It doesn't seem fair that kids at HB get all the benefits of what is essentially a publicly funded private school, while also taking a sports team slot away from some other kid stuck attending a mega-school.

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Anonymous wrote:quick question - how would the a later MS time impact those 8th graders that may make a high school JV sports team?

I'm in favor of a later time for my middle schooler but he is also very active after school in activities (at school) and outside school. He loves it and he NEEDS all the physical activity he can get.

If middle school got out later, they would not be able to participate in most high school sports. Practices would start before middle school ends. And little to no middle school sports would be an option.

How many MS kids participate in HS sports? This is a thing?

Also, it’s not any different than kids at HB who go to their “home” HS for sports. They do it, so can the 5 MS kids who play HS sports.

Good point. HB ends latest and they’ve found a way to make it work

For HS. Kids at HB cannot participate in MS sports.

But that's because they don't have MS sports at HB to begin with. HS students go back to their neighborhood HS for sports (except Ultimate). Do MS go back to their home MS for sports now?

To clarify, some MS kids (eg Swanson) okay on their high School (eg W&L) when they are in eighth grade. It’s a way of playing up.

Do we know how many kids actually do this?

Eighth graders a can tryout for football, field hockey, volleyball, cross country, softball, baseball, lacrosse and crew- those sports they don’t offer at the middle school level.

So if the MS move to be on the same bell that HB is currently on, this unique scenario shouldn’t be a problem since HB kids are able to get to their “home” HS in time to participate in sports. The handful of 8th graders that this applies to can also get to their HS sports practices, too.

No, that wouldn't work. Students in HS at HB are able to do this by making their free block (most HS students have them because there are 8 blocks but most kids take 7 classes) at the end of the day and so they leave at the start of the 8th block to go to their home schools. However MS students at HB have 8 classes so they don't have a free block to be able to leave early. I think allowing HS students to participate in home school sports has to do with VHSL access as opposed to MS sports aren't something everyone is entitled to do, it's more like an intramural and not governed by VHSL but run by APS. For example FCPS has no middle school sports.

Oh well. I guess 210 HB middle schoolers just have to live with their choice to attend HB and relinquish official APS sports teams.

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Anonymous wrote:Why are they adding time to each day? I'd like to start later for my high schooler without adding more time on at the back end, thus making practices end even later than they currently do.

Because of all the extra holidays. They need to make up the days by adding time. The holiday stuff has gotten out of control. School should be secular.

But they already took away a week of summer. The kids do not need longer school days. Argh.

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Anonymous wrote:quick question - how would the a later MS time impact those 8th graders that may make a high school JV sports team?

I'm in favor of a later time for my middle schooler but he is also very active after school in activities (at school) and outside school. He loves it and he NEEDS all the physical activity he can get.

If middle school got out later, they would not be able to participate in most high school sports. Practices would start before middle school ends. And little to no middle school sports would be an option.

How many MS kids participate in HS sports? This is a thing?

Also, it’s not any different than kids at HB who go to their “home” HS for sports. They do it, so can the 5 MS kids who play HS sports.

Good point. HB ends latest and they’ve found a way to make it work

For HS. Kids at HB cannot participate in MS sports.

But that's because they don't have MS sports at HB to begin with. HS students go back to their neighborhood HS for sports (except Ultimate). Do MS go back to their home MS for sports now?

No. HB MS kids cannot participate in MS sports at any school. By the time they get out of school, all the MS practices/games/meets are over or nearly over.

You're missing the point. This isn't about HB middle schoolers going to their home middle schools to play sports. That's not a thing.
Middle schoolers at HB don't participate in middle school sports because HB doesn't have middle school sports - except frisbee. Other middle schools' 8th graders have an opportunity to play on their respective neighborhood high school's sport team if their middle school does not have that sport. That doesn't change anything about HB middle school students. If HB high schoolers can go back to their neighborhood high school to play sports, then HB 8th graders could go to their neighborhood high school to play on the sports teams just like 8th graders at all other middle schools.

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Anonymous wrote:quick question - how would the a later MS time impact those 8th graders that may make a high school JV sports team?

I'm in favor of a later time for my middle schooler but he is also very active after school in activities (at school) and outside school. He loves it and he NEEDS all the physical activity he can get.

If middle school got out later, they would not be able to participate in most high school sports. Practices would start before middle school ends. And little to no middle school sports would be an option.

How many MS kids participate in HS sports? This is a thing?

Also, it’s not any different than kids at HB who go to their “home” HS for sports. They do it, so can the 5 MS kids who play HS sports.

