Anonymous
Post 01/17/2023 15:46     Subject: 2023 - 2024 school calendar
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Just remove all religious holidays and the O days from the calendar. If you want religious holidays, go to a private school.

It's that simple.

Bring back a rational school calendar.


Even Christmas? Christmas is a religious holiday.


Christmas isn't a school holiday.

Oh, our kids have school on Christmas? I must have missed that every year of my life.


Winter Break is a school holiday. Christmas isn't.


And you think that the Winter Break schedule is completely unrelated to Christmas?! If that's the case, why don't we have school through December and then have a 1-2 week break at the end of the second quarter.


For the last time, so what? You are not now, and never will, have Christmas not a holiday. I don't know why this is your hill to die on. It will be a long slow death.

Too many people celebrate SOME aspect of Christmas: even non-Christians. And even if it were not a holiday, those that do celebrate would be out and make a useless day for everyone else. This is just the practical effect of the holiday.

So you can keep blathering on about Christmas. But, no one is seriously listening.
Anonymous
Post 01/17/2023 14:37     Subject: Re:2023 - 2024 school calendar
Why won't the school board admit that NOTHING happens instruction-wise after SOLs are administered, which is usually the first week of May. And then we are just doing nothing for 3-4 weeks, even after retakes. Such a waste of time, for the purpose filling out a calendar with days.

It's also frustrating that the schools essentially get locked down during SOLs - you can't use the library or other spaces, and this is frustrating when you have younger kids who don't even take the SOLs.
Anonymous
Post 01/17/2023 13:40     Subject: 2023 - 2024 school calendar
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Just remove all religious holidays and the O days from the calendar. If you want religious holidays, go to a private school.

It's that simple.

Bring back a rational school calendar.


Even Christmas? Christmas is a religious holiday.


Christmas isn't a school holiday.

Oh, our kids have school on Christmas? I must have missed that every year of my life.


Winter Break is a school holiday. Christmas isn't.


And you think that the Winter Break schedule is completely unrelated to Christmas?! If that's the case, why don't we have school through December and then have a 1-2 week break at the end of the second quarter.
Anonymous
Post 01/17/2023 13:34     Subject: Re:2023 - 2024 school calendar
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:8/21 start and 5/31 end of year? SIGN ME UP!


It is possible:

Chesterfield 2023-2024 Calendar (with a few early release days in June)

Hanover 2023-2024 Calendar

Henrico 2023-2024 Calendar



I'd still prefer to have all of August off (I guess I liked the post-Labor Day start even though no one else did!), but either way, these schedules are starting the same day that most of our options begin and ending a full two weeks earlier. And they still have spring break and a two week winter break.

Wow! I glanced at Hanover and it's great. Do they have fewer days of school?? I didn't count . . .
Anonymous
Post 01/17/2023 13:32     Subject: Re:2023 - 2024 school calendar
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:8/21 start and 5/31 end of year? SIGN ME UP!


It is possible:

Chesterfield 2023-2024 Calendar (with a few early release days in June)

Hanover 2023-2024 Calendar

Henrico 2023-2024 Calendar



Wow! I glanced at Hanover and it's great. Do they have fewer days of school?? I didn't count . . .
Anonymous
Post 01/17/2023 12:57     Subject: 2023 - 2024 school calendar
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Just remove all religious holidays and the O days from the calendar. If you want religious holidays, go to a private school.

It's that simple.

Bring back a rational school calendar.


Even Christmas? Christmas is a religious holiday.


Christmas isn't a school holiday.

Oh, our kids have school on Christmas? I must have missed that every year of my life.


Winter Break is a school holiday. Christmas isn't.


Christmas is listed on the calendar as a holiday. At least it is on this years.

Anonymous
Post 01/17/2023 12:41     Subject: 2023 - 2024 school calendar
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Just remove all religious holidays and the O days from the calendar. If you want religious holidays, go to a private school.

It's that simple.

Bring back a rational school calendar.


Even Christmas? Christmas is a religious holiday.


Christmas isn't a school holiday.

Oh, our kids have school on Christmas? I must have missed that every year of my life.


Winter Break is a school holiday. Christmas isn't.
Anonymous
Post 01/17/2023 10:56     Subject: Re:2023 - 2024 school calendar
Anonymous wrote:8/21 start and 5/31 end of year? SIGN ME UP!


