Anonymous
Post 04/14/2024 14:55     Subject: Are schools really open from now Till May 27th?
With the focus on ESG you would think that either April 22nd (Earth Day) or April 26th (Arbor Day) would be a holiday.


Beltrane on April 30th is a holiday for our Druid and Wiccan friends who have been slighted in FCPS.

Anonymous
Post 04/12/2024 13:43     Subject: Are schools really open from now Till May 27th?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:PP again. What I am trying to say is was there always a planning day thrown in that wasn't tied to the end of the quarter, and now they're just trying to align them with days that also help members of the community who may have a reason to pull their kids from school that day.


I was an FCPS student 25 years ago. We started 2 weeks later and ended at the same time, but winter break was just over 7 days (can't remember if it was a half day on December 23rd and then off through Jan 1 or a half day on the 24th). So that leaves 5 other days that popped up besides extending winter break. Some extra planning days were definitely around by the time my kids started a few years ago. The impression I get from teachers on these boards is that the amount of meaningless video trainings and team meetings teachers have to do has proliferated, which probably fills up 5 more days.

Shortening winter break would go a long way towards getting back to a longer summer, if that's what you actually like.

When I was a student I vividly remember no days off between spring break, whenever it was, and Memorial Day. It always felt insane because the academics were at their craziest with APs and I had a spring sport, so life was so busy and there was no break.


I think 25 years ago in the elementary schools at least there was still an early release every Monday for teacher planning. That didn't go away until maybe 2013-2014 school year?


The point of early release Mondays was to give elementary teachers the same amount of planning time as MS/HS teachers. It wasn't supposed to change the overall amount of planning time.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2024 13:36     Subject: Are schools really open from now Till May 27th?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:PP again. What I am trying to say is was there always a planning day thrown in that wasn't tied to the end of the quarter, and now they're just trying to align them with days that also help members of the community who may have a reason to pull their kids from school that day.


I was an FCPS student 25 years ago. We started 2 weeks later and ended at the same time, but winter break was just over 7 days (can't remember if it was a half day on December 23rd and then off through Jan 1 or a half day on the 24th). So that leaves 5 other days that popped up besides extending winter break. Some extra planning days were definitely around by the time my kids started a few years ago. The impression I get from teachers on these boards is that the amount of meaningless video trainings and team meetings teachers have to do has proliferated, which probably fills up 5 more days.

Shortening winter break would go a long way towards getting back to a longer summer, if that's what you actually like.

When I was a student I vividly remember no days off between spring break, whenever it was, and Memorial Day. It always felt insane because the academics were at their craziest with APs and I had a spring sport, so life was so busy and there was no break.


I think 25 years ago in the elementary schools at least there was still an early release every Monday for teacher planning. That didn't go away until maybe 2013-2014 school year?
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2024 11:33     Subject: Are schools really open from now Till May 27th?
Anonymous wrote:PP again. What I am trying to say is was there always a planning day thrown in that wasn't tied to the end of the quarter, and now they're just trying to align them with days that also help members of the community who may have a reason to pull their kids from school that day.


I was an FCPS student 25 years ago. We started 2 weeks later and ended at the same time, but winter break was just over 7 days (can't remember if it was a half day on December 23rd and then off through Jan 1 or a half day on the 24th). So that leaves 5 other days that popped up besides extending winter break. Some extra planning days were definitely around by the time my kids started a few years ago. The impression I get from teachers on these boards is that the amount of meaningless video trainings and team meetings teachers have to do has proliferated, which probably fills up 5 more days.

Shortening winter break would go a long way towards getting back to a longer summer, if that's what you actually like.

When I was a student I vividly remember no days off between spring break, whenever it was, and Memorial Day. It always felt insane because the academics were at their craziest with APs and I had a spring sport, so life was so busy and there was no break.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2024 10:47     Subject: Are schools really open from now Till May 27th?
PP again. What I am trying to say is was there always a planning day thrown in that wasn't tied to the end of the quarter, and now they're just trying to align them with days that also help members of the community who may have a reason to pull their kids from school that day.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2024 10:45     Subject: Are schools really open from now Till May 27th?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:By the way, May 3rd isn’t a made up holiday. It’s Eastern Orthodox Good Friday. While that’s my religion and I hope that people don’t insult it, I don’t believe schools need the day off for it. Most churches offer an evening service to accommodate since our entire lives prior to recently, it’s never been a school holiday.


What percentage of students are eastern orthodox, and is it a high enough percentage that a significsnt number of students will miss school that day?

That should be the standard for having these cultural days off. Otherwise, the students should just get an excused absence.

May holidays mess with AP exams. Having off penalizes many students.


