My team plans one fun activity each day during the last week. Most of these don't cut into learning time such as picnic lunch or pajama day with buddy reading. We show one movie (usually after our end of year party) and have a game hour one day. There still learning going on such as writing and performing plays or writing a different type of poetry each day and then sharing our poems in a poetry jam. I always begin a unit/project after SOLs to keep my students engaged in learning. It's when we finally have time to do something creative and a little more open-ended.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I really hope that the schools do not change to starting before Labor Day in the future. I have lived in two different places where school did begin before Labor Day and we really disliked it. It just felt too early to be starting school because it was still summer! It was still pretty hot and it seemed that the teachers just weren't doing a lot in school or giving a lot of homework because they thought that the kids should be able to go home at the end of the day and enjoy what they could of a summer day. They really didn't start to "buckle down" until September, the more traditional month to start school.

I just don't see starting school before Labor Day as the solution to needing extra snow days every four or five years. I'd much rather school go a few days later in June than start before Labor Day.

Well it has to be one or the other, right? It really only matters in high school and some middle schools where SOL passes are required to pass a class and for AP exams. For these important tests, it's better to front-load the school days rather than having the burden of missed school days fall on the test-taker who has 10 days less instruction.

How well kids do on AP exams depends a lot more on how much they study the material than on what they do in class. Really, an extra week in school before the test will make little difference. How much and how efficiently a kid studies is what will make the difference, not a few extra classes.

Anonymous wrote:
I really hope that the schools do not change to starting before Labor Day in the future. I have lived in two different places where school did begin before Labor Day and we really disliked it. It just felt too early to be starting school because it was still summer! It was still pretty hot and it seemed that the teachers just weren't doing a lot in school or giving a lot of homework because they thought that the kids should be able to go home at the end of the day and enjoy what they could of a summer day. They really didn't start to "buckle down" until September, the more traditional month to start school.

I just don't see starting school before Labor Day as the solution to needing extra snow days every four or five years. I'd much rather school go a few days later in June than start before Labor Day.

Well it has to be one or the other, right? It really only matters in high school and some middle schools where SOL passes are required to pass a class and for AP exams. For these important tests, it's better to front-load the school days rather than having the burden of missed school days fall on the test-taker who has 10 days less instruction.

I really hope that the schools do not change to starting before Labor Day in the future. I have lived in two different places where school did begin before Labor Day and we really disliked it. It just felt too early to be starting school because it was still summer! It was still pretty hot and it seemed that the teachers just weren't doing a lot in school or giving a lot of homework because they thought that the kids should be able to go home at the end of the day and enjoy what they could of a summer day. They really didn't start to "buckle down" until September, the more traditional month to start school.

I just don't see starting school before Labor Day as the solution to needing extra snow days every four or five years. I'd much rather school go a few days later in June than start before Labor Day.

But pp, those days were scheduled, at least in theory. Were you also annoyed last year when they got out 2 days early and the calendar changed? It sucks about camp, yes. But we had 2 snow days in December and four in January. So yeah, it is kind of short sighted to not see how things were likely to play out. That's all.

14:02 Maybe so, but I responded because I thought this posting below was obnoxious. Some schools don't like absences and I feel it's unfair to look down on a child if they don't attend the last couple of days that were unscheduled to begin with. Not every camp gives back your money and most of us want a nice summer filled with different experiences regardless. I wouldn't call parents who plan something the week after school is out short sighted by any means.

I don't think those days will be very useful or instructional, but really, it is short sighted for parents to plan a vacation the first week school is out. The possibility of snow days is always there, and unless you're booking a year out, by January, it was pretty clear where this winter was heading.

AS far as camps, so they miss a day of camp, big deal? Our camp is not even starting now until the 25th since many of the counselors are high school students.

My kid will be at school because he likes the last day; it's fun and we always have a last day party after the bell rings.

I mean, I don't care what anybody does because I don't think those last days are super important, but I hate the aggressive "Well, MY kids won't be there" attitude. Woo-hoo for you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The teachers and the kids who go to SACC are the only ones showing up on June 23-24. The rest of the students will have moved on with their summer plans.

Don't speak for everyone. My kids will be in school.

And my kids will be at summer camp.

Our camp has had the caveat from day #1 that camp's starting date can change depending on school schedule changes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The summer is already shorter than it was last year. I already paid for camp from the 23rd on. DC will be going regardless of when FCPS ever gets out. I'm so tired of hearing about school closings for cold and sidewalks and delayed openings when other counties aren't even having these and are further into the mountains or even larger geographically. FCPS should not have closed as much as it has this year.

As Ademe Dazel would say "Let It Go"!

I spit out my coffee laughing at this. Thx!

Thank you. So glad someone got it. You're gonna see it lots more around here. I thinks it's an appropriate response for nearly half the posts.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The summer is already shorter than it was last year. I already paid for camp from the 23rd on. DC will be going regardless of when FCPS ever gets out. I'm so tired of hearing about school closings for cold and sidewalks and delayed openings when other counties aren't even having these and are further into the mountains or even larger geographically. FCPS should not have closed as much as it has this year.

As Ademe Dazel would say "Let It Go"!

I spit out my coffee laughing at this. Thx!

Anonymous wrote:I think the "well my kids won't be there" are just from parents who have already paid LOTS of money for a summer camp that isn't canceling their program AND those that have already booked vacations the last week of June. This week is "usually" a bit cheaper at beaches and resorts/parks etc before the summer season rates sky rocket, thus lots of families book it.

Yep, wealthy families. Us middle class people will be there til the last day.

I didn't know Travolta was a DCUM!

Anonymous wrote:The summer is already shorter than it was last year. I already paid for camp from the 23rd on. DC will be going regardless of when FCPS ever gets out. I'm so tired of hearing about school closings for cold and sidewalks and delayed openings when other counties aren't even having these and are further into the mountains or even larger geographically. FCPS should not have closed as much as it has this year.

As Ademe Dazel would say "Let It Go"!

The summer is already shorter than it was last year. I already paid for camp from the 23rd on. DC will be going regardless of when FCPS ever gets out. I'm so tired of hearing about school closings for cold and sidewalks and delayed openings when other counties aren't even having these and are further into the mountains or even larger geographically. FCPS should not have closed as much as it has this year.

Anonymous wrote:AS far as camps, so they miss a day of camp, big deal? Our camp is not even starting now until the 25th since many of the counselors are high school students.

In our case, because it is a 2 week camp with a tech project focus and if you miss the first two days of camp the student has missed 1/5 of the project work.

Anonymous wrote:I don't really care one way or the other if school is extended. What I do care about is that the last few weeks of school are a total joke, from what I understand. I have heard from family members and friends that their kids watched movies, played games, etc for many weeks leading up to the end if school. ??? What in the world?!? How is this acceptable? I understand maybe the last two days or so as fun days, clean-up, etc.....but not WEEKS of it! So the kids are just clocking in "instructional time" for the sake of VA state regulations??

Would love to hear from teachers and other parents about this situation. Has it been your experience? (This is our first year in FCPS.)

I teach in high school, but I would not agree with this. The last classes are supposed to be for finals/presentations/etc., so they are used. Sometimes the final is before that actual "final" class, but even so that would just mean the last class itself is a loss, not weeks leading up to it.