Reply to Explain ridiculously early 2023/24 start date?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I’m loving the simplicity of National Presbyterian’s calendar! Wow!

[url]https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1672929300/nps/p4j14aia0vs3orqcmpu5/2023-2024NPSMajorDatesCalendar.pdf[/url][/quote]

It’s a lot easier when you are a religious school and don’t have to accommodate more than one religion’s holidays. [/quote]

The public school shouldn't be accommodating any religious holidays.  And before someone drags up Christmas, it's far more than than a religious holiday in the US.[/quote]

IOW, “I got mine. Screw everybody else.”

And don’t try to claim you don’t celebrate Christmas because it’s an anonymous message board. Nope. Sorry.[/quote]

Sure I celebrate Christmas.  So do a lot of people.  In fact, so many that the school system couldn't operate.  It's also a federal holiday.

Now, why don't you provide any evidence that says the same for any Jewish or Muslim holiday in Fairfax County?  Here's a hint:  There is none.[/quote]

This. It's such a ridiculous argument. When 80% of the country is off during this time, it's a pretty good reason to give school holidays. If less than 5% are off, it makes no sense to shut down. Diwali? Eid? RH, YK? Please. It's unnecessary.

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Oh well. You’ll survive.[/quote]

BUT WHY DO WE NEED OFF THE ENTIRE WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS? Totally unnecessary. One week is fine.[/quote]

Ah but then all the families that want to travel to Europe and Asia over the winter break would be inconvenienced and we can’t have that. The calendar is centered around connivence not what is best for the students. If we actually aimed for a schedule that worked best for the kids, we would prioritize 5 day school weeks and breaks that make sense, like after the end of a quarter. Instead the calendar needs to meet niche group X travel needs and y groups religious needs and z groups cultural needs and every federal holiday and squeeze in professional development and teacher work days.

Christmas is part of winter break because it is a federal holiday. It is a federal holiday because the vast majority of the federal work force takes vacation during that time. It is also the reason why there are industries that simply shut down for the week between Christmas and New Years. A large percentage of the population takes that time off. Yes, it is because of Christmas but that doesn’t change the fact that the number of people taking time off is enough to shut down the government and businesses. No other religious holiday in the US, to include Easter, comes even close to number of people taking vacation. The religious holidays that are days off now did not effect a large percentage of the population. I would guess that the absence rates for the religious days off, baring Christmas, were under 10%, probably closer to 5%.

Professional Development days and Teacher Work days should be scheduled at the end of each quarter. Make it a week off then. Parents can take their kids on vacation if they want, the prices would probably be more affordable, and it is enough time off that plenty of camps would spring up for families needing child care. Teachers might like the idea of a quite week at school to get their work done. Oh, and make the professional development days useful. Like actual development and not useless meetings that none of my Teacher friends appreciate.

Remove some of the Federal Holidays from the schedule. There are plenty of places in the country that don’t close for every federal holiday. Use those days as teaching elements. Kids could be in school on  Veterans Day, Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day, MLK Day, Presidents Day. Or use them as PD day or TW days but it would be better not to have them off.

We have a schedule that is massively disrupted and disjointed. Stop the madness. Find a way to get in 5 day long weeks. Stop trying to cater to every special interest group. [/quote]

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