Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tell that to parents who work in our workaholic culture where camps start at $600/week per kid.

I would guess the true professional "workaholics" can easily afford $600/week camp. It's the people who have to work multiple lower wage jobs to get by who rely on school as free/inexpensive childcare.

OP here. Just to be clear I’m not advocating for less than 180 days of school. Just less random days off in the middle of the school year so we can get off earlier. I am a working parent and I don’t make much. I find it harder to find care for those random days off. I also don’t like how little 5 day weeks they have especially in the first semester. Also can someone explain early release Wednesdays as opposed to Fridays? Easier for me to take off work on a Friday afternoon as opposed to the middle of the week.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m trying to understand the point of having school in June. My kids are in elementary school in Arlington. The entire month is filled with class parties, movie days etc. We could cut out at least 5 days from the end of the school year and it would make no difference whatsoever. If we are starting school early, please at the very least let’s end early. Also if we must have all these religious holidays off, at the very least let’s not take Columbus Day off and Washington’s Birthday/President’s Day.

Then wes have to move the parties 5 days earlier.

OP here. Fine by me so long as we get out earlier. They won’t move parties before SOLs so there is a limit to how far earlier they will move them. I’m not against parties. I just believe we should waste less weeks on them.

Anonymous wrote:I’m trying to understand the point of having school in June. My kids are in elementary school in Arlington. The entire month is filled with class parties, movie days etc. We could cut out at least 5 days from the end of the school year and it would make no difference whatsoever. If we are starting school early, please at the very least let’s end early. Also if we must have all these religious holidays off, at the very least let’s not take Columbus Day off and Washington’s Birthday/President’s Day.

Then wes have to move the parties 5 days earlier.

No need for longer summers. Would rather they were still teaching something, though.

Anonymous wrote:Tell that to parents who work in our workaholic culture where camps start at $600/week per kid.

I would guess the true professional "workaholics" can easily afford $600/week camp. It's the people who have to work multiple lower wage jobs to get by who rely on school as free/inexpensive childcare.

APS has wasted June ever since my senior was in Kindergarten. That's as far back as my knowledge goes. But I bet it's been longer than that even.

However, kid #2 is now in private HS where they are still teaching new content and writing papers. This kid will be spending the last week of school taking final exams.

Also, the *only* organized voice in Arlington that would advocate for meaningful reform on this is APE.

APS pushes the SOLs as far as they can go. Because other parts of the state get out earlier, they have to start earlier. My High schooler has seminars and a paper due up through the Friday before the last week.

Tell that to parents who work in our workaholic culture where camps start at $600/week per kid.

Anonymous wrote:Some of my fondest memories of school are of those final weeks, pretty much from elementary on through. I don't think making these weeks happen in May instead of June would change it. If you are really bothered by it, something more like year-round school is probably the answer.

OP here. I’m bothered by an increasingly short summer break. I love the school parties too. They can still do all of that and end 5 days earlier.

If I understand correctly, the state testing window is actually open until late June, so I get really frustrated by having such early testing windows in the districts. And now that even ES kids can take retakes, our testing calendar takes that into account, so even though it seems like testing is over, we are still doing retakes all next week.

I'd much rather we do SOLs in the last two weeks of the year. If so much weren't dependent on pass rates, I bet we would.

Some of my fondest memories of school are of those final weeks, pretty much from elementary on through. I don't think making these weeks happen in May instead of June would change it. If you are really bothered by it, something more like year-round school is probably the answer.

Anonymous wrote:

I’m trying to understand the point of having school in June. My kids are in elementary school in Arlington. The entire month is filled with class parties, movie days etc. We could cut out at least 5 days from the end of the school year and it would make no difference whatsoever. If we are starting school early, please at the very least let’s end early. Also if we must have all these religious holidays off, at the very least let’s not take Columbus Day off and Washington’s Birthday/President’s Day.

I'm trying to understand why you are waiting until NOW to whine about this when the calendar for next year was discussed some time ago. Where were you then?

OP here. I already submitted my comments on the calendar. I am now planning to email each board member and decided to come on this board to express my thoughts. I can whine all I want. This entire forum is filled with posts with people whining on one thing or another. If you don’t like it or don’t have an opinion one way or another, click on something else.

It doesn’t matter when the school year ends. You could end it with Memorial Day and people would complain that the last few weeks are idle.

Most human beings phone it in the last few minutes of the day, regardless of how long the work day is. It’s no different.

I’m trying to understand the point of having school in June. My kids are in elementary school in Arlington. The entire month is filled with class parties, movie days etc. We could cut out at least 5 days from the end of the school year and it would make no difference whatsoever. If we are starting school early, please at the very least let’s end early. Also if we must have all these religious holidays off, at the very least let’s not take Columbus Day off and Washington’s Birthday/President’s Day.

I'm trying to understand why you are waiting until NOW to whine about this when the calendar for next year was discussed some time ago. Where were you then?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The last 3 weeks will be useless regardless of what month they take place in.

This. As it was in the 1970s and 80s when I was in school. We had field day, class parties, filmstrips, chorus concert rehearsals, etc.

I mean last week maybe but that was not how it was in my NYC suburb.