Anonymous wrote:Yes, this is a problem in Fairfax Co. and probably many other school districts. These elementary schools were built ages ago, and the school planners never really envisioned this many students.

My son (K last year) ate at 10:55 am and had a snack in the afternoon. They all did fine. It actually made breakfast easier b/c if he didn't want much I didn't fret about it.

The kids will adjust. You will get a couple of years of normal lunch hours and then be pissed again when your 4th grader eats at - like - 2 pm.

Trust me when I say this will just be one issue in a long long line of issues (bad teachers, preferential treatment, etc.) that you will have with the school.

My kids have had 10:40, 10:45 and 10:50 lunches for the last few years.... I didn't complain.... but 10:15 is beyond reason IMO.

Anonymous wrote:Our KG teacher did NOT allow snack. My DD would melt down everyday because she was overly hungry when school ended. Snack time should be mandated by the school board. Overcrowding of schools has got to stop. We need to stop educating kids who dont live in our counties or neighborhoods. You only register 1 time for the entire 7 years of ES. It should be required every year.

Listen, this doesn't have anything to do with the overcrowding.

If you really want overcrowding to stop, then you (as a taxpayer and voter) need to pressure your local politicians to allocate more of our tax $$$ to education and building new schools. This may result in other cuts we don't want or -- unfortunately -- increased taxes.

But you can't bitch about these things and still bitch about high taxes (not saying you are, but you really don't have a good grasp of the problem if you think this is happening b/c kids from other "neighborhoods" are illegally being enrolled in schools).

Our KG teacher did NOT allow snack. My DD would melt down everyday because she was overly hungry when school ended. Snack time should be mandated by the school board. Overcrowding of schools has got to stop. We need to stop educating kids who dont live in our counties or neighborhoods. You only register 1 time for the entire 7 years of ES. It should be required every year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My friend's school requires moms to be lunchroom monitors and lunch is brought in on a cart without choice. That is the only solution I see. Since they have snack, I don't see the huge issue with lunch. Just have them eat less lunch or brunch as someone suggested and more of a snack later. It would be more of an issue if they didn't have a snack.

I think you are missing the point. If a child doesn't eat lunch b/c s/he is not hungry at 10:30, a 5 min. snack with only one item (as mandated by the teacher --- think a snackbag of goldfish) is NOT sufficient nutrition for the day. That's what I think is likely to happen. So from 7:45 a.m. until about 3:15 p.m. s/he will be subsisting on about half a carton of milk and a little snack bag. I doubt that any of us would want to do that. Of course, as adults we would tell ourselves to eat a full lunch at 10:30 b/c we would have the foresight to know that this is our one opportunity for lunch and we will be hungry later. A six year old does not have that much foresight or logic when it comes to hunger/food.It is very unlikely that my 38 lb. first grader is going to eat enough at 10:30 to support a full day of school activities. And--- have you ever seen how S L O W L Y these kids eat? They'd be lucky to finish 3 baby carrots in 5 min. during snack time.

I disagree. Give your 6 yo more credit. He / she will figure out pretty quickly that he / she needs to eat at lunch. What you may find is that your kid doesn't eat as much for breakfast.

Yes, this is a problem in Fairfax Co. and probably many other school districts. These elementary schools were built ages ago, and the school planners never really envisioned this many students.

My son (K last year) ate at 10:55 am and had a snack in the afternoon. They all did fine. It actually made breakfast easier b/c if he didn't want much I didn't fret about it.

The kids will adjust. You will get a couple of years of normal lunch hours and then be pissed again when your 4th grader eats at - like - 2 pm.

Trust me when I say this will just be one issue in a long long line of issues (bad teachers, preferential treatment, etc.) that you will have with the school.

Anonymous wrote:My friend's school requires moms to be lunchroom monitors and lunch is brought in on a cart without choice. That is the only solution I see. Since they have snack, I don't see the huge issue with lunch. Just have them eat less lunch or brunch as someone suggested and more of a snack later. It would be more of an issue if they didn't have a snack.