In looking at the calendar there is some sort of day off approximately midway through most quarters. They are not holidays on the calendar and the teachers don't have the day off, but they are tied to some of the lesser know holidays. October 9 was a staff development day tied to Indigenous Peoples Day, nothing in Q2 but there are so many days off with Thanksgiving and winter break, School Planning day March 5 tied to the primary, and teacher workday May 5 tied to Orthodox Good Friday. What I can't remember is if they had these kinds of teacher workdays beyond the end of the quarter before "Equity" became such a driver of the school calendar.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2024 10:38     Subject: Are schools really open from now Till May 27th?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Nobody is making up holidays, you jerk. Eid is a real holiday.

But while we're on the topic, why the F is spring break tied to Easter? Whose brilliant idea was that? It's just awful.


Christian weighing in . . . I coudln't agree more! Who needs 9 days off for Easter anyway? Just pick a week and stick with it. Jesus would want the children to get an education i
it was also tied to the end of quarter 3 this year thus the extra two days for the teacher work days which they get at least 1.5 days to grade at the end of each quarter. Next year spring break does not coincide with the end of the quarter.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2024 09:36     Subject: Are schools really open from now Till May 27th?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Nobody is making up holidays, you jerk. Eid is a real holiday.

But while we're on the topic, why the F is spring break tied to Easter? Whose brilliant idea was that? It's just awful.


Eh, Easter is tied to Passover, no?
(Based on lunar cycles after Passover).


That’s Eastern Orthodox Easter that follows the Julian calendar and can’t have Easter until Passover starts. The Gregorian calendar which is the more common Easter doesn’t take Passover into account.


The Council of Nicea decided that it should be the first Sunday of the full moon that falls on or after the spring equinox, and eventually the Roman Catholics and all the denominations that splintered off from them after the east-west church split followed that: https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/when-easter
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2024 08:44     Subject: Are schools really open from now Till May 27th?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Nobody is making up holidays, you jerk. Eid is a real holiday.

But while we're on the topic, why the F is spring break tied to Easter? Whose brilliant idea was that? It's just awful.


Eh, Easter is tied to Passover, no?
(Based on lunar cycles after Passover).


That’s Eastern Orthodox Easter that follows the Julian calendar and can’t have Easter until Passover starts. The Gregorian calendar which is the more common Easter doesn’t take Passover into account.


+1 This year Passover doesn't start until April 22, and obviously that's long past Easter.

And I'm another one that wishes NoVA districts could align on a fixed week for spring break. But I came from NY, where it was tied to Easter so I'm used to it. The South and Midwest mostly have the same fixed spring break.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2024 08:05     Subject: Are schools really open from now Till May 27th?
Anonymous wrote:Why is Easter different every year but every other holiday has a date?

It's the 1st Sunday after the full moon spring equinox
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2024 07:51     Subject: Are schools really open from now Till May 27th?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Nobody is making up holidays, you jerk. Eid is a real holiday.

But while we're on the topic, why the F is spring break tied to Easter? Whose brilliant idea was that? It's just awful.


Eh, Easter is tied to Passover, no?
(Based on lunar cycles after Passover).


That’s Eastern Orthodox Easter that follows the Julian calendar and can’t have Easter until Passover starts. The Gregorian calendar which is the more common Easter doesn’t take Passover into account.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2024 01:31     Subject: Are schools really open from now Till May 27th?
Anonymous wrote:By the way, May 3rd isn’t a made up holiday. It’s Eastern Orthodox Good Friday. While that’s my religion and I hope that people don’t insult it, I don’t believe schools need the day off for it. Most churches offer an evening service to accommodate since our entire lives prior to recently, it’s never been a school holiday.


What percentage of students are eastern orthodox, and is it a high enough percentage that a significsnt number of students will miss school that day?

That should be the standard for having these cultural days off. Otherwise, the students should just get an excused absence.

May holidays mess with AP exams. Having off penalizes many students.
Anonymous
Post 04/11/2024 19:49     Subject: Are schools really open from now Till May 27th?
Anonymous wrote:Why is Easter different every year but every other holiday has a date?

Every other Christian holiday, that is
Anonymous
Post 04/11/2024 19:49     Subject: Are schools really open from now Till May 27th?
Why is Easter different every year but every other holiday has a date?
Anonymous
Post 04/11/2024 19:35     Subject: Are schools really open from now Till May 27th?
Anonymous wrote:Nobody is making up holidays, you jerk. Eid is a real holiday.

But while we're on the topic, why the F is spring break tied to Easter? Whose brilliant idea was that? It's just awful.


Eh, Easter is tied to Passover, no?
(Based on lunar cycles after Passover).