Anonymous
Post 09/28/2017 11:25     Subject: Next Year's School Calendar
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:If you think it's 11 weeks then you can't count.


I just counted 11 full weeks too PP.

June
17
24

July
1
8
15
22
29

August
5
12
19
26




The last day of school is Tuesday the 12th of June. The first day of school is the Tuesday after Labor Day. Why are you counting from the 17th of June? That makes no sense at all.


You have reading comprehension issues. That person said 11 FULL weeks. You start full weeks on Sunday to Sunday. This is 11 full weeks. Even if it actually ends on Tuesday, which it won't because we almost always have snow days to make-up, that week is not a full week. It is 3 days.


The summer is 11 weeks, 4 days. It is literally one weekday short of 12 weeks.

You are the one who has issues.
Anonymous
Post 09/28/2017 11:12     Subject: Next Year's School Calendar
Anonymous wrote:

It was for Eid. But they can't say that because we are a secular school system. So now we are getting off for religious non-federal holidays that approx 5% of the school's population celebrate. If we started Aug 28th this year, we would have been off Sept 1st for Eid as well.


Yes, we are, by state law, and we have been for decades. What percentage of MCPS students observes (Western) Good Friday? Not to mention, who celebrates (Western) Easter Monday? That isn't even a religious holiday.
Anonymous
Post 09/28/2017 10:55     Subject: Next Year's School Calendar
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:School should never art before Labor Day. I absolutely abhorred the years when it started the week before. Complete insanity. Nothing is wrong with shorter school year and less contact days. Longer spring and winter break too. It isn't about days is about teaching effectively. Prior to MCPS my kids attended British International School, started around 1st of September and ended by early June. Had over 2 weeks for Christmas breaks and almost as much for Easter. And learned a ton more But, unless government demanded this and that holiday must be no school days, kids went to school. There were no random days off.


There were never any "random days off" in the MCPS calendar, either. There were reasons for each off the days off. You just didn't know what they were -- but you could easily have found out, had you looked.


I looked. I fully support Jewish holiday days off in MCPS, and other federal holidays. I am fully against Professional Days. How could they start a school year, in 2016 and have a PD one week later?! If you look at 2016/17 calendar, they started on 29th of August, I believe, then had Labor Day off, then Monday the 12th they had PD. Why, how can that be justified? I think there were at least 4 more PD days.


It was for Eid. But they can't say that because we are a secular school system. So now we are getting off for religious non-federal holidays that approx 5% of the school's population celebrate. If we started Aug 28th this year, we would have been off Sept 1st for Eid as well.
Anonymous
Post 09/28/2017 10:52     Subject: Next Year's School Calendar
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:If you think it's 11 weeks then you can't count.


I just counted 11 full weeks too PP.

June
17
24

July
1
8
15
22
29

August
5
12
19
26




The last day of school is Tuesday the 12th of June. The first day of school is the Tuesday after Labor Day. Why are you counting from the 17th of June? That makes no sense at all.


You have reading comprehension issues. That person said 11 FULL weeks. You start full weeks on Sunday to Sunday. This is 11 full weeks. Even if it actually ends on Tuesday, which it won't because we almost always have snow days to make-up, that week is not a full week. It is 3 days.
Anonymous
Post 09/27/2017 17:48     Subject: Re:Next Year's School Calendar
Anonymous wrote:I agree that teachers need professional days. It will be interesting this year to see how many teachers turn around grades quickly or if there are grading mistakes since all the professional days were lumped at the beginning of this school year.

By the way teachers only get paid for 215 days of work. I suspect many work second jobs to cover the rest of the year.


At our school the total budget for professional salaries is $3,937,235. Averaged over the 46.1 professionals, that is $85,406.39 per year per professional. That's not half bad for 9 1/2 months work, summers off, most big holidays off, winter break, spring break. Not to mention benefits and addotional leave time on top of that.
Anonymous
Post 09/27/2017 17:09     Subject: Re:Next Year's School Calendar
I agree that teachers need professional days. It will be interesting this year to see how many teachers turn around grades quickly or if there are grading mistakes since all the professional days were lumped at the beginning of this school year.

By the way teachers only get paid for 215 days of work. I suspect many work second jobs to cover the rest of the year.
Anonymous
Post 09/27/2017 17:01     Subject: Next Year's School Calendar
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:School should never art before Labor Day. I absolutely abhorred the years when it started the week before. Complete insanity. Nothing is wrong with shorter school year and less contact days. Longer spring and winter break too. It isn't about days is about teaching effectively. Prior to MCPS my kids attended British International School, started around 1st of September and ended by early June. Had over 2 weeks for Christmas breaks and almost as much for Easter. And learned a ton more But, unless government demanded this and that holiday must be no school days, kids went to school. There were no random days off.


There were never any "random days off" in the MCPS calendar, either. There were reasons for each off the days off. You just didn't know what they were -- but you could easily have found out, had you looked.


I looked. I fully support Jewish holiday days off in MCPS, and other federal holidays. I am fully against Professional Days. How could they start a school year, in 2016 and have a PD one week later?! If you look at 2016/17 calendar, they started on 29th of August, I believe, then had Labor Day off, then Monday the 12th they had PD. Why, how can that be justified? I think there were at least 4 more PD days.


