Anonymous
Post 11/28/2024 17:01     Subject: s/o will there be a lot of kids out on Jan 2/3?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Life's too short. Extend the vacation.

- A middle school teacher


+1

-another middle school teacher
Anonymous
Post 11/28/2024 10:58     Subject: s/o will there be a lot of kids out on Jan 2/3?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Not in high school. If you're in advanced and AP classes, you can't afford to miss a full day of school.


If you can't afford to miss a day of school, then you shouldn't be in those classes in the first place.


It's 2 days math genius. Do you really think your comment is constructive?


You said (emphasis added):
Anonymous wrote:Not in high school. If you're in advanced and AP classes, you can't afford to miss a full day of school.


If you take that to heart it would be constructive. It sounds like your child shouldn't be in advanced and AP courses.


my kid isn't even in high school--i wasn't the PP, but I just wrote back because you sound like a massive jerk.


NP with HS kids. Everyone knows that PP is a typical sh*t stirrer. Don’t worry about them. Kids in the upper grades have a much better sense of when they can miss and most don’t want to miss early January class.

Anonymous
Post 11/28/2024 10:45     Subject: s/o will there be a lot of kids out on Jan 2/3?
I am pulling kids a day early before winter break to get more time with family before Christmas. Kids will definitely be there in January at the end of winter break.
Anonymous
Post 11/27/2024 23:17     Subject: s/o will there be a lot of kids out on Jan 2/3?
Anonymous wrote:Life's too short. Extend the vacation.

- A middle school teacher


My HS kid had several assignments and two tests/quizzes before thanksgiving.
Anonymous
Post 11/27/2024 19:24     Subject: s/o will there be a lot of kids out on Jan 2/3?
OP- what grade are Your kids? Middle or elementary go ahead and extend. High school with no AP or otherwise advanced classes? Ditto.
Anonymous
Post 11/27/2024 18:46     Subject: s/o will there be a lot of kids out on Jan 2/3?
Life's too short. Extend the vacation.

- A middle school teacher
Anonymous
Post 11/26/2024 16:14     Subject: Re:s/o will there be a lot of kids out on Jan 2/3?
Apparently 2025-26 has the PERFECT STORM of religious holidays where none of them fall on a weekend.
This year Yom Kippur was on a Saturday but next year Yom Kippur is on a Thursday, Lunar New Year and Eid #1 timely coincide with the end of marking periods in winter/spring 2025 but that is not the case in 2026 leading to an extra 3 closures. If that isn't enough they chose next year of ALL years to implement a student transition day!
https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/D97P7N630981/$file/2025-2026%20School%20Year%20Calendar%20PowerPoint%20Updated.pdf
Anonymous
Post 11/26/2024 11:38     Subject: s/o will there be a lot of kids out on Jan 2/3?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We’ll be in school those days. I think that attendance will be better as they are full days and winter break is already long this year.
Thanksgiving is too tempting to skip because of the two stupid half days plus Wednesday is an awful travel day. I bet they’d get better attendance for one full day on Monday but I know they can’t do that due to the stupid 180 day rule.


This year is a "great" Winter break year for these parts and the hard 180 day rule which requires awful makeup days if weather cancellations would result in fewer days are the reason school is open January 2&3. The last 2 years January 2 was off but that was to provide 7 weekdays off, but with 8 days off combined with the hard 180 rule it was too difficult to make the break a full two weeks. Then again you think this is crazy wait till next year! With December 23 on a Tuesday, Christmas Eve Wednesday and Christmas on Thursday for the 1st time in a decade it's practically a forced two weeks but even that is a challenge with the hard 180. Even though it's only 2 extra days it potentially involves the school year being OVER a WEEK LONGER!
2024-25 August 26-June 13
2025-26 August 25-June 22
That is SIX weekdays and 10 total days longer even though it should only be TWO weekdays longer although it would be four total days longer!


The haven't finalized next year's calendar yet, and they were leaning towards the shorter winter break/earlier end date at the most recent meeting.


I don’t blame them because who wants to be in school until June 22. Besides teachers, the kids at the HS level would suffer the most.
I have heard in the past that many parents are anti-long winter break in Montgomery County but this year and next it makes sense to have two weeks off. That said a school year that starts in August should not reach June 22! If Maryland law allowed 3 or 4 free emergency closures then two fewer days could be scheduled which would be used for January 2/3, 2025 and December 22/23, 2025. Excluding the winter break situations next school year would still go half a week longer. Gotta figure out where that comes from.