCPS.

Christmas is a federal holdiay, on a week that every industry in our area including most of the federal government shuts down.

Christmas would be off no matter what, for secular reasons.

It’s no coincidence that spring break always falls the week before Easter, or that winter break aligns with Christmas. The fact that many Christian holidays already fall on weekends, and are still widely observed, shows how deeply our western calendars are structured around Christian traditions. And I understand why; the country was founded on those roots. But centuries later, we’ve become a diverse population, and it’s time our schedules reflected that.

Winter break aligns with Christmas because Christmas is one of our original national holidays, where the entire nation closes, followed 7 days later by another major national holiday, new years, where everything in the country closes again.

Between the 9 days from Christmas Eve through New Years Day, there are 4 out of the 9 days closed for the federal holiday, plus at least 2 weekend days in the mix.

This means that even if we only took off 24th/25th and 31st/1st, there are only 3 possible days this week when school could occur, and no ine but you would show up.

What are you talking about? There are only 2 federal holidays in there. This year, they are December 25 and January 1.

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/#url=2025

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Create your own calendar. What do you remove (25/26 version)? Italicized are federal holidays (plus the two embedded in Winter Break). Total of 39 days.

Labor Day (x2) - dictated by law, unable to be removed
Sept. 9th - special election, teacher workday
Rosh Hashanah
Yom Kippur
Columbus/Indigenous - staff development
Diwali
Nov. 3 - School planning day (end of Q1)
Nov. 4 - Election and teacher workday (end of Q1)
Veteran's Day
Thanksgiving (x3)
Winter Break (x10)
MLK day
Jan. 29 - Staff Development (end of Q2)
Jan. 30 - Teacher Workday (end of Q2)
President's Day
Lunar New Year - Teacher Workday
Eid al-Fitr
Spring Break (x5)
Apr. 6 - Teacher Workday (end of Q3)
Orthodox Good Friday - School Planning Day
Memorial Day
May. 26 - Teacher Workday
May. 27 - Eid al-Adha

Off the top of my head? The day before Election Day, Veterans Day (historically HAS been a school day in FCPS), Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Lunar New Year (sorry, hard to justify as this isn’t even a religious holiday), and whatever hot mess they have going on at the end of the school year with Memorial Day leading into Eid - maybe make it known that there will be a larger number of absences that day that may affect staffing. That’s 5 days, a whole school week right there. We could be getting out June 10th instead of the 17th.

Winter break is hard this year because of when Christmas falls (and new years, a week later). But in 2027, Christmas will be on a Saturday. And they should be in school Monday-Wednesday before Christmas and then go back Monday 1/3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Create your own calendar. What do you remove (25/26 version)? Italicized are federal holidays (plus the two embedded in Winter Break). Total of 39 days.

Labor Day (x2) - dictated by law, unable to be removed
Sept. 9th - special election, teacher workday
Rosh Hashanah
Yom Kippur
Columbus/Indigenous - staff development
Diwali
Nov. 3 - School planning day (end of Q1)
Nov. 4 - Election and teacher workday (end of Q1)
Veteran's Day
Thanksgiving (x3)
Winter Break (x10)
MLK day
Jan. 29 - Staff Development (end of Q2)
Jan. 30 - Teacher Workday (end of Q2)
President's Day
Lunar New Year - Teacher Workday
Eid al-Fitr
Spring Break (x5)
Apr. 6 - Teacher Workday (end of Q3)
Orthodox Good Friday - School Planning Day
Memorial Day
May. 26 - Teacher Workday
May. 27 - Eid al-Adha

Off the top of my head? The day before Election Day, Veterans Day (historically HAS been a school day in FCPS), Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Lunar New Year (sorry, hard to justify as this isn’t even a religious holiday), and whatever hot mess they have going on at the end of the school year with Memorial Day leading into Eid - maybe make it known that there will be a larger number of absences that day that may affect staffing. That’s 5 days, a whole school week right there. We could be getting out June 10th instead of the 17th.

Winter break is hard this year because of when Christmas falls (and new years, a week later). But in 2027, Christmas will be on a Saturday. And they should be in school Monday-Wednesday before Christmas and then go back Monday 1/3.

Also, the Special Election Day. With early voting, not nearly as many people at the polls. We were in and out in five minutes --maybe five other voters there at the time--and our precinct has strong voting.

[Anonymous]

Voting out this SB would make everything sane again, not just the calendar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Create your own calendar. What do you remove (25/26 version)? Italicized are federal holidays (plus the two embedded in Winter Break). Total of 39 days.

Labor Day (x2) - dictated by law, unable to be removed
Sept. 9th - special election, teacher workday
Rosh Hashanah
Yom Kippur
Columbus/Indigenous - staff development
Diwali
Nov. 3 - School planning day (end of Q1)
Nov. 4 - Election and teacher workday (end of Q1)
Veteran's Day
Thanksgiving (x3)
Winter Break (x10)
MLK day
Jan. 29 - Staff Development (end of Q2)
Jan. 30 - Teacher Workday (end of Q2)
President's Day
Lunar New Year - Teacher Workday
Eid al-Fitr
Spring Break (x5)
Apr. 6 - Teacher Workday (end of Q3)
Orthodox Good Friday - School Planning Day
Memorial Day
May. 26 - Teacher Workday
May. 27 - Eid al-Adha

I'd remove all staff/teacher workdays and religous holidays and there you go, you have the school calendar for most north eastern school districts at around 25 days!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Create your own calendar. What do you remove (25/26 version)? Italicized are federal holidays (plus the two embedded in Winter Break). Total of 39 days.

Labor Day (x2) - dictated by law, unable to be removed
Sept. 9th - special election, teacher workday
Rosh Hashanah
Yom Kippur
Columbus/Indigenous - staff development
Diwali
Nov. 3 - School planning day (end of Q1)
Nov. 4 - Election and teacher workday (end of Q1)
Veteran's Day
Thanksgiving (x3)
Winter Break (x10)
MLK day
Jan. 29 - Staff Development (end of Q2)
Jan. 30 - Teacher Workday (end of Q2)
President's Day
Lunar New Year - Teacher Workday
Eid al-Fitr
Spring Break (x5)
Apr. 6 - Teacher Workday (end of Q3)
Orthodox Good Friday - School Planning Day
Memorial Day
May. 26 - Teacher Workday
May. 27 - Eid al-Adha

We only started having Veteran's Day off two years ago. We should also remove Eid - it's ridiculous to have a holiday that changes a few weeks before the day. We can't plan for it. It should be an excused absence.

They can’t remove Eid. The last year we had school on Eid, it was very dicey in special education with so many IAs and bus drivers out. That’s a liability that the county just can’t tolerate. I was so grateful we made it through that day safely.