Anonymous wrote:With a kid taking AP tests next week competing for 5s with kids who had 2-3 more weeks on instruction, I understand the benefit of starting earlier. HOWEVER, we need to get out earlier, too. It’s infuriating that they keep shrinking summer.

AP students represent a fraction of the student population, so I don’t think it makes sense to dictate the schedule according to their needs.

Plus, our start date moves up, but then they throw in an extra week of Christmas break and a bunch of teacher workdays, so by the time May rolls around they haven’t actually gotten any more instruction.

There’s not a fixed number of 5s to be awarded, so your kid isn’t competing.

And there’s nothing stopping your kid from picking up a prep book two (or even three!) weeks before school starts.

I thought they were going to move early release days to Fridays?

I didn't see that in this policy but I just skimmed it.

With a kid taking AP tests next week competing for 5s with kids who had 2-3 more weeks on instruction, I understand the benefit of starting earlier. HOWEVER, we need to get out earlier, too. It’s infuriating that they keep shrinking summer.

Anonymous wrote:If we start 2 weeks earlier and still get out at the same time in June, I have no qualms pulling my kid for travel in June. So little is happening in June anyway.

You must have elementary kids.

I f ing hate starting 2 weeks before Labor Day! In 2025 they would start Monday, August 18, 2025. Boo!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two weeks off for winter break sounds BRUTAL. Whhhhhyyyyy?

So people can go on an actual vacation and still see family for Christmas.

Take a moment to examine your privilege.

So sick of someone having to invoke "privilege" every time there's a discussion - especially in response to a person merely making a statement, not whining for their "privileged" preference.

Anonymous wrote:I don't care when we start, but I'm so tired of them starting earlier and ending at the same d@mn time.

I know this will never happen but frankly I'd rather have one week at winter break, one week in Feb, and one week in Apr. The fall is super choppy and the spring is a complete slog, there has to be a better way to balance it.

+1000

I dont really care about anything except setting the calendar 2 years in advance. That is a fantastic idea..

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d rather have 1 week at Christmas and 1 week in Feb. way too long between Jan-April without a significant break for students and teachers.

+1

Yes me too! Just do the week from Xmas to New Years, and then give us a full week President’s day.

Anonymous wrote:If we start 2 weeks earlier and still get out at the same time in June, I have no qualms pulling my kid for travel in June. So little is happening in June anyway.

I guess. But for my kids it’s all fun! They are elementary and it’s musicals, picnics and field day time.

Anonymous wrote:I agree that the single holidays/workdays make the schedule disruptive. All the local systems are doing similar. At least to me as an ES teacher it’s hard to get consistency.

Falls church isn't. They got rid of the religious holidays/cultural observances they had just recently added. Said it was too disruptive for students, not good for SWDs etc.. Agree with them.

If we start 2 weeks earlier and still get out at the same time in June, I have no qualms pulling my kid for travel in June. So little is happening in June anyway.

Unhook spring break from Easter!!!! I’d love to travel without the hordes of people, and since we get out so late in June, summer isn’t possible. Ugh.

Start early, get out earlier (a week earlier seems doable!) and unhook spring break from Easter.

It's pretty telling that they drafted this up without doing a community survey FIRST. Especially because the community was pretty adamant in the survey for the 23-24 calendar that we didn't want 2 weeks before Labor Day or a 2-wk winter break.

But whatever. I'll be happy if they can give us calendars for multiple years in advance instead of 8 months before the start of that school year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two weeks off for winter break sounds BRUTAL. Whhhhhyyyyy?

So people can go on an actual vacation and still see family for Christmas.

Take a moment to examine your privilege.

It's right here where I left it. Thanks for checking in on it while I book our flights to Aspen.