Good point. HB ends latest and they’ve found a way to make it work

For HS. Kids at HB cannot participate in MS sports.

But that's because they don't have MS sports at HB to begin with. HS students go back to their neighborhood HS for sports (except Ultimate). Do MS go back to their home MS for sports now?

To clarify, some MS kids (eg Swanson) okay on their high School (eg W&L) when they are in eighth grade. It’s a way of playing up.

Do we know how many kids actually do this?

Eighth graders a can tryout for football, field hockey, volleyball, cross country, softball, baseball, lacrosse and crew- those sports they don’t offer at the middle school level.

So if the MS move to be on the same bell that HB is currently on, this unique scenario shouldn’t be a problem since HB kids are able to get to their “home” HS in time to participate in sports. The handful of 8th graders that this applies to can also get to their HS sports practices, too.

No, that wouldn't work. Students in HS at HB are able to do this by making their free block (most HS students have them because there are 8 blocks but most kids take 7 classes) at the end of the day and so they leave at the start of the 8th block to go to their home schools. However MS students at HB have 8 classes so they don't have a free block to be able to leave early. I think allowing HS students to participate in home school sports has to do with VHSL access as opposed to MS sports aren't something everyone is entitled to do, it's more like an intramural and not governed by VHSL but run by APS. For example FCPS has no middle school sports.

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone find it odd that the proposed scenarios do not seem to accomplish the goal of getting the start/end times down to 3 or 4. What am I missing?

I had this thought as well. I don't understand.

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Anonymous wrote:Why are they adding time to each day? I'd like to start later for my high schooler without adding more time on at the back end, thus making practices end even later than they currently do.

Because of all the extra holidays. They need to make up the days by adding time. The holiday stuff has gotten out of control. School should be secular.

I would love to only have a 1-week winter break, but when I express that opinion on this board, everyone screams "what about all the people who take international vacations during that time?!?!"

Does anyone find it odd that the proposed scenarios do not seem to accomplish the goal of getting the start/end times down to 3 or 4. What am I missing?

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They can, but they don't. Most after-school activities at ES schools are run by parents or others. Virtually all clubs and coaching in MS schools are done by the teachers. There is no comparison.


Why can’t Baroody run middle school activities if teachers aren’t interested?

The MS teachers *are* interested. That's why they would like to keep the schedule the way it is so that they can still run clubs after school. Some of them are very academic-based and shouldn't be run by Baroody.

Ok, but there’s no reason outside providers can’t fill in some gaps if needed. I’m sure not all yea hers will decide not to do clubs if the schedule changes.

Many schools have MS clubs that are created by the students and require a teacher sponsor. This would be very difficult with a random outside provider. Also, who would pay for the provider, APS? These activities are "free" to the kids because the teachers donate their time.

Again, some teachers will still sponsor clubs. They don’t all object to the potential changes. I just don’t think we should throw out ideas that could give tweens and teens much needed sleep and start elementary students a start time that better aligns with their sleep rhythms based on the idea that some clubs may not happen. Over the last two years I’ve seen the APS teachers group flooded with people threatening to quit or predicting doom and gloom that has not come to fruition so I’m skeptical it will be so dire.

It’s one thing to quit your job. It’s much easier to quit coaching/sponsoring the activity you’ve had for years because you have a 30-minute drive home at 4, but now have a 50-60 minute drive home at 5:30.

I’m a fan of the three options that make minor adjustments to the middle school bell schedule.

Haven’t we asked these middle school students to adjust to enough in the last few years? It seems cruel to propose these major changes for the 2022-23 school year, given what the last two years of school looked like for these kids.

I think a lot of middle school kids would love extra sleep.

Virtually every one of those kids could get extra sleep by going to bed earlier. Lol.

Ah, there goes the research denier again.

Rich, coming from the side that reduces all MS after school athletic and extracurricular opportunities to “kicking a ball around.” It seems research denial only applies to wake up times, not the benefits of exercise and enrichment opportunities.

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Anonymous wrote:quick question - how would the a later MS time impact those 8th graders that may make a high school JV sports team?

I'm in favor of a later time for my middle schooler but he is also very active after school in activities (at school) and outside school. He loves it and he NEEDS all the physical activity he can get.

If middle school got out later, they would not be able to participate in most high school sports. Practices would start before middle school ends. And little to no middle school sports would be an option.

How many MS kids participate in HS sports? This is a thing?