That was the compromise about Eid al-Adha.

Why are you against professional days?
Anonymous
Post 09/27/2017 16:57     Subject: Next Year's School Calendar
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:School should never art before Labor Day. I absolutely abhorred the years when it started the week before. Complete insanity. Nothing is wrong with shorter school year and less contact days. Longer spring and winter break too. It isn't about days is about teaching effectively. Prior to MCPS my kids attended British International School, started around 1st of September and ended by early June. Had over 2 weeks for Christmas breaks and almost as much for Easter. And learned a ton more But, unless government demanded this and that holiday must be no school days, kids went to school. There were no random days off.


There were never any "random days off" in the MCPS calendar, either. There were reasons for each off the days off. You just didn't know what they were -- but you could easily have found out, had you looked.


I looked. I fully support Jewish holiday days off in MCPS, and other federal holidays. I am fully against Professional Days. How could they start a school year, in 2016 and have a PD one week later?! If you look at 2016/17 calendar, they started on 29th of August, I believe, then had Labor Day off, then Monday the 12th they had PD. Why, how can that be justified? I think there were at least 4 more PD days.
Anonymous
Post 09/27/2017 15:56     Subject: Next Year's School Calendar
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:If you think it's 11 weeks then you can't count.


I just counted 11 full weeks too PP.

June
17
24

July
1
8
15
22
29

August
5
12
19
26




The last day of school is Tuesday the 12th of June. The first day of school is the Tuesday after Labor Day. Why are you counting from the 17th of June? That makes no sense at all.
Anonymous
Post 09/27/2017 15:49     Subject: Next Year's School Calendar
Any one who feels strongly should make a public comment on the record to.the board of education via email, or make a public statement at the Oct 10 meeting when they will be discussing the calendar. It's an 11:10 agenda item, but all public comments are at 10:10.
Anonymous
Post 09/27/2017 11:08     Subject: Next Year's School Calendar
Anonymous wrote:If you think it's 11 weeks then you can't count.


I just counted 11 full weeks too PP.

June
17
24

July
1
8
15
22
29

August
5
12
19
26


Anonymous
Post 09/27/2017 06:20     Subject: Next Year's School Calendar
Anonymous wrote:School should never art before Labor Day. I absolutely abhorred the years when it started the week before. Complete insanity. Nothing is wrong with shorter school year and less contact days. Longer spring and winter break too. It isn't about days is about teaching effectively. Prior to MCPS my kids attended British International School, started around 1st of September and ended by early June. Had over 2 weeks for Christmas breaks and almost as much for Easter. And learned a ton more But, unless government demanded this and that holiday must be no school days, kids went to school. There were no random days off.


There were never any "random days off" in the MCPS calendar, either. There were reasons for each off the days off. You just didn't know what they were -- but you could easily have found out, had you looked.
Anonymous
Post 09/26/2017 23:01     Subject: Next Year's School Calendar
Anonymous wrote:School should never art before Labor Day. I absolutely abhorred the years when it started the week before. Complete insanity. Nothing is wrong with shorter school year and less contact days. Longer spring and winter break too. It isn't about days is about teaching effectively. Prior to MCPS my kids attended British International School, started around 1st of September and ended by early June. Had over 2 weeks for Christmas breaks and almost as much for Easter. And learned a ton more But, unless government demanded this and that holiday must be no school days, kids went to school. There were no random days off.


Have you looked at the calendar? There may be a 2 day spring break and the typical one week winter break.
Anonymous
Post 09/26/2017 22:59     Subject: Next Year's School Calendar
If you think it's 11 weeks then you can't count.
Anonymous
Post 09/26/2017 22:24     Subject: Next Year's School Calendar
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:MCPS has 11 weeks of summer in 2018. That seems very normal. For those that think most school districts are far less than that, please point them out because Mid June to Labor Day seems to be what most Northeast schools do. Those warm weather districts go mid August to Memorial Day. Same amount of time. The schools that start in late Aug get done a little earlier or have many more days off. I for one do not like that. We have family in FCPS and they hate their calendar. They had to fight like mad just a few years ago to get rid of half day Fridays. EVERY Friday was a half day.

The only reason FCPS started a week earlier is because they were getting done in late June because their county takes off if is below 30, flurries, or a bus can't start which seems to happen more often than not. I am pretty sure last year the last day was June 27th.

This year they start on Aug 28th and get done June 15th with no snow days yet added in.

They get off Dec 16th to Jan 2nd for winter break
They get off March 24th to April 3rd for spring break
They get off for 2 days after every quarter for "student holiday"
They also get multiple other holidays off including Columbus Day.

My sister complains that they only have 23 full weeks of school out of 44 weeks. As a working mom, it is extremely hard for her. She also hates having the week before Christmas off because she can't afford to take both weeks off and has to pay for a one week camp which is pricy.

So I guess you just can't please everyone. Not everyone wants random days sprinkled off all year. Some want it all in one lump in the summer. I am one of those moms. Some of you aren't. MCPS can not please everyone. But like another poster said, if we started Aug 28th this year, we would have been off for Eid that very first week and people would have been annoyed at that. Damn if you do, damn if you don't.


It's 12 weeks. Check again.


New poster. I just checked and it is 11 full weeks PP. Same as many school districts. 2.5 months.