Anonymous
10/02/2025 12:16
Subject: All these days off...
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:In 2020, 3% of the the adult living in Fairfax County identified as Jewish. (This does not include the under 18s and does not include employees that live outside of the county)
Hindus are around the same percentage (diwali off)
Orthodox Christians are a much tinier group. Are they even 1%? Yet we have Orthodox Epiphany off (Jan 17) and Orthodox Easter off (April 10)
FCPS gives Day of the Dead/All Saints Day off. (Nov 1)
That one is a complete head scratcher. Catholics (and Mexicans) do not view that as a day to take off work or school. All Saints Day is a Holy Day of Obligation, but you don't take off work or school to meet the obligation. You simply go to Mass in the early morning or to one of the many evening Mass options. All Saints Day is not a particularly huge feast day accompanied by a bunch of significant religious and cultural traditions that require one to take off work and school.
Giving All Saints Day/ day of the dead off as a religious cultural holiday is performative and shows that FCPS doesn’t understand the holiday.
November 1 is not a day off.
That’s because it’s a Saturday. The holiday is still listed because it’s always off when it’s not on a weekend. They plan the end of the quarter around it so it’s always a 4 day break.
Exactly.
But if you ask any Catholic, practicing Cathokic or just culturally catholic, they will tell you unequivocally that All Saints Day should not be a day off school.
All Catholics feel this way? Is this why schools in all of Italy and France shut down?
I’ve heard Catholics upset when it wasn’t off because their church only had morning services.
I think maybe some people within a religion may have differing thoughts.
Not sure what the schools in France or Italy have to do with FCPS.
I guess you didn’t see the comment I was replying to. So here ya go:
“But if you ask any Catholic, practicing Cathokic or just culturally catholic, they will tell you unequivocally that All Saints Day should not be a day off school.”
Just responding to this absolute falsehood. Catholics all around the world take the day off. There’s way more countries all over Europe and South America where all schools close for catholic observance of the day.
Maybe white bread yuppie Catholics in NOVA sit it out, but they don’t speak for all.
And to go a step further, maybe you’ve noticed we have a high population in of South American catholic students?
Anonymous
10/02/2025 12:13
Subject: All these days off...
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:In 2020, 3% of the the adult living in Fairfax County identified as Jewish. (This does not include the under 18s and does not include employees that live outside of the county)
Hindus are around the same percentage (diwali off)
Orthodox Christians are a much tinier group. Are they even 1%? Yet we have Orthodox Epiphany off (Jan 17) and Orthodox Easter off (April 10)
FCPS gives Day of the Dead/All Saints Day off. (Nov 1)
That one is a complete head scratcher. Catholics (and Mexicans) do not view that as a day to take off work or school. All Saints Day is a Holy Day of Obligation, but you don't take off work or school to meet the obligation. You simply go to Mass in the early morning or to one of the many evening Mass options. All Saints Day is not a particularly huge feast day accompanied by a bunch of significant religious and cultural traditions that require one to take off work and school.
Giving All Saints Day/ day of the dead off as a religious cultural holiday is performative and shows that FCPS doesn’t understand the holiday.
November 1 is not a day off.
It has been on past calenders.
I’ve worked in FCPS for 25 years. I promise that All Saints Day has never been a religious holiday. If there was no school that day, it’s because it was a weekend or a teacher workday.
Anonymous
10/02/2025 12:00
Subject: All these days off...
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:i forgot about todays day off, i was like rushing the kids to get up for school wondering why my teen was out later lol. WTF random tuesday off very distruptive
It’s Thursday.
Exhibit 1 as to why this calendar is disruptive. No one knows what day it is or why we are off
Anonymous
10/02/2025 11:56
Subject: All these days off...
Anonymous wrote:i forgot about todays day off, i was like rushing the kids to get up for school wondering why my teen was out later lol. WTF random tuesday off very distruptive
It’s Thursday.
Anonymous
10/02/2025 11:45
Subject: All these days off...
i forgot about todays day off, i was like rushing the kids to get up for school wondering why my teen was out later lol. WTF random tuesday off very distruptive
Anonymous
10/02/2025 11:41
Subject: All these days off...