Also, it’s not any different than kids at HB who go to their “home” HS for sports. They do it, so can the 5 MS kids who play HS sports.

Good point. HB ends latest and they’ve found a way to make it work

For HS. Kids at HB cannot participate in MS sports.

But that's because they don't have MS sports at HB to begin with. HS students go back to their neighborhood HS for sports (except Ultimate). Do MS go back to their home MS for sports now?

To clarify, some MS kids (eg Swanson) okay on their high School (eg W&L) when they are in eighth grade. It’s a way of playing up.

Do we know how many kids actually do this?

Eighth graders a can tryout for football, field hockey, volleyball, cross country, softball, baseball, lacrosse and crew- those sports they don’t offer at the middle school level.

So if the MS move to be on the same bell that HB is currently on, this unique scenario shouldn’t be a problem since HB kids are able to get to their “home” HS in time to participate in sports. The handful of 8th graders that this applies to can also get to their HS sports practices, too.

DP. It sounds like you’re suggesting that would be a bad thing, but perhaps I am misreading your tone.

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Anonymous wrote:Why are they adding time to each day? I'd like to start later for my high schooler without adding more time on at the back end, thus making practices end even later than they currently do.

Because of all the extra holidays. They need to make up the days by adding time. The holiday stuff has gotten out of control. School should be secular.

Cool- we’ll put Dec 24 and 25 back on the calendar.

NP, but I would LOVE to have my kids in school during the end of December.

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Anonymous wrote:quick question - how would the a later MS time impact those 8th graders that may make a high school JV sports team?

I'm in favor of a later time for my middle schooler but he is also very active after school in activities (at school) and outside school. He loves it and he NEEDS all the physical activity he can get.

If middle school got out later, they would not be able to participate in most high school sports. Practices would start before middle school ends. And little to no middle school sports would be an option.

How many MS kids participate in HS sports? This is a thing?

Also, it’s not any different than kids at HB who go to their “home” HS for sports. They do it, so can the 5 MS kids who play HS sports.

Good point. HB ends latest and they’ve found a way to make it work

For HS. Kids at HB cannot participate in MS sports.

But that's because they don't have MS sports at HB to begin with. HS students go back to their neighborhood HS for sports (except Ultimate). Do MS go back to their home MS for sports now?

To clarify, some MS kids (eg Swanson) okay on their high School (eg W&L) when they are in eighth grade. It’s a way of playing up.

Do we know how many kids actually do this?

Eighth graders a can tryout for football, field hockey, volleyball, cross country, softball, baseball, lacrosse and crew- those sports they don’t offer at the middle school level.

So if the MS move to be on the same bell that HB is currently on, this unique scenario shouldn’t be a problem since HB kids are able to get to their “home” HS in time to participate in sports. The handful of 8th graders that this applies to can also get to their HS sports practices, too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are they adding time to each day? I'd like to start later for my high schooler without adding more time on at the back end, thus making practices end even later than they currently do.

Because of all the extra holidays. They need to make up the days by adding time. The holiday stuff has gotten out of control. School should be secular.

Cool- we’ll put Dec 24 and 25 back on the calendar.

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Anonymous wrote:quick question - how would the a later MS time impact those 8th graders that may make a high school JV sports team?

I'm in favor of a later time for my middle schooler but he is also very active after school in activities (at school) and outside school. He loves it and he NEEDS all the physical activity he can get.

If middle school got out later, they would not be able to participate in most high school sports. Practices would start before middle school ends. And little to no middle school sports would be an option.

How many MS kids participate in HS sports? This is a thing?

Also, it’s not any different than kids at HB who go to their “home” HS for sports. They do it, so can the 5 MS kids who play HS sports.

Good point. HB ends latest and they’ve found a way to make it work

For HS. Kids at HB cannot participate in MS sports.

But that's because they don't have MS sports at HB to begin with. HS students go back to their neighborhood HS for sports (except Ultimate). Do MS go back to their home MS for sports now?

To clarify, some MS kids (eg Swanson) okay on their high School (eg W&L) when they are in eighth grade. It’s a way of playing up.

Do we know how many kids actually do this?

Eighth graders a can tryout for football, field hockey, volleyball, cross country, softball, baseball, lacrosse and crew- those sports they don’t offer at the middle school level.

Anonymous wrote:Why are they adding time to each day? I'd like to start later for my high schooler without adding more time on at the back end, thus making practices end even later than they currently do.

Because of all the extra holidays. They need to make up the days by adding time. The holiday stuff has gotten out of control. School should be secular.