Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The schools in FCPS who used to have a modified calendar schedule (there were 7 of them at one point) also offered “intersessions” to students who wished to take advantage of them. These intersessions included remedial courses for those who needed them, enrichment courses, and some that were just plain fun (like scrapbooking, for instance). The courses were taught by teachers on staff, or by people who were hired to teach the sessions (like someone who knew how to do scrapbooking). There was a sliding scale fee for the sessions - free and reduced lunch students were either free or reduced, and others paid a fee to attend. They were wildly popular, and ran the same schedule as the school day - one session in the morning, the other in the afternoon. Kids could attend 1 session or both sessions.
It can be expensive, but if done right, it can also pay for itself. Schools would need someone on staff to coordinate these courses - schedule, advertise, collect fees, hire people, etc.
If these were offered, I would be all for this plan.

Do you really believe this will still happen with FCPS's budget? Our school doesn't even have paper. I would like FCPS to stop worrying about these extras and focus on the essentials which are currently lacking.

Since when does the budget matter? It certainly didn't stop FCPS from changing the daily bus schedules at a cost of $5M we don't have so that high schoolers wouldn't have to start at 7:20 a.m. (like they've been doing since 1990 when I was a sophomore). Clearly, the early start times muddled my brain because I think a shorter summer break and extended breaks throughout the year make sense from a knowledge-retention standpoint.

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't want 180 days spread all through the year but I would absolutely support a 230-250 day school year, shrinking the summer break to 3 weeks or so.

Anonymous wrote:Nobody said we are dumb because we had the whole summer off. That was not what that meant at all.

Research has been done and most teachers will tell you that the long summer leads to learning loss and need for remediation. Much of the first quarter of the next year is spent reviewing rather than on new topics.

I don't think any of this is easier for working parents. I have no idea where you got that impression from. Care would still need to be found, no matter how the breaks were spaced.

But for everyone bitching about our country's schools and how we are lagging behind and what not, this calendar is better for student learning. Do I think we'll actually change? Probably not. It's sad that we're so resistant to things that are proven to be effective.

I will throw out there that if we really want to have students like those Asian countries we cry about being behind, we'd have kids in school almost all year long, 6 days a week and for many more hours a day.

Not to mention the inability of our governments to invest in education that actually makes sense.

Anonymous wrote:Ok these post are all from a working parents perspective. No I do not support it. I do support cutting the winter break and getting out of school in early June. Summer is June July and August. These kids are in school to long. They are not adults in the working world and that time will come for them soon enough. Stop trying to conform the schools to the working world. It wasn't that way for you and it shouldent be that way for the kids today. WTF are you trying to do to these kids. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. This is so wrong. Why did you have children if you do not want to spend time with them? Cut back on your spending and spend some time raising your children. They will be adults soon enough!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The schools in FCPS who used to have a modified calendar schedule (there were 7 of them at one point) also offered “intersessions” to students who wished to take advantage of them. These intersessions included remedial courses for those who needed them, enrichment courses, and some that were just plain fun (like scrapbooking, for instance). The courses were taught by teachers on staff, or by people who were hired to teach the sessions (like someone who knew how to do scrapbooking). There was a sliding scale fee for the sessions - free and reduced lunch students were either free or reduced, and others paid a fee to attend. They were wildly popular, and ran the same schedule as the school day - one session in the morning, the other in the afternoon. Kids could attend 1 session or both sessions.
It can be expensive, but if done right, it can also pay for itself. Schools would need someone on staff to coordinate these courses - schedule, advertise, collect fees, hire people, etc.
If these were offered, I would be all for this plan.

Do you really believe this will still happen with FCPS's budget? Our school doesn't even have paper. I would like FCPS to stop worrying about these extras and focus on the essentials which are currently lacking.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The schools in FCPS who used to have a modified calendar schedule (there were 7 of them at one point) also offered “intersessions” to students who wished to take advantage of them. These intersessions included remedial courses for those who needed them, enrichment courses, and some that were just plain fun (like scrapbooking, for instance). The courses were taught by teachers on staff, or by people who were hired to teach the sessions (like someone who knew how to do scrapbooking). There was a sliding scale fee for the sessions - free and reduced lunch students were either free or reduced, and others paid a fee to attend. They were wildly popular, and ran the same schedule as the school day - one session in the morning, the other in the afternoon. Kids could attend 1 session or both sessions.
It can be expensive, but if done right, it can also pay for itself. Schools would need someone on staff to coordinate these courses - schedule, advertise, collect fees, hire people, etc.
If these were offered, I would be all for this plan.

Do you really believe this will still happen with FCPS's budget? Our school doesn't even have paper. I would like FCPS to stop worrying about these extras and focus on the essentials which are currently lacking.

Anonymous wrote:Yes. I totally would.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would prefer a modified year round schedule. 2-3 weeks between 1st, 2nd and 3rd quarters and a 6-8 week summer.

This would be perfect! You have the option of taking a big trip 4x per year, instead of only in summer.

Anonymous wrote:The modified calendar doesn't extend hours, or days in school, just to be clear. It is more effective time management, though. Less learning loss would mean more can be learned.

I am not actually advocating anyone start doing what the Asians countries do, but sticking with the agrarian school calendar makes very little sense in our society.

Anonymous wrote:Nobody said we are dumb because we had the whole summer off. That was not what that meant at all.

Research has been done and most teachers will tell you that the long summer leads to learning loss and need for remediation. Much of the first quarter of the next year is spent reviewing rather than on new topics.

I don't think any of this is easier for working parents. I have no idea where you got that impression from. Care would still need to be found, no matter how the breaks were spaced.

But for everyone bitching about our country's schools and how we are lagging behind and what not, this calendar is better for student learning. Do I think we'll actually change? Probably not. It's sad that we're so resistant to things that are proven to be effective.

I will throw out there that if we really want to have students like those Asian countries we cry about being behind, we'd have kids in school almost all year long, 6 days a week and for many more hours a day.

Not to mention the inability of our governments to invest in education that actually makes sense.