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:In 2020, 3% of the the adult living in Fairfax County identified as Jewish. (This does not include the under 18s and does not include employees that live outside of the county)
Hindus are around the same percentage (diwali off)
Orthodox Christians are a much tinier group. Are they even 1%? Yet we have Orthodox Epiphany off (Jan 17) and Orthodox Easter off (April 10)
FCPS gives Day of the Dead/All Saints Day off. (Nov 1)
That one is a complete head scratcher. Catholics (and Mexicans) do not view that as a day to take off work or school. All Saints Day is a Holy Day of Obligation, but you don't take off work or school to meet the obligation. You simply go to Mass in the early morning or to one of the many evening Mass options. All Saints Day is not a particularly huge feast day accompanied by a bunch of significant religious and cultural traditions that require one to take off work and school.
Giving All Saints Day/ day of the dead off as a religious cultural holiday is performative and shows that FCPS doesn’t understand the holiday.
None of these religious holidays needed to be added. There was no operational justification for any of them.
I thought that was why they created the O days. So kids who need a day off to observe a religious holiday wouldn't miss anything at school. I don't know why today isn't an O day. The calendar has gotten out of control.
Exactly - can someone explain how they differentiate between which religious events get full day off versus designated as O day?
Anonymous
10/02/2025 11:37
Subject: All these days off...
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:In 2020, 3% of the the adult living in Fairfax County identified as Jewish. (This does not include the under 18s and does not include employees that live outside of the county)
Hindus are around the same percentage (diwali off)
Orthodox Christians are a much tinier group. Are they even 1%? Yet we have Orthodox Epiphany off (Jan 17) and Orthodox Easter off (April 10)
FCPS gives Day of the Dead/All Saints Day off. (Nov 1)
That one is a complete head scratcher. Catholics (and Mexicans) do not view that as a day to take off work or school. All Saints Day is a Holy Day of Obligation, but you don't take off work or school to meet the obligation. You simply go to Mass in the early morning or to one of the many evening Mass options. All Saints Day is not a particularly huge feast day accompanied by a bunch of significant religious and cultural traditions that require one to take off work and school.
Giving All Saints Day/ day of the dead off as a religious cultural holiday is performative and shows that FCPS doesn’t understand the holiday.
None of these religious holidays needed to be added. There was no operational justification for any of them.
I thought that was why they created the O days. So kids who need a day off to observe a religious holiday wouldn't miss anything at school. I don't know why today isn't an O day. The calendar has gotten out of control.
Anonymous
10/02/2025 11:31
Subject: All these days off...
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:In 2020, 3% of the the adult living in Fairfax County identified as Jewish. (This does not include the under 18s and does not include employees that live outside of the county)
Hindus are around the same percentage (diwali off)
Orthodox Christians are a much tinier group. Are they even 1%? Yet we have Orthodox Epiphany off (Jan 17) and Orthodox Easter off (April 10)
FCPS gives Day of the Dead/All Saints Day off. (Nov 1)
That one is a complete head scratcher. Catholics (and Mexicans) do not view that as a day to take off work or school. All Saints Day is a Holy Day of Obligation, but you don't take off work or school to meet the obligation. You simply go to Mass in the early morning or to one of the many evening Mass options. All Saints Day is not a particularly huge feast day accompanied by a bunch of significant religious and cultural traditions that require one to take off work and school.
Giving All Saints Day/ day of the dead off as a religious cultural holiday is performative and shows that FCPS doesn’t understand the holiday.
November 1 is not a day off.
That’s because it’s a Saturday. The holiday is still listed because it’s always off when it’s not on a weekend. They plan the end of the quarter around it so it’s always a 4 day break.
Exactly.
But if you ask any Catholic, practicing Cathokic or just culturally catholic, they will tell you unequivocally that All Saints Day should not be a day off school.
All Catholics feel this way? Is this why schools in all of Italy and France shut down?
I’ve heard Catholics upset when it wasn’t off because their church only had morning services.
I think maybe some people within a religion may have differing thoughts.
Not sure what the schools in France or Italy have to do with FCPS.
Anonymous
10/02/2025 10:47
Subject: All these days off...
