Nobody said we are dumb because we had the whole summer off. That was not what that meant at all.

Research has been done and most teachers will tell you that the long summer leads to learning loss and need for remediation. Much of the first quarter of the next year is spent reviewing rather than on new topics.

I don't think any of this is easier for working parents. I have no idea where you got that impression from. Care would still need to be found, no matter how the breaks were spaced.

But for everyone bitching about our country's schools and how we are lagging behind and what not, this calendar is better for student learning. Do I think we'll actually change? Probably not. It's sad that we're so resistant to things that are proven to be effective.

I will throw out there that if we really want to have students like those Asian countries we cry about being behind, we'd have kids in school almost all year long, 6 days a week and for many more hours a day.

Not to mention the inability of our governments to invest in education that actually makes sense.

Anonymous wrote:The schools in FCPS who used to have a modified calendar schedule (there were 7 of them at one point) also offered “intersessions” to students who wished to take advantage of them. These intersessions included remedial courses for those who needed them, enrichment courses, and some that were just plain fun (like scrapbooking, for instance). The courses were taught by teachers on staff, or by people who were hired to teach the sessions (like someone who knew how to do scrapbooking). There was a sliding scale fee for the sessions - free and reduced lunch students were either free or reduced, and others paid a fee to attend. They were wildly popular, and ran the same schedule as the school day - one session in the morning, the other in the afternoon. Kids could attend 1 session or both sessions.
It can be expensive, but if done right, it can also pay for itself. Schools would need someone on staff to coordinate these courses - schedule, advertise, collect fees, hire people, etc.
If these were offered, I would be all for this plan.

Do you really believe this will still happen with FCPS's budget? Our school doesn't even have paper. I would like FCPS to stop worrying about these extras and focus on the essentials which are currently lacking.

Anonymous wrote:I thought they tried this some years back with some elementary schools. I remember Timberline Elementary had something like this. But no longer does. Was this a pilot experiment that did not work?

Everyone loved it, but when the budget was cut, that was one of the first things to go.

The schools in FCPS who used to have a modified calendar schedule (there were 7 of them at one point) also offered “intersessions” to students who wished to take advantage of them. These intersessions included remedial courses for those who needed them, enrichment courses, and some that were just plain fun (like scrapbooking, for instance). The courses were taught by teachers on staff, or by people who were hired to teach the sessions (like someone who knew how to do scrapbooking). There was a sliding scale fee for the sessions - free and reduced lunch students were either free or reduced, and others paid a fee to attend. They were wildly popular, and ran the same schedule as the school day - one session in the morning, the other in the afternoon. Kids could attend 1 session or both sessions.
It can be expensive, but if done right, it can also pay for itself. Schools would need someone on staff to coordinate these courses - schedule, advertise, collect fees, hire people, etc.
If these were offered, I would be all for this plan.

Anonymous wrote:Ok these post are all from a working parents perspective. No I do not support it. I do support cutting the winter break and getting out of school in early June. Summer is June July and August. These kids are in school to long. They are not adults in the working world and that time will come for them soon enough. Stop trying to conform the schools to the working world. It wasn't that way for you and it shouldent be that way for the kids today. WTF are you trying to do to these kids. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. This is so wrong. Why did you have children if you do not want to spend time with them? Cut back on your spending and spend some time raising your children. They will be adults soon enough!

Mine was not. I was the PP who said I preferred the modified year round.

As a working parent, I think it would be a terrible idea childcare wise. It's easier to find care in the summer with college students out or even to find one person for a decent length of time. Having many breaks would be difficult for us to handle. I thought last year in FCPS was the perfect length of summer. It was about 2 weeks less than the year before it. We can only afford to go on one vacation a year. Grandparents often leave in the winter to go somewhere warmer and we already have a hard time with the snow days to find care during this time plus winter sports are expensive. Having a long summer allows my children to take a couple sports and academic camps and go on a vacation before starting school again. We also join a swim team and it's easier to handle this schedule when school is out. With all the days off in the winter, we feel our kids are already getting a long break.

Anonymous wrote:If this is just the way things are, other things adjust around it. The internships might be for 6 weeks rather than 10.

The status quo of a long summer is not a good learning model.

So I guess you are stupid since yiu had a status quo summer. Stop this crap. It is not for tge kids it is for you.

Ok these post are all from a working parents perspective. No I do not support it. I do support cutting the winter break and getting out of school in early June. Summer is June July and August. These kids are in school to long. They are not adults in the working world and that time will come for them soon enough. Stop trying to conform the schools to the working world. It wasn't that way for you and it shouldent be that way for the kids today. WTF are you trying to do to these kids. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. This is so wrong. Why did you have children if you do not want to spend time with them? Cut back on your spending and spend some time raising your children. They will be adults soon enough!

If this is just the way things are, other things adjust around it. The internships might be for 6 weeks rather than 10.

The status quo of a long summer is not a good learning model.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, absolutely not. Kids need a break, a long break in the summer to be kids. And kids in high school? They need to get away from all they do during the school year. You will see an increase in suicides if there was all year school (or "modified") because then kids never would really get away from school. And teens need a chance to try internships if they want in the summer.

If you were a kid, you know you would want summer break. A few extra weeks between the school year isn't the same. Don't try to take summer away from kids.

You clearly don't understand what a modified school calendar looks like. They attend the same number of days.

You clearly didn't read my post. I know they attend the same number of days. But having a few weeks in between quarters with a shorter summer is not the same.

It might seem like a good idea to you now, if you're kids are not in elem. school yet, but it's something you would definitely be concerned about once they are in the teen years.

Anonymous wrote:YES! YES! YES!

I would absolutely support a modified calendar. Better for the kids and better for families


That said, I'm absolutely against school before Labor Day if sticking with the traditional school calendar.

I prefer school to return in Mid-August and get out by Memorial Day.

Anonymous wrote:No, absolutely not. Kids need a break, a long break in the summer to be kids. And kids in high school? They need to get away from all they do during the school year. You will see an increase in suicides if there was all year school (or "modified") because then kids never would really get away from school. And teens need a chance to try internships if they want in the summer.

If you were a kid, you know you would want summer break. A few extra weeks between the school year isn't the same. Don't try to take summer away from kids.

You clearly don't understand what a modified school calendar looks like. They attend the same number of days.

YES! YES! YES!

I would absolutely support a modified calendar. Better for the kids and better for families


That said, I'm absolutely against school before Labor Day if sticking with the traditional school calendar.

This is pretty common where I'm from (Southwest). Teachers and students tend to love it, parents hate it (childcare). There is still a summer break, around 6 weeks. The other breaks are a bit longer. Kids lose less skills over the summer and the mid-year breaks help prevent burnout for kids and teachers.

Yes