Anonymous
11/02/2022 12:59
Subject: Creating a mock 2023-2024 FCPS Calendar
Make every week no more than a 4-day school week. If there's not a federal/religious/other holiday, make the day off a Monday or a Friday. Generally align them so there's intermittent 2-day/4-day weekends (rather than continuous 3-day weekends). Still allows for a month of summer vacation. Students and teachers get more opportunities to breathe and catch up throughout the school year, and avoids the worst of summer academic slide by limiting the contiguous time off to a month.
Many people would hate this. I would love this.
Many people would hate this. I would love this.
Anonymous
11/02/2022 09:24
Subject: Creating a mock 2023-2024 FCPS Calendar
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:And then school will end June 21st because of people insistence on an insanely long winter break.
Winter break is not the issue.
Most districts around the cohntry have 2 weeks winter break and 1 week spring break.
The issue in fcps is all of the stupid teacher work days.
And the recently added religious holidays for "equity".
Why did you put quotation marks around “equity”?
Because we all know the SB doesn't truly care about equity. It's virtual signaling.
Anonymous
09/26/2022 20:54
Subject: Creating a mock 2023-2024 FCPS Calendar
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:And then school will end June 21st because of people insistence on an insanely long winter break.
Winter break is not the issue.
Most districts around the cohntry have 2 weeks winter break and 1 week spring break.
The issue in fcps is all of the stupid teacher work days.
+1
Yup. The teacher work days and overly inclusive holidays kill the FCPS calendar.
Arlington and FCC started a week later and get out the same day because they don't have all the insane teacher work days.
APS has all those holidays as well. They have fewer days because they are counting hours, not days.
This is not correct. FCPS has twice as many student holidays (for teacher planning, end of quarter, etc.).
FCPS has 9 PD days while APS has 6(2 are only ES and Middle), Loudoun has 6, PWCS has 5. Also Election Day used to be a TWD and Veteran’s Day was a school day.
Anonymous
09/26/2022 19:52
Subject: Creating a mock 2023-2024 FCPS Calendar
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:And then school will end June 21st because of people insistence on an insanely long winter break.
Winter break is not the issue.
Most districts around the cohntry have 2 weeks winter break and 1 week spring break.
The issue in fcps is all of the stupid teacher work days.
+1
Yup. The teacher work days and overly inclusive holidays kill the FCPS calendar.
Arlington and FCC started a week later and get out the same day because they don't have all the insane teacher work days.
APS has all those holidays as well. They have fewer days because they are counting hours, not days.
This is not correct. FCPS has twice as many student holidays (for teacher planning, end of quarter, etc.).
Anonymous
09/26/2022 11:27
Subject: Re:Creating a mock 2023-2024 FCPS Calendar
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There's nothing in the regulations that say Winter break has to be two weeks. It says that they will adjust the start/end date of the break to make sure there's not a week that has only one day of school in it. Given that Christmas is on a Monday, we will probably be in school until Friday the 22nd and then return on Tuesday, January 2. So a slightly shorter winter break this year. And then each subsequent year it will get a day longer until we end up back with a Monday Christmas again.
Nope rich mommies will NEVER let that happen. They need a two week vacation.
At our school it’s the poor immigrants that need this long break and add on to it so they can home every few years.
It's far more appropriate to base a calendar on absences such as long international travel than random, blatant religious holidays. Maybe winter break needs to be renamed to Family Vacation or something since many view these 2 weeks as Christian. Apparently a lot of these posters have not been to Tysons during the holiday season.
Anonymous
09/24/2022 15:19
Subject: Re:Creating a mock 2023-2024 FCPS Calendar
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There's nothing in the regulations that say Winter break has to be two weeks. It says that they will adjust the start/end date of the break to make sure there's not a week that has only one day of school in it. Given that Christmas is on a Monday, we will probably be in school until Friday the 22nd and then return on Tuesday, January 2. So a slightly shorter winter break this year. And then each subsequent year it will get a day longer until we end up back with a Monday Christmas again.
Nope rich mommies will NEVER let that happen. They need a two week vacation.
At our school it’s the poor immigrants that need this long break and add on to it so they can home every few years.
Anonymous
09/24/2022 14:10
Subject: Re:Creating a mock 2023-2024 FCPS Calendar
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There's nothing in the regulations that say Winter break has to be two weeks. It says that they will adjust the start/end date of the break to make sure there's not a week that has only one day of school in it. Given that Christmas is on a Monday, we will probably be in school until Friday the 22nd and then return on Tuesday, January 2. So a slightly shorter winter break this year. And then each subsequent year it will get a day longer until we end up back with a Monday Christmas again.
