Hi, thank you for the information. Can you please elaborate a bit on the band/strings?
If enrolled in band, how much time is for the weekly group lesson? Is there any weekly rehearsal? And how much time the student needs to practice the instrument each day?

If the child is not enrolled in the instrument program or chorus, what is the "enrichment special"?

We are moving to FCPF next school year for 5th grade. My child is currently in 4th grade (in NJ) and taking a band instrument. Weekly 30 min lesson in a small group (3 students only), full band rehearsal every Friday morning (1 hour), half band rehearsal every other Wed morning (1 hour), weekly practice for at least 140 min required (to be good he has to practice more than that). The program is great and my child has learned so much in just one semester. However he is really into team sports and has spent tremendous time practicing and travelling for games. He is not sure if he is able to continue to play the instrument considering the time commitment. He cannot carry a tone so chorus is definitely not a choice either. Just wonder if the students in FCPS has to be enrolled in one of the three programs (band/orchestra/chorus).

Thanks.

Anonymous wrote:FCPS ES:
Recess 2x day
PE 2x wk
art 2x wk 1 semester/1 x week other semester
music 1x week 1 semester/ 2x week other semester
band/strings (4th grade up). If not enrolled, enrichment special.
Library 1x every 2 weeks
Technology 1X every 2 weeks
Program with visiting authors, actors, scientists etc. punctuated throughout the year
STEAM (not every grade, but 1x week)

Anonymous wrote:Wow! Art 3 x per week in Arlington? Is that all schools?

I also am surprised. I thought all
APS kindergarten students had the same specials.

We have:
Music (x 1)
Art (x 2)
Spanish (x2)
PE (x 2)

Anonymous wrote:My child in FCPS K has:

Library 1x
Technology (Computers) 1x
PE 3x
Music 3x
Art 1x
Science, History, Math, Recess daily (recess twice a day).

A scheduled block of time to use a computer lab would be nice. We don’t have many laptops and the ones we do have are in high demand. Our school does not have a classroom type computer lab.

My child in FCPS K has:

Library 1x
Technology (Computers) 1x
PE 3x
Music 3x
Art 1x
Science, History, Math, Recess daily (recess twice a day).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have Mandarin FLES at our school. I think it's twice a week.

what school? 2x 30-min a wk?

Shrevewood. It's twice a week. I think 30 minutes per session, but it could be 45.

What grade does this start in? I have a kindergartener there.

FCPS First Grade Language Immersion program

PE 4 times a week
Art once a week
Library once a week
Music once a week

They have special days where they do computers and similar things but I don't know how regularly they do those. I feel like I am missing something.

Recess is not a Special at my kids' school. Its every day for 30 mins. All Specials (music/strings/band/chorus, PE, library, Art) are 55 mins., except chorus, which 45 mins. and Library, which 30 mins. The school uses block scheduling that varies from week to week. It ends up being PE and music is twice a week every other week and once a week every other week. Art is 3 times per month. Library is every other week.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, that is the plan to have FLES in all schools. They just need the money. After seeing how little time the children have for recess and core subjects, you might end up preferring they keep foreign language after school instead.

Foreign language lessons in elementary school are a waste of time.

Meeting 30-45 minutes/1x week does nothing for language instruction.

One kid had Spanish at his elementary center.

The other had no language at the base school.

They both ended up with the same rudimentary level Spanish (almost none) by the end of elementary school.

My kid has had Spanish 3x a week this year and 2x a week last year. He's not fluent but he's learning.

Anonymous wrote:Well, that is the plan to have FLES in all schools. They just need the money. After seeing how little time the children have for recess and core subjects, you might end up preferring they keep foreign language after school instead.

Foreign language lessons in elementary school are a waste of time.

Meeting 30-45 minutes/1x week does nothing for language instruction.

One kid had Spanish at his elementary center.

The other had no language at the base school.

They both ended up with the same rudimentary level Spanish (almost none) by the end of elementary school.

FCPS, weekly:

Music 2x (30 min each)
PE 3x (30 min each)
Art once (1 hour)
Mindfulness Lab once (half hour)
Library once (half hour)
Foreign Lang once (1 hour)
Recess two 20 min blocks daily

Recess— daily
Library— weekly
Band/orchestra— weekly for 1 hour in grades 4 & 5 (optional).

The following are each 1 hour long with one special per day on a 6-day rotating schedule:

PE (twice in the rotation)
Half free reading/half extra recess
Art
Music with teacher 1
Music with teacher 2

Anonymous wrote:PE 3x
Music 2x
Art 1x
Healthy Habits 1x
Library and Guidance on alternating weeks

2nd grade

I forgot STEAM 1x!

PE 3x
Music 2x
Art 1x
Healthy Habits 1x
Library and Guidance on alternating weeks

2nd grade

FCPS 2nd grader:
30 min twice a week:
Music
Spanish
PE

60 min once a week:
Art

30 min once a week:
Library
Tech Lab

Recess every day (I think just once a day though)

FCPS ES:
Recess 2x day
PE 2x wk
art 2x wk 1 semester/1 x week other semester
music 1x week 1 semester/ 2x week other semester
band/strings (4th grade up). If not enrolled, enrichment special.
Library 1x every 2 weeks
Technology 1X every 2 weeks
Program with visiting authors, actors, scientists etc. punctuated throughout the year
STEAM (not every grade, but 1x week)