I think you are missing the point. If a child doesn't eat lunch b/c s/he is not hungry at 10:30, a 5 min. snack with only one item (as mandated by the teacher --- think a snackbag of goldfish) is NOT sufficient nutrition for the day. That's what I think is likely to happen. So from 7:45 a.m. until about 3:15 p.m. s/he will be subsisting on about half a carton of milk and a little snack bag. I doubt that any of us would want to do that. Of course, as adults we would tell ourselves to eat a full lunch at 10:30 b/c we would have the foresight to know that this is our one opportunity for lunch and we will be hungry later. A six year old does not have that much foresight or logic when it comes to hunger/food.

It is very unlikely that my 38 lb. first grader is going to eat enough at 10:30 to support a full day of school activities. And--- have you ever seen how S L O W L Y these kids eat? They'd be lucky to finish 3 baby carrots in 5 min. during snack time.

My friend's school requires moms to be lunchroom monitors and lunch is brought in on a cart without choice. That is the only solution I see. Since they have snack, I don't see the huge issue with lunch. Just have them eat less lunch or brunch as someone suggested and more of a snack later. It would be more of an issue if they didn't have a snack.

We have had this problem in the past - I try hard to just load up the snack with protein. I send things like Luna bars or string cheese and pepperoni. My kid won't eat early (he's in third grade now, it's still a struggle, and he's still underweight) so I make sure I'm sending something heartier. I've even packed a sandwich for snack. They only get something like five minutes, so it needs to be something they can eat quickly, but think extra hearty for the snack.

Anonymous wrote:FCPS, one of the smallest in the county. My child eats lunch at 10:50. The cafeteria is small.

Which school? Your bell time is like mine and now I'm worried.

I'm as horrified by the 45 minutes on the school bus as I am by the super early lunch. I can see 45 minutes when you are in middle school or high school--they are covering a larger area, but the neighborhood elementary school? Why should it take 45 minutes?
Agree with other posters that the biggest problem with the early lunch is that its in combination with the school day beginning only an hour before.
Ugh.

FCPS, one of the smallest in the county. My child eats lunch at 10:50. The cafeteria is small.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What school is this? All fairfax ele
Entary schools? Falls church city too?
Ridiculous !

Ours is a Fairfax County Elementary.

Tardy bell rings at 9:10
Lunch at 10:15 AM
Dismissal just shy of 4:00 PM
Off bus around 4:45 PM

I must say I am thrilled. I wish the superintendant would come and spend a day with the kids and try to do that schedule. It is unacceptable.

My child joked that they should forgo breakfast and just have a big brunch at school every day

Wow. This is ridiculous. What school? How many kids attend there?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What school is this? All fairfax ele
Entary schools? Falls church city too?
Ridiculous !

Ours is a Fairfax County Elementary.

Tardy bell rings at 9:10
Lunch at 10:15 AM
Dismissal just shy of 4:00 PM
Off bus around 4:45 PM

I must say I am thrilled. I wish the superintendant would come and spend a day with the kids and try to do that schedule. It is unacceptable.

My child joked that they should forgo breakfast and just have a big brunch at school every day

That is a bit ridiculous with such a late start time for the school. If school started at 8 am, it wouldn't be so bad. But to have lunch one hour after they get there? No way!

Anonymous wrote:What school is this? All fairfax ele
Entary schools? Falls church city too?
Ridiculous !

Ours is a Fairfax County Elementary.

Tardy bell rings at 9:10
Lunch at 10:15 AM
Dismissal just shy of 4:00 PM
Off bus around 4:45 PM

I must say I am thrilled. I wish the superintendant would come and spend a day with the kids and try to do that schedule. It is unacceptable.

My child joked that they should forgo breakfast and just have a big brunch at school every day

My child has eaten either the latest or next to latest lunch shift for the last two years(grades 2 and 3) . This year she eats at 1:00 which is 4.5 hours after the start of school. It stinks but she has adjusted.