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:In 2020, 3% of the the adult living in Fairfax County identified as Jewish. (This does not include the under 18s and does not include employees that live outside of the county)
Hindus are around the same percentage (diwali off)
Orthodox Christians are a much tinier group. Are they even 1%? Yet we have Orthodox Epiphany off (Jan 17) and Orthodox Easter off (April 10)
FCPS gives Day of the Dead/All Saints Day off. (Nov 1)
That one is a complete head scratcher. Catholics (and Mexicans) do not view that as a day to take off work or school. All Saints Day is a Holy Day of Obligation, but you don't take off work or school to meet the obligation. You simply go to Mass in the early morning or to one of the many evening Mass options. All Saints Day is not a particularly huge feast day accompanied by a bunch of significant religious and cultural traditions that require one to take off work and school.
Giving All Saints Day/ day of the dead off as a religious cultural holiday is performative and shows that FCPS doesn’t understand the holiday.
November 1 is not a day off.
It has been on past calenders.
Not as off because of that. It may have been a teacher workday for end of first quarter. But, I do not think it has EVER been because of a Holy Day.
Anonymous
10/02/2025 10:27
Subject: All these days off...
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:In 2020, 3% of the the adult living in Fairfax County identified as Jewish. (This does not include the under 18s and does not include employees that live outside of the county)
Hindus are around the same percentage (diwali off)
Orthodox Christians are a much tinier group. Are they even 1%? Yet we have Orthodox Epiphany off (Jan 17) and Orthodox Easter off (April 10)
FCPS gives Day of the Dead/All Saints Day off. (Nov 1)
That one is a complete head scratcher. Catholics (and Mexicans) do not view that as a day to take off work or school. All Saints Day is a Holy Day of Obligation, but you don't take off work or school to meet the obligation. You simply go to Mass in the early morning or to one of the many evening Mass options. All Saints Day is not a particularly huge feast day accompanied by a bunch of significant religious and cultural traditions that require one to take off work and school.
Giving All Saints Day/ day of the dead off as a religious cultural holiday is performative and shows that FCPS doesn’t understand the holiday.
November 1 is not a day off.
That’s because it’s a Saturday. The holiday is still listed because it’s always off when it’s not on a weekend. They plan the end of the quarter around it so it’s always a 4 day break.
Exactly.
But if you ask any Catholic, practicing Cathokic or just culturally catholic, they will tell you unequivocally that All Saints Day should not be a day off school.
All Catholics feel this way? Is this why schools in all of Italy and France shut down?
I’ve heard Catholics upset when it wasn’t off because their church only had morning services.
I think maybe some people within a religion may have differing thoughts.
Anonymous
10/02/2025 10:19
Subject: All these days off...
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:In 2020, 3% of the the adult living in Fairfax County identified as Jewish. (This does not include the under 18s and does not include employees that live outside of the county)
Hindus are around the same percentage (diwali off)
Orthodox Christians are a much tinier group. Are they even 1%? Yet we have Orthodox Epiphany off (Jan 17) and Orthodox Easter off (April 10)
FCPS gives Day of the Dead/All Saints Day off. (Nov 1)
That one is a complete head scratcher. Catholics (and Mexicans) do not view that as a day to take off work or school. All Saints Day is a Holy Day of Obligation, but you don't take off work or school to meet the obligation. You simply go to Mass in the early morning or to one of the many evening Mass options. All Saints Day is not a particularly huge feast day accompanied by a bunch of significant religious and cultural traditions that require one to take off work and school.
Giving All Saints Day/ day of the dead off as a religious cultural holiday is performative and shows that FCPS doesn’t understand the holiday.
November 1 is not a day off.
That’s because it’s a Saturday. The holiday is still listed because it’s always off when it’s not on a weekend. They plan the end of the quarter around it so it’s always a 4 day break.
Exactly.
But if you ask any Catholic, practicing Cathokic or just culturally catholic, they will tell you unequivocally that All Saints Day should not be a day off school.
Anonymous
10/02/2025 10:17
Subject: All these days off...
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:In 2020, 3% of the the adult living in Fairfax County identified as Jewish. (This does not include the under 18s and does not include employees that live outside of the county)
Hindus are around the same percentage (diwali off)
Orthodox Christians are a much tinier group. Are they even 1%? Yet we have Orthodox Epiphany off (Jan 17) and Orthodox Easter off (April 10)
FCPS gives Day of the Dead/All Saints Day off. (Nov 1)
That one is a complete head scratcher. Catholics (and Mexicans) do not view that as a day to take off work or school. All Saints Day is a Holy Day of Obligation, but you don't take off work or school to meet the obligation. You simply go to Mass in the early morning or to one of the many evening Mass options. All Saints Day is not a particularly huge feast day accompanied by a bunch of significant religious and cultural traditions that require one to take off work and school.