It is possible:

Chesterfield 2023-2024 Calendar (with a few early release days in June)

Hanover 2023-2024 Calendar

Henrico 2023-2024 Calendar

Anonymous
Post 01/17/2023 10:14     Subject: Re:2023 - 2024 school calendar
Anonymous wrote:I feel for ya'll. We've had our 2023-2024 calendar for years with an Aug 21 start and May 31 end. Several years ago, when a pre-Labor Day start became possible, some localities did it one swoop; others took a two-year approach but approved calendars well in advance.

We used to have an RVA Schools Calendar Committee that tried to coordinate amongst the Divisions but that's fallen out of favor recently. That said, all the major counties have next year's calendars published AND align for Winter and Spring Break. Only the City of Richmond still doesn't have a published 2023-24 calendar. Go figure.


8/21 start and 5/31 end of year? SIGN ME UP!

Anonymous
Post 01/17/2023 09:39     Subject: Re:2023 - 2024 school calendar
I feel for ya'll. We've had our 2023-2024 calendar for years with an Aug 21 start and May 31 end. Several years ago, when a pre-Labor Day start became possible, some localities did it one swoop; others took a two-year approach but approved calendars well in advance.

We used to have an RVA Schools Calendar Committee that tried to coordinate amongst the Divisions but that's fallen out of favor recently. That said, all the major counties have next year's calendars published AND align for Winter and Spring Break. Only the City of Richmond still doesn't have a published 2023-24 calendar. Go figure.
Anonymous
Post 01/17/2023 09:39     Subject: 2023 - 2024 school calendar
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Just remove all religious holidays and the O days from the calendar. If you want religious holidays, go to a private school.

It's that simple.

Bring back a rational school calendar.


Even Christmas? Christmas is a religious holiday.


Christmas isn't a school holiday.

Oh, our kids have school on Christmas? I must have missed that every year of my life.
Anonymous
Post 01/17/2023 00:35     Subject: Re:2023 - 2024 school calendar
^ I actually think Ganeshotsav should also be recognized bc that puja is usually done during the daytime, unlike Diwali
Anonymous
Post 01/17/2023 00:31     Subject: 2023 - 2024 school calendar
Anonymous wrote:The Jewish community was very outspoken avout needing their holidays off. They said absence data didn’t demonstrate the full need because many of their kids went to school anyway because they didn’t want to miss instruction.

I’m Indian American and we do not need Diwali off! There’s nothing that needs to be done during the day on Diwali. When I was a kid, we just celebrated on the closest weekend. Wasn’t an issue at all. But there were reps from the Indian community on the calendar committee and they seem to have a different opinion.


Well, I am Indian American too, and I like celebrating on the day it is meant to be celebrated, not a random weekend day.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2023 18:56     Subject: Re:2023 - 2024 school calendar
Anonymous wrote:Wait—all those “PW” days are not set aside for teachers—particularly ES teachers—to lesson plan?! Is this what I am hearing?


There are:
TW days: Teacher Workdays
SP days: School Planning Days
SD days: Staff Development Days

None of those days are guaranteed to be set aside for planning. They are defined as:

Teacher Workdays
Provide a balance of teacher planning time with opportunities for staff meetings and professional development. Emphasis is on teacher planning time to prepare for the first weeks of school. At times, professional development, vertical articulation, and/or collaboration at the pyramid or regional level are planned for these days.

School Planning Days
Days devoted to school improvement efforts, including collaboration around data, common assessments, responsive instruction, etc. with 50 percent of the day directed by the school and 50 percent of the day directed by the teachers. Teacher-directed time may include individual planning, collaborative team planning, or attending professional development offered by the school or FCPS departments. Program managers may facilitate any needed coordination for teacher-directed time but may not require specific activities during this time.

Teacher Staff Development Days
Professional development days directed by chief academic officer, Department of Instructional Services, and Department of Special Services to articulate changes
and updates in standards, curriculum, and assessments, and to provide divisionwide professional development for the areas of focus on the FCPS professional development plan.


https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/files/BW6JHX4CFCBB/$file/R4421.pdf



Anonymous
Post 01/16/2023 18:41     Subject: Re:2023 - 2024 school calendar
Wait—all those “PW” days are not set aside for teachers—particularly ES teachers—to lesson plan?! Is this what I am hearing?