Jun 15 school board meeting & Return in Fall presentation

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MORE professional development? Ughhhhh. As a teacher (and a parent), this is not what teachers (at least at my school) want. The professional development is always Gatehouse created to fit whatever their new priority for the year is (because we apparently can’t focus on the same thing for more than a year or two) and has never once been helpful to my curriculum area. The teacher workdays are helpful for grading and unit planning w my colleagues, but I would much rather have students on ALL of the professional development days than listen to hastily prepared Gatehouse presentations. This is a waste of time and just leads to more childcare needs for parents.

Another teacher here. Completely agree. Again, more people making decisions for educators who are so far removed from the classroom.

+1
DW and I plus another teacher friend were just talking about this tonight.

Parent here - if you all end up collective bargaining can you get them to stop hiring so many central office and administration types? The bureaucratic bloat is out of hand. People will never vote in the politicians who would make them.

That's pretty low on a teacher's wish list if and when we get collective bargaining.

It’s high on my list. Okay, I guess “unfreeze step increases” would be number one on the list at the moment, but I would hope the union would work to empower teachers and that means trimming bureaucratic fat. I *want* to be able to teach well, and I *want* an optimal learning environment for my students, and I feel like all administration thinks about is how to manipulate statistics to make themselves look good.

I've never felt like Gatehouse how impacted my teaching. Is there something specific you are referring to? For example: I hate administering iReady but that is the only way that I feel like Gatehouse/admin forces us to do things...the other items are more directly related to state requirements.

Sorry, you are not an FCPS teacher… or maybe you are a coach? Are you a Gatehouse employee?

Agree. No way you are a veteran FCPS teacher. The actual content area curriculum specialists are needed, but there are so many pet project positions. Many of the people in the positions are lovely and do their job, but the positions are simply unnecessary. Things like Global Awareness Project (many of the teachers supported by this had existing connections…we dont need an office for this), tons of random MTSS office people who show up at meetings, all of those equity specialists who did the truly terrible professional development sessions this year, the specialists who just jump from special project to special project rather than go back to the classroom, Get2Green (sorry Elaine), POG POL, PBL…do we need like 5 people for this stuff? These are all great programs, but they get away from “keep the main thing the main thing.” The main thing is teaching kids in a classroom. We should be focusing on things like improving reading instruction and lowering class sizes, not seeking out opportunities to collaborate with children in France (while cool, we have kids who can’t read).

I wish I could +1 this a lot of times. These are things that parents, teachers, and probably even students can agree on. Why Gatehouse and the SB won't make them happen probably has something to do with "follow the money" but drives me insane. Who is opposed to getting kids reading (well, based on today's meeting besides Anderson and Kaufax, I guess, but WHY?).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need to petition to have all who are fully vaccinated unmasked indoors this summer. It’s both a government recommendation, and an incentive for those who are holding out.

Petition the CDC then. For better or for worse VDH, VDOE, FCHD, and FCPS are following their guidelines.

https://wwwn.cdc.gov/DCS/ContactUs/Form

Don’t the CDC guidelines indicate those who are vaccinated don’t have to wear masks? I still had to wear a mask in school even when my HS students weren’t there… and was reminded about these rules by people who went maskless at our graduation ceremony!

There's a special carve out for schools on the school guidelines page saying don't change anything. Same with in the Governor's executive order dropping everything but masks for the unvaccinated at the end of May.

The national teachers unions pressured the CDC to change mask guidance in schools from a science based decision to a political based decision.

The emails are all there available for anyone to read. So is the money trail.

We have a complete failure in our system when our politicians allow our scientific community to change health guidlines based off demands by uneducated, political union leaders who are not following science and who are dumping buckets of money in the hands of politicians.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do vaccinated people have to wear masks in school buildings but Gatehouse is mask-optional?

Oh, are you effing kidding me? Just another reason to loathe Gatehouse.

Gatehouse was still only working IN PERSON a few days a week. And home the rest!!!! They not have to return to normal work schedule July 1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need to petition to have all who are fully vaccinated unmasked indoors this summer. It’s both a government recommendation, and an incentive for those who are holding out.

Petition the CDC then. For better or for worse VDH, VDOE, FCHD, and FCPS are following their guidelines.

https://wwwn.cdc.gov/DCS/ContactUs/Form

Don’t the CDC guidelines indicate those who are vaccinated don’t have to wear masks? I still had to wear a mask in school even when my HS students weren’t there… and was reminded about these rules by people who went maskless at our graduation ceremony!

I’ve seen photos of school board members in high school hallways unmasked with graduates, so I’m not sure what the rules are anymore.

ES Teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need to petition to have all who are fully vaccinated unmasked indoors this summer. It’s both a government recommendation, and an incentive for those who are holding out.

Petition the CDC then. For better or for worse VDH, VDOE, FCHD, and FCPS are following their guidelines.

https://wwwn.cdc.gov/DCS/ContactUs/Form

Don’t the CDC guidelines indicate those who are vaccinated don’t have to wear masks? I still had to wear a mask in school even when my HS students weren’t there… and was reminded about these rules by people who went maskless at our graduation ceremony!

There's a special carve out for schools on the school guidelines page saying don't change anything. Same with in the Governor's executive order dropping everything but masks for the unvaccinated at the end of May.

The national teachers unions pressured the CDC to change mask guidance in schools from a science based decision to a political based decision.

The emails are all there available for anyone to read. So is the money trail.

We have a complete failure in our system when our politicians allow our scientific community to change health guidlines based off demands by uneducated, political union leaders who are not following science and who are dumping buckets of money in the hands of politicians.

