Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Attendance is important though. Ha. We really couldn’t consolidate today’s holiday with the grading day?

It's a religious holiday so no. APS doesn't control when Eid al-Fitr is. No one has an issue when Christmas falls in the middle of the week and we build spring break around easter every single year, I don't think it is THAT much of a burden to have ONE day off a year so that students of another major religion get some protected time with their families where they aren't missing content etc. for one major holiday. I am Christian, for the record. Yes it is annoying how it falls with the grading period, it has felt like a lot lately. But I don't think the general premise is flawed.

School exists to serve a secular purpose, and the only valid reason to take a day off for a holiday is if it would result in a level of absences that would create operational issues. If having school on a given holiday would create an undue burden on a particular individual, then the best policy response is an excused absence.
S
pring break is only around easter out of bureaucratic inertia. If their goal were to facilitate religious observance and travel to family they would be giving the week AFTER easter off, like the catholic schools do. But they don't, because the whole schedule is just rife with unexamined assumptions and decisions based on general feelings.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS calendar is terrible with all these choppy weeks

Horrendous

I think APS needs to offer extended day coverage at schools on these single days off like Fairfax County does. It would make working parents' lives so much easier.

Not possible since syphax gives itself the day off too.

At a minimum, they should change it so that there is no grade prep day if there is another holiday in the two weeks prior. Also not all school districts have grade prep days as days off. I think they should have says off for grade prep or religious holidays, but not both. Some teachers would likely prefer a longer summer break anyway.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Attendance is important though. Ha. We really couldn’t consolidate today’s holiday with the grading day?

It's a religious holiday so no. APS doesn't control when Eid al-Fitr is. No one has an issue when Christmas falls in the middle of the week and we build spring break around easter every single year, I don't think it is THAT much of a burden to have ONE day off a year so that students of another major religion get some protected time with their families where they aren't missing content etc. for one major holiday. I am Christian, for the record. Yes it is annoying how it falls with the grading period, it has felt like a lot lately. But I don't think the general premise is flawed.

I think a lot of people (most?) would be happy to disconnect Easter from Spring break for less expensive travel. And Easter is on a Sunday, so it doesn't really matter.

APS needs to consolidate it's days off. Why do we have both Wednesday and Monday off? Non-muslim teachers could certainly work today.

-someone who celebrates Easter

I don’t mind Easter connected to spring break, but I wish it was the week after like many Catholic schools do. Many of us who actually celebrate Easter like to be with family and it’s impossible to travel back home Sunday evening and then be prepared for school on Monday when we don’t have it off.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Attendance is important though. Ha. We really couldn’t consolidate today’s holiday with the grading day?

It's a religious holiday so no. APS doesn't control when Eid al-Fitr is. No one has an issue when Christmas falls in the middle of the week and we build spring break around easter every single year, I don't think it is THAT much of a burden to have ONE day off a year so that students of another major religion get some protected time with their families where they aren't missing content etc. for one major holiday. I am Christian, for the record. Yes it is annoying how it falls with the grading period, it has felt like a lot lately. But I don't think the general premise is flawed.

I think a lot of people (most?) would be happy to disconnect Easter from Spring break for less expensive travel. And Easter is on a Sunday, so it doesn't really matter.

APS needs to consolidate it's days off. Why do we have both Wednesday and Monday off? Non-muslim teachers could certainly work today.

-someone who celebrates Easter

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Attendance is important though. Ha. We really couldn’t consolidate today’s holiday with the grading day?

It's a religious holiday so no. APS doesn't control when Eid al-Fitr is. No one has an issue when Christmas falls in the middle of the week and we build spring break around easter every single year, I don't think it is THAT much of a burden to have ONE day off a year so that students of another major religion get some protected time with their families where they aren't missing content etc. for one major holiday. I am Christian, for the record. Yes it is annoying how it falls with the grading period, it has felt like a lot lately. But I don't think the general premise is flawed.

If today was the grading day, how many teachers would be have to choose between grading and their holiday? 1%? 3%? Is there a threshold where we say there just isn’t a high enough percentage to give everyone an extra day off and do the grading day on the holiday?

Yeah, but many teachers gonna be grading today so they can have a three day weekend. And I don’t blame them.

Anonymous wrote:Attendance is important though. Ha. We really couldn’t consolidate today’s holiday with the grading day?

It's a religious holiday so no. APS doesn't control when Eid al-Fitr is. No one has an issue when Christmas falls in the middle of the week and we build spring break around easter every single year, I don't think it is THAT much of a burden to have ONE day off a year so that students of another major religion get some protected time with their families where they aren't missing content etc. for one major holiday. I am Christian, for the record. Yes it is annoying how it falls with the grading period, it has felt like a lot lately. But I don't think the general premise is flawed.

Attendance is important though. Ha. We really couldn’t consolidate today’s holiday with the grading day?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS calendar is terrible with all these choppy weeks

Horrendous

I think APS needs to offer extended day coverage at schools on these single days off like Fairfax County does. It would make working parents' lives so much easier.

I just saw three kids walking to Yorktown, are they out of the loop or are there some sports programs today?

Anonymous wrote:APS calendar is terrible with all these choppy weeks

Horrendous

Also no school next Monday.

APS calendar is terrible with all these choppy weeks

Just a PSA since some people don't seem to have the latest calendar.