Anonymous wrote:Just told that my DD’s Catholic school will be taking a day off because… (checks notes) … the Eagles won the Super Bowl, and the bishop is an Eagles fan.

Not joking.

Between that and all the snow days, not to mention the assemblies, the parties, mass sometimes 2x a week, etc etc, perhaps they’ll find time for ACADEMICS one of these days! Maybe?

(Standing by for all the excuses and apologists to post snarky remarks abut why I should just leave the school (rather than addressing the substantive issue))….

With the exception of Mass, you'll find most of this at your local publics as well. Our kids need academics to be the focus, but finding reasons to inject joy into their routine is a good thing in my opinion.

DC is a freshman and new to Catholic schools having moved from public. A bishop's holiday was a fun surprise! It's a long long time between winter break and spring break this year. There are a couple of three day weekends, but the tradition of tossing in another day off is something that publics don't have the flexibility to do.

Anonymous wrote:This is the sort of thing that is deeply inconvenient if you don’t have a stay at home parent, but “fun” if you do. My oldest went to Catholic school for kindergarten and I learned that they really expect you to have a stay at home parent. My kids have gone to public school since.

+1

Anonymous wrote:August to January:

Catholic school

20 days closed, 7 early release (usually Fridays)

FCPS

26 days closed, 1 early release

Don’t FCPS elementary schools have regular early-release Mondays?

The day after the Super Bowl is always a holiday. It’s announced in the fall. My Catholic school just cancelled another day off to ensure the children have enough hours in the classroom. They take education seriously, OP.

The Arlington Diocese Bishop always grants the schools an extra holiday annually, to be used at their choosing. This year he just said it was due to the Eagles winning the Super Bowl, so it was framed differently than in years past.

I’m wondering when the last day of school will be with all these snow days! I hope my kids school uses this Bishop’s holiday as the snow day from this Wednesday if it can be used to reduce the length of the school year.

excluding snow days, they are the same

August to January:

Catholic school

20 days closed, 7 early release (usually Fridays)

FCPS

26 days closed, 1 early release

Anonymous wrote:Just one school or all the schools in the Diocese? My kids attend an Arlington (county) K-8, but were already granted a bishop’s holiday.

Different schools take it on different days.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question- why do you stay in a Catholic school?

The op can’t afford an independent private school but wouldn’t dare send their kids to ACPS so the kids go to St. Mary’s and op complains every week on here about too much mass, too much religion, too many snow days, no announcement of honor roll, and a plethora of other issues.

I forget the complaints about the pickup line and collecting kids from aftercare.

I can’t wait until the kids go to BI for high school and we get to hear those complaints too. /s

Anonymous wrote:Serious question- why do you stay in a Catholic school?

The op can’t afford an independent private school but wouldn’t dare send their kids to ACPS so the kids go to St. Mary’s and op complains every week on here about too much mass, too much religion, too many snow days, no announcement of honor roll, and a plethora of other issues.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People here get so defensive. It’s kind of funny.

My mom had this same complaint when my sister and I were in Catholic schools 30 years ago. You can like or want your kid to go to a certain school and still be unhappy with some decisions they make. You don’t have to like 100 percent of everything at your kid’s school.

Exactly. The people on this board who think Catholic schools can do no wrong simply have very bad critical-thinking skills and are used to blindly bowing to authority. It’s sad to see.

(When they were growing up, they probably missed school for “bishop fun day” when they were supposed to learn critical thinking).

So why are your kids in Catholic school? Aren’t you worried about their critical thinking skills?

You won’t answer this question even though it is the logical response to your decision to keep your kids in a school you don’t like with people you don’t respect. Why?

I secretly believe this poster is too scared to send his/her kids to ACPS for some reason (racism) and expiates their (white, liberal) guilt by complaining about BSSM.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People here get so defensive. It’s kind of funny.

My mom had this same complaint when my sister and I were in Catholic schools 30 years ago. You can like or want your kid to go to a certain school and still be unhappy with some decisions they make. You don’t have to like 100 percent of everything at your kid’s school.

Exactly. The people on this board who think Catholic schools can do no wrong simply have very bad critical-thinking skills and are used to blindly bowing to authority. It’s sad to see.

(When they were growing up, they probably missed school for “bishop fun day” when they were supposed to learn critical thinking).

So why are your kids in Catholic school? Aren’t you worried about their critical thinking skills?

You won’t answer this question even though it is the logical response to your decision to keep your kids in a school you don’t like with people you don’t respect. Why?

Just one school or all the schools in the Diocese? My kids attend an Arlington (county) K-8, but were already granted a bishop’s holiday.

I’m an Eagles fan - my kids will gladly take your kids’ places! Go Birds!

This is the sort of thing that is deeply inconvenient if you don’t have a stay at home parent, but “fun” if you do. My oldest went to Catholic school for kindergarten and I learned that they really expect you to have a stay at home parent. My kids have gone to public school since.