Nope rich mommies will NEVER let that happen. They need a two week vacation.
I’m not a rich mommy, but we are a family of five and have to DRIVE to the Southwest/Midwest if we want to see my family because we can’t afford to fly. That’s a 2-3 drive there and another 2-3 day drive back. We would like to spend more than one day with my family when we get there.
Where are you driving? Toledo/Chicago is about 8 hours away. We made it to Up North Wisconsin in 2 days. we took breaks along the way to break up the day.
And maybe that means you go to see family in the summer when you have 9 weeks of vacation so you can space things out better.
I am with the 9 weeks of school and 2 weeks of vacation plan with a 6 week summer. That gives people many different opportunities to travel during the school year when things are less expensive and minimizes learning loss over the longer vacations. Teachers have more built in breaks to relax and get things done. Summer is long enough to travel and enjoy the nicer weather.
Anonymous
09/24/2022 14:01
Subject: Creating a mock 2023-2024 FCPS Calendar
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Proposal: "Let's give overworked teachers a work day at the end of quarter to get caught up on grading, get set up for next Q's curriculum focus, etc. Oh, and on non-mandatory religious holidays that FCPS observes for students, we'll have the teachers still come in and use that time instead of giving them additional holidays."
Reasonable person #1: "I disagree with the school system observing religious holidays in the first place, even for just the students... but given that is the case, having the teachers work on those days to catch up / prepare is probably the best way to go."
Reasonable person #2: "Isn't there a way we could ease the teachers' ongoing workloads such that they can make the quarterly transitions without needing a day to reset? Then we could end the school year 3 whole days sooner, which I know isn't a lot, but is important to me because <reasons>."
DCUM Poster: "This whole conversation is 'stupid' or 'insane' and 'kills' the calendar... only my way of doing things make sense and that should be immediately obvious to everyone because I use hyperbolic language!"
Or they could use the additional religious holidays which they don't personally celebrate to catch up on their work.
That is exactly what happens.
Anonymous
09/24/2022 12:43
Subject: Re:Creating a mock 2023-2024 FCPS Calendar
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There's nothing in the regulations that say Winter break has to be two weeks. It says that they will adjust the start/end date of the break to make sure there's not a week that has only one day of school in it. Given that Christmas is on a Monday, we will probably be in school until Friday the 22nd and then return on Tuesday, January 2. So a slightly shorter winter break this year. And then each subsequent year it will get a day longer until we end up back with a Monday Christmas again.
Nope rich mommies will NEVER let that happen. They need a two week vacation.
I’m not a rich mommy, but we are a family of five and have to DRIVE to the Southwest/Midwest if we want to see my family because we can’t afford to fly. That’s a 2-3 drive there and another 2-3 day drive back. We would like to spend more than one day with my family when we get there.
Anonymous
09/24/2022 12:40
Subject: Creating a mock 2023-2024 FCPS Calendar
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:And then school will end June 21st because of people insistence on an insanely long winter break.
Winter break is not the issue.
Most districts around the cohntry have 2 weeks winter break and 1 week spring break.
The issue in fcps is all of the stupid teacher work days.
And the recently added religious holidays for "equity".
Why did you put quotation marks around “equity”?
Anonymous
09/24/2022 10:07
Subject: Creating a mock 2023-2024 FCPS Calendar
Anonymous wrote:The whole question of how long for winter break, or any holiday break hinges on what is the desired outcome. For most people who are truly celebrating anything, they want time with family before, during, and after to prepare, celebrate, and recoup. So IMHO, I am looking to have eaglets in the nest for 2-3 days prior and like it when there is no school the day or two after.
Our cultural shift over the past 30 years from celebrating a religious Christmas starting close to Dec 25 to a secular celebration beginning right after Thanksgiving and pretty much ending on Christmas Day really puts the wrench in it. Instead of synchronicity with multiple celebrations for 3 weeks from appoximately the Winter Solstice to early-mid January, it is strewn out from Black Friday, or worse now the early Black Friday, cyber Monday shopping nonsense. Need to put Christmas back in the old school box of the octave before 25 Dec and the 12 days to Ephiphany.
I know I am an old stick in the mud traditionalist, but I firmly believe in the power of the nuclear family and whatever our faith/non faith traditions may be, we should learn to celebrate them in the homes we sleep in. Maybe have a relation or few come to celebrate or shock, celebrate with neighbors. Sorry, but I don't see a need to make winter break into a huge block to take destination vacations. Most people cannot afford this. Just need a couple of days before a major holiday to create the appropriate celebratory kitchen messes and other preps. And a couple of days to celebrate/recover. If we cluster the winter holidays together, what plan supports that? And oh please shorten the school year. Kids need sunshine. Older ones need summer employment.
