We moved to a district where Mon and Tues are parent-teacher conferences and Wed is off altogether. If you’re not going away that week, it feels like wasted days off that could be better used with spring break or extending summer.

If Maryland counted minutes of instruction as opposed to days of instruction, the calendar would be able to handle these as full conference days. School districts in other states find it easier, particularly when making up snow days.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School needs to start mid Aug. That would give enough time for 1 week for thanksgiving, 2 weeks for winter, 1 week for spring break as well as religious observances.

Summer break is 10-11 weeks. It's too long. We need to steal some time from summer and reallocate it to the other break weeks.

+1 That's far better than what we have now...and minimizes the learning loss. But will the tourism and summer camp industry allow it after lobbying against it for decades?

I never understood this when Hogan was governor. Is there really that much increased tourism the last 2 weeks of Aug? Or is it that most people take vacations that week because child care is closed so schools can get ready for the upcoming school year? In other words, would the demand for tourism increase the weeks prior to school starting no matter when those weeks occur?

As far as camps go---again, I don't understand how a shorter summer but longer breaks throughout the year make a significant impact. Parents that need full time child care in the summer still will need full time child care over winter break. Not everyone has 4 weeks of PTO and will be taking vacations during all of the school breaks. For winter breaks, the college kids are home. Spring break and thanksgiving weeks might be a staffing problem.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School needs to start mid Aug. That would give enough time for 1 week for thanksgiving, 2 weeks for winter, 1 week for spring break as well as religious observances.

Summer break is 10-11 weeks. It's too long. We need to steal some time from summer and reallocate it to the other break weeks.

You'd just be recreating the same problem. People would push back against school starting that early and not show up, which would force teachers to delay instructional material for a a week or so later.

Reality is, people want the best of everything without giving up anything.

Do you want some cheese with that whine?

Two half days in a week with no other school days is ridiculous. I can't believe they scheduled it this way.

Well they're about to approve next year's calendar with the same Thanksgiving week schedule.

It's a big FU to parents and kids

They surveyed people last year and 79% preferred that schedule.

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/CWJSES7245D1/$file/231016%202024-2025%20School%20Year%20Calendar%20-%20Powerpoint.pdf

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School needs to start mid Aug. That would give enough time for 1 week for thanksgiving, 2 weeks for winter, 1 week for spring break as well as religious observances.

Summer break is 10-11 weeks. It's too long. We need to steal some time from summer and reallocate it to the other break weeks.

You'd just be recreating the same problem. People would push back against school starting that early and not show up, which would force teachers to delay instructional material for a a week or so later.

Reality is, people want the best of everything without giving up anything.

Do you want some cheese with that whine?

Two half days in a week with no other school days is ridiculous. I can't believe they scheduled it this way.

Well they're about to approve next year's calendar with the same Thanksgiving week schedule.

It's a big FU to parents and kids

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School needs to start mid Aug. That would give enough time for 1 week for thanksgiving, 2 weeks for winter, 1 week for spring break as well as religious observances.

Summer break is 10-11 weeks. It's too long. We need to steal some time from summer and reallocate it to the other break weeks.

You'd just be recreating the same problem. People would push back against school starting that early and not show up, which would force teachers to delay instructional material for a a week or so later.

Reality is, people want the best of everything without giving up anything.

Do you want some cheese with that whine?

Two half days in a week with no other school days is ridiculous. I can't believe they scheduled it this way.

Well they're about to approve next year's calendar with the same Thanksgiving week schedule.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School needs to start mid Aug. That would give enough time for 1 week for thanksgiving, 2 weeks for winter, 1 week for spring break as well as religious observances.

Summer break is 10-11 weeks. It's too long. We need to steal some time from summer and reallocate it to the other break weeks.

+1 That's far better than what we have now...and minimizes the learning loss. But will the tourism and summer camp industry allow it after lobbying against it for decades?

Or will we get push back from the teachers' union.

I agree though- this is the most logical solution. It's also love year- round school to be considered.

If you followed the debacle that was Roscoe Nix Elementary and the overwhelming decision last school year by that community to lobby the BOE to return to a traditional calendar, you would know that year-round school is not a tenable option in this county.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School needs to start mid Aug. That would give enough time for 1 week for thanksgiving, 2 weeks for winter, 1 week for spring break as well as religious observances.

Summer break is 10-11 weeks. It's too long. We need to steal some time from summer and reallocate it to the other break weeks.

You'd just be recreating the same problem. People would push back against school starting that early and not show up, which would force teachers to delay instructional material for a a week or so later.

Reality is, people want the best of everything without giving up anything.

Do you want some cheese with that whine?

Two half days in a week with no other school days is ridiculous. I can't believe they scheduled it this way.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School needs to start mid Aug. That would give enough time for 1 week for thanksgiving, 2 weeks for winter, 1 week for spring break as well as religious observances.

Summer break is 10-11 weeks. It's too long. We need to steal some time from summer and reallocate it to the other break weeks.

+1 That's far better than what we have now...and minimizes the learning loss. But will the tourism and summer camp industry allow it after lobbying against it for decades?

Or will we get push back from the teachers' union.

I agree though- this is the most logical solution. It's also love year- round school to be considered.

Anonymous wrote:School needs to start mid Aug. That would give enough time for 1 week for thanksgiving, 2 weeks for winter, 1 week for spring break as well as religious observances.

Summer break is 10-11 weeks. It's too long. We need to steal some time from summer and reallocate it to the other break weeks.

+1 That's far better than what we have now...and minimizes the learning loss. But will the tourism and summer camp industry allow it after lobbying against it for decades?

Anonymous wrote:The whole week is effectively a waste now. That’s what’s efficient about it - moving the half days just spreads the pain.

Yup. If MCPS wanted to maximize learning time, they'd make Tuesday a full day off rather than the MOnday and Tuesday half days which shortchanges kids while dinging them for 2 full days of absence.

I read on the MoCo show that a school put on a turkey trot race to reduce absenteeism the week of Thanksgiving.

IMO it’s cute but also unnecessary. was there real instruction those days or just warm bodies in seats?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:God what a waste of a school system. MCPS doesn’t seem to educate kids at all.

Keep telling yourself that.

There were half days when we were kids. Stop being so dramatic.

It's not just that they're half days. It's that there's an entire week that is *only* two half days. If those two half days were spread over normal weeks, then they'd annoying, but no more so than the other half days. But by putting them in a week by themselves, of course a large number of students and staff are going to skip. And that makes those school days worthless.

Sounds like a you issue.

Anonymous wrote:School needs to start mid Aug. That would give enough time for 1 week for thanksgiving, 2 weeks for winter, 1 week for spring break as well as religious observances.

Summer break is 10-11 weeks. It's too long. We need to steal some time from summer and reallocate it to the other break weeks.

You'd just be recreating the same problem. People would push back against school starting that early and not show up, which would force teachers to delay instructional material for a a week or so later.

Reality is, people want the best of everything without giving up anything.