Giving All Saints Day/ day of the dead off as a religious cultural holiday is performative and shows that FCPS doesn’t understand the holiday.
None of these religious holidays needed to be added. There was no operational justification for any of them.
I don't even mind the holiest days like Yom Kippur being off.
But there needs to be a significant amount of people celebrating (10% perhaps) or the day could be taken care of by giving each student and teacher 2 or 3 floating excused absences, and no big things like graded concerts on those days.
Because if FCPS is now cancelling school for religious holidays celebrated by very tiny percentages of FCPS students, such as the Eastern Orthodox holidays, then they need to give days off for every other cultural group that falls into the 1%-3% population of FCPS. it is a slippery slope.
Anonymous
10/02/2025 10:13
Subject: All these days off...
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:In 2020, 3% of the the adult living in Fairfax County identified as Jewish. (This does not include the under 18s and does not include employees that live outside of the county)
Hindus are around the same percentage (diwali off)
Orthodox Christians are a much tinier group. Are they even 1%? Yet we have Orthodox Epiphany off (Jan 17) and Orthodox Easter off (April 10)
FCPS gives Day of the Dead/All Saints Day off. (Nov 1)
That one is a complete head scratcher. Catholics (and Mexicans) do not view that as a day to take off work or school. All Saints Day is a Holy Day of Obligation, but you don't take off work or school to meet the obligation. You simply go to Mass in the early morning or to one of the many evening Mass options. All Saints Day is not a particularly huge feast day accompanied by a bunch of significant religious and cultural traditions that require one to take off work and school.
Giving All Saints Day/ day of the dead off as a religious cultural holiday is performative and shows that FCPS doesn’t understand the holiday.
November 1 is not a day off.
That’s because it’s a Saturday. The holiday is still listed because it’s always off when it’s not on a weekend. They plan the end of the quarter around it so it’s always a 4 day break.
Anonymous
10/02/2025 10:12
Subject: All these days off...
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:In 2020, 3% of the the adult living in Fairfax County identified as Jewish. (This does not include the under 18s and does not include employees that live outside of the county)
Hindus are around the same percentage (diwali off)
Orthodox Christians are a much tinier group. Are they even 1%? Yet we have Orthodox Epiphany off (Jan 17) and Orthodox Easter off (April 10)
FCPS gives Day of the Dead/All Saints Day off. (Nov 1)
That one is a complete head scratcher. Catholics (and Mexicans) do not view that as a day to take off work or school. All Saints Day is a Holy Day of Obligation, but you don't take off work or school to meet the obligation. You simply go to Mass in the early morning or to one of the many evening Mass options. All Saints Day is not a particularly huge feast day accompanied by a bunch of significant religious and cultural traditions that require one to take off work and school.
Giving All Saints Day/ day of the dead off as a religious cultural holiday is performative and shows that FCPS doesn’t understand the holiday.
November 1 is not a day off.
It has been on past calenders.
Anonymous
10/02/2025 09:56
Subject: All these days off...
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:In 2020, 3% of the the adult living in Fairfax County identified as Jewish. (This does not include the under 18s and does not include employees that live outside of the county)
Hindus are around the same percentage (diwali off)
Orthodox Christians are a much tinier group. Are they even 1%? Yet we have Orthodox Epiphany off (Jan 17) and Orthodox Easter off (April 10)
FCPS gives Day of the Dead/All Saints Day off. (Nov 1)
That one is a complete head scratcher. Catholics (and Mexicans) do not view that as a day to take off work or school. All Saints Day is a Holy Day of Obligation, but you don't take off work or school to meet the obligation. You simply go to Mass in the early morning or to one of the many evening Mass options. All Saints Day is not a particularly huge feast day accompanied by a bunch of significant religious and cultural traditions that require one to take off work and school.
Giving All Saints Day/ day of the dead off as a religious cultural holiday is performative and shows that FCPS doesn’t understand the holiday.
November 1 is not a day off.