If only the “national teachers unions” were as powerful as y’all seem to think they are, maybe there wouldn’t be a teacher shortage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need to petition to have all who are fully vaccinated unmasked indoors this summer. It’s both a government recommendation, and an incentive for those who are holding out.

Petition the CDC then. For better or for worse VDH, VDOE, FCHD, and FCPS are following their guidelines.

https://wwwn.cdc.gov/DCS/ContactUs/Form

Don’t the CDC guidelines indicate those who are vaccinated don’t have to wear masks? I still had to wear a mask in school even when my HS students weren’t there… and was reminded about these rules by people who went maskless at our graduation ceremony!

I’ve seen photos of school board members in high school hallways unmasked with graduates, so I’m not sure what the rules are anymore.

ES Teacher

Well, those are "photo-ops," They were unmasked in some of these photos months ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They said that 5500 students transferred out of the district to homeschool/private school (half homeschool and 1/4 regular private and 1/4 parochial) and 1400 have re-enrolled.

It's less than I thought had transferred and less than I thought would return.

'

What about all the missing severely disabled kids? They aren't in private or parochial schools. I guess they were "homeschooled"?

If the numbers only include kids who started 2020 and then dropped out, it doesn’t include all those missing Key/Kilmer/alternate school kids who just disappeared.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MORE professional development? Ughhhhh. As a teacher (and a parent), this is not what teachers (at least at my school) want. The professional development is always Gatehouse created to fit whatever their new priority for the year is (because we apparently can’t focus on the same thing for more than a year or two) and has never once been helpful to my curriculum area. The teacher workdays are helpful for grading and unit planning w my colleagues, but I would much rather have students on ALL of the professional development days than listen to hastily prepared Gatehouse presentations. This is a waste of time and just leads to more childcare needs for parents.

Another teacher here. Completely agree. Again, more people making decisions for educators who are so far removed from the classroom.

+1
DW and I plus another teacher friend were just talking about this tonight.

Parent here - if you all end up collective bargaining can you get them to stop hiring so many central office and administration types? The bureaucratic bloat is out of hand. People will never vote in the politicians who would make them.

That's pretty low on a teacher's wish list if and when we get collective bargaining.

It’s high on my list. Okay, I guess “unfreeze step increases” would be number one on the list at the moment, but I would hope the union would work to empower teachers and that means trimming bureaucratic fat. I *want* to be able to teach well, and I *want* an optimal learning environment for my students, and I feel like all administration thinks about is how to manipulate statistics to make themselves look good.

I've never felt like Gatehouse how impacted my teaching. Is there something specific you are referring to? For example: I hate administering iReady but that is the only way that I feel like Gatehouse/admin forces us to do things...the other items are more directly related to state requirements.

Sorry, you are not an FCPS teacher… or maybe you are a coach? Are you a Gatehouse employee?

Agree. No way you are a veteran FCPS teacher. The actual content area curriculum specialists are needed, but there are so many pet project positions. Many of the people in the positions are lovely and do their job, but the positions are simply unnecessary. Things like Global Awareness Project (many of the teachers supported by this had existing connections…we dont need an office for this), tons of random MTSS office people who show up at meetings, all of those equity specialists who did the truly terrible professional development sessions this year, the specialists who just jump from special project to special project rather than go back to the classroom, Get2Green (sorry Elaine), POG POL, PBL…do we need like 5 people for this stuff? These are all great programs, but they get away from “keep the main thing the main thing.” The main thing is teaching kids in a classroom. We should be focusing on things like improving reading instruction and lowering class sizes, not seeking out opportunities to collaborate with children in France (while cool, we have kids who can’t read).

I am the PP who is truly a teacher. I'm just focusing on teaching the classroom and just ignoring all the other stuff you guys have mentioned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do vaccinated people have to wear masks in school buildings but Gatehouse is mask-optional?

Oh, are you effing kidding me? Just another reason to loathe Gatehouse.

All of the school board members and district reps were unmasked and not distancing at all of the graduations.

One look at a graduation photo from any fcps high school ceremony, and you will see what a fake show of safety this whole masking everyone at school, includijg recess is.

Elementary students are not vaccinated (yet). The CDC is (currently) requiring masks at school.

Loathing Gatehouse for this? Really?

Absolutely. Gatehouse and the school board have been ignoring recommendations all year


Masking elementary kids, particularly at outdoor recess, and their vaccinated teachers is not supported by science.

They'd have to buck VDOE to do it. It's literally on VDOE's front page:

Virginia ’s mask mandate has been updated. While indoors on school property, all students, teachers, staff, and visitors must wear a mask over their nose and mouth regardless of vaccination status. For more information visit our FAQ Page.

https://doe.virginia.gov/

[Anonymous]

People keep explaining the reasons for the differences in mask policy but that doesn’t matter to the knee jerk, school board is awful, fcps is awful contingent. They are out of touch with reality after spending a year in the open fcps bubble of anger.

[Anonymous]

Return to school presentation starting at 1:30

[Anonymous]

What a difference a year makes... it all seems calmer and more sane. I feel calmer and more sane listening to this compared to last year.

Thank goodness Fairfax Cnty residents have taken the vaccines -- that is the real difference. It has lowered the stress immensely.

I wasted so much time last summer listening to these -- only to find my mental state much angrier and more stressed each time. This just seems so.much.better.

[Anonymous]

News: two SOL dates --- which I think is a good idea.

One set in the fall to assess where kids are.

Another set in the spring to see what progress kids have made.

[Anonymous]

Ok, wow. This woman talking about professional development is hard to listen to... so much jargon/mumbo-jumbo. Too much talking and not enough communicating of the real points.

[Anonymous]

The PD speaker is "Dr. Williams."