The school calendar needs to support this
Well we live in a very international area. My school has a ton of people who travel back to their home countries in December. It is soo expensive they tend to take 2-3 weeks to travel. Many school districts have 2 week winter breaks and many private schools do too. Most people prefer a two week winter break. If you look at the survey they did - students, staff and parents all preferred the two weeks. I go back to my original thinking, parents should have no say on the calendar. There will never be anyone who is happy. The district needs to make a calendar that supports student learning and retains teachers to want to teach there.
Anonymous
09/24/2022 08:28
Subject: Creating a mock 2023-2024 FCPS Calendar
The whole question of how long for winter break, or any holiday break hinges on what is the desired outcome. For most people who are truly celebrating anything, they want time with family before, during, and after to prepare, celebrate, and recoup. So IMHO, I am looking to have eaglets in the nest for 2-3 days prior and like it when there is no school the day or two after.
Our cultural shift over the past 30 years from celebrating a religious Christmas starting close to Dec 25 to a secular celebration beginning right after Thanksgiving and pretty much ending on Christmas Day really puts the wrench in it. Instead of synchronicity with multiple celebrations for 3 weeks from appoximately the Winter Solstice to early-mid January, it is strewn out from Black Friday, or worse now the early Black Friday, cyber Monday shopping nonsense. Need to put Christmas back in the old school box of the octave before 25 Dec and the 12 days to Ephiphany.
I know I am an old stick in the mud traditionalist, but I firmly believe in the power of the nuclear family and whatever our faith/non faith traditions may be, we should learn to celebrate them in the homes we sleep in. Maybe have a relation or few come to celebrate or shock, celebrate with neighbors. Sorry, but I don't see a need to make winter break into a huge block to take destination vacations. Most people cannot afford this. Just need a couple of days before a major holiday to create the appropriate celebratory kitchen messes and other preps. And a couple of days to celebrate/recover. If we cluster the winter holidays together, what plan supports that? And oh please shorten the school year. Kids need sunshine. Older ones need summer employment.
The school calendar needs to support this
Our cultural shift over the past 30 years from celebrating a religious Christmas starting close to Dec 25 to a secular celebration beginning right after Thanksgiving and pretty much ending on Christmas Day really puts the wrench in it. Instead of synchronicity with multiple celebrations for 3 weeks from appoximately the Winter Solstice to early-mid January, it is strewn out from Black Friday, or worse now the early Black Friday, cyber Monday shopping nonsense. Need to put Christmas back in the old school box of the octave before 25 Dec and the 12 days to Ephiphany.
I know I am an old stick in the mud traditionalist, but I firmly believe in the power of the nuclear family and whatever our faith/non faith traditions may be, we should learn to celebrate them in the homes we sleep in. Maybe have a relation or few come to celebrate or shock, celebrate with neighbors. Sorry, but I don't see a need to make winter break into a huge block to take destination vacations. Most people cannot afford this. Just need a couple of days before a major holiday to create the appropriate celebratory kitchen messes and other preps. And a couple of days to celebrate/recover. If we cluster the winter holidays together, what plan supports that? And oh please shorten the school year. Kids need sunshine. Older ones need summer employment.
The school calendar needs to support this
Anonymous
09/23/2022 17:38
Subject: Re:Creating a mock 2023-2024 FCPS Calendar
2 week winter break isn’t going away. Literally every group who took the survey prioritized that if you look at the data.
Anonymous
09/23/2022 14:25
Subject: Re:Creating a mock 2023-2024 FCPS Calendar
Anonymous wrote:There's nothing in the regulations that say Winter break has to be two weeks. It says that they will adjust the start/end date of the break to make sure there's not a week that has only one day of school in it. Given that Christmas is on a Monday, we will probably be in school until Friday the 22nd and then return on Tuesday, January 2. So a slightly shorter winter break this year. And then each subsequent year it will get a day longer until we end up back with a Monday Christmas again.
Nope rich mommies will NEVER let that happen. They need a two week vacation.
Anonymous
09/23/2022 12:18
Subject: Creating a mock 2023-2024 FCPS Calendar
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:And then school will end June 21st because of people insistence on an insanely long winter break.
Winter break is not the issue.
Most districts around the cohntry have 2 weeks winter break and 1 week spring break.
The issue in fcps is all of the stupid teacher work days.
+1
Yup. The teacher work days and overly inclusive holidays kill the FCPS calendar.
Arlington and FCC started a week later and get out the same day because they don't have all the insane teacher work days.
APS has all those holidays as well. They have fewer days because they are counting hours, not days.