You are right that parents aren’t the administration’s top priority. I, for one, am glad that they are prioritizing the needs of their teachers and staff - and of our kids.

They don’t have an aftercare plan - for the 8 half days during the year - because it’s six+ months away. If you aren’t comfortable that they will work something out between now and then, you truly may not be cut out for a charter school in DC.

And yes, you seem like you are determined to ascribe bad intentions to a situation where - truly - there is no basis for that assumption. The start day was an error. Parents make them, colleagues make them, schools make them, kids make them.

Anonymous wrote:Many charters have half days one day a week.

Among them:
DC Bilingual
Bridges

Most of the rest we applied to.

I don't really care one way or the other that they changed the calendar. With all due respect, this is in no way a "last minute change." It's March.

You all are sounding kind of entitled.

By the way, at Inspired Teaching we don't usually air our dirty laundry on DCUM. We talk directly to each other and to the administration. If you need this much control, you may not be cut out for Charters.

Count me as another parent who hopes the administration doesn't cave on this.

But is there a charter that has half days with no aftercare? Because until ITS announces that there is aftercare, there isn't.

If the administration would respond to my emails I might be able to talk with them. The IFA is "trying" to figure out a way to work this into their obviously very busy and important meeting agenda. But they'll never stand up to the administration or question anything they're told.

This isn't about control. It's about the administration's rudeness in changing the calendar without an apology for their mistake, and for their indifference to the inconvenience they're imposing on parents. ITS already has the most inconvenient back-to-school phase-in week that I've been able to find in any DCPS elementary school that isn't Montessori. I was fine to put up with that, but this change is such a pain I feel I have to speak up.

Parents on DCUM are applying to ITS and should know that this is how the administration treats the families.

Many charters have half days one day a week.

Among them:
DC Bilingual
Bridges

Most of the rest we applied to.

I don't really care one way or the other that they changed the calendar. With all due respect, this is in no way a "last minute change." It's March.

You all are sounding kind of entitled.

By the way, at Inspired Teaching we don't usually air our dirty laundry on DCUM. We talk directly to each other and to the administration. If you need this much control, you may not be cut out for Charters.

Count me as another parent who hopes the administration doesn't cave on this.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At least in the case of Jan time off for the inauguration, that isn’t optional. It is a city holiday and transit etc is discouraged and a mess for those not involved in it. If the school flat out forgot to take that one into account, then they had to retool.

Right, but how do you overlook that when your job is making an academic calendar? It's an established federal holiday, not some surprise surprise snow day.

Right. All the more embarrassing to have forgotten it. Shouldn't the campaigns be kind of a reminder that it's an election year?

Did the school even say they forgot Inaguration or is someone assuming?

JFC

“Our previously announced start date of August 31 did not take into account Inauguration Day on January 20 — which falls on a Wednesday, the same week as MLK, Jr. Day.”

I didn't read that as they forgot about inauguration day -- I don't think they released a full calendar earlier, just the start date -- I thought they realized if they were going to be closed on Monday and Wednesday they should just close on Tuesday, too....and that plus the training days started to impact the 180 required instructional days. Instead of ending later they moved it up.

I wish they had all the details worked out for the Wednesday training days before they sent out the calendar, but I think they realized they had to get the revised start date out ASAP and didn't want to then surprise everyone again with the Wednesday schedule change.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At least in the case of Jan time off for the inauguration, that isn’t optional. It is a city holiday and transit etc is discouraged and a mess for those not involved in it. If the school flat out forgot to take that one into account, then they had to retool.

Right, but how do you overlook that when your job is making an academic calendar? It's an established federal holiday, not some surprise surprise snow day.

Right. All the more embarrassing to have forgotten it. Shouldn't the campaigns be kind of a reminder that it's an election year?

Did the school even say they forgot Inaguration or is someone assuming?

JFC

“Our previously announced start date of August 31 did not take into account Inauguration Day on January 20 — which falls on a Wednesday, the same week as MLK, Jr. Day.”

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At least in the case of Jan time off for the inauguration, that isn’t optional. It is a city holiday and transit etc is discouraged and a mess for those not involved in it. If the school flat out forgot to take that one into account, then they had to retool.

Right, but how do you overlook that when your job is making an academic calendar? It's an established federal holiday, not some surprise surprise snow day.

Right. All the more embarrassing to have forgotten it. Shouldn't the campaigns be kind of a reminder that it's an election year?

Did the school even say they forgot Inaguration or is someone assuming?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At least in the case of Jan time off for the inauguration, that isn’t optional. It is a city holiday and transit etc is discouraged and a mess for those not involved in it. If the school flat out forgot to take that one into account, then they had to retool.

Right, but how do you overlook that when your job is making an academic calendar? It's an established federal holiday, not some surprise surprise snow day.

Right. All the more embarrassing to have forgotten it. Shouldn't the campaigns be kind of a reminder that it's an election year?

Anonymous wrote:At least in the case of Jan time off for the inauguration, that isn’t optional. It is a city holiday and transit etc is discouraged and a mess for those not involved in it. If the school flat out forgot to take that one into account, then they had to retool.

Right, but how do you overlook that when your job is making an academic calendar? It's an established federal holiday, not some surprise surprise snow day.

At least in the case of Jan time off for the inauguration, that isn’t optional. It is a city holiday and transit etc is discouraged and a mess for those not involved in it. If the school flat out forgot to take that one into account, then they had to retool.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wrote the school in support of the schedule. A Wednesday training is better for the teachers, who should be a higher priority than the parents. Two Rivers figured it out, so I'm sure we can too. Inauguration should be a holiday. And you have six months to plan. My kids will miss the first few days of school, but I'm not going to go full Karen over it.

The school should implement a schedule that is compliant with DCPS rules and enables its faculty and staff to engage in meaningful enrichment. Parental comfort isn't their problem, and I really hope the administration doesn't cave. Given how much we expect from our teachers, I'm happy to give them Wednesday.

This is not about people opposing professional development FFS. It is about the school messing up the calendar and then dropping a big change on parents with no consultation.

Hope they don't give away your spot!

Not likely, my family's been there for five years. There are families every year who miss the first few days of school. It's not a big deal. As long as the teacher knows beforehand, it's fine. I certainly don't expect the school to consult me on scheduling matters. I'd pay for private if I needed that sort of power.

I would not expect to be personally consulted, but running a draft by the parent leadership team is not unreasonable. And this is different because it is a last-minute change that is burdensome to families.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wrote the school in support of the schedule. A Wednesday training is better for the teachers, who should be a higher priority than the parents. Two Rivers figured it out, so I'm sure we can too. Inauguration should be a holiday. And you have six months to plan. My kids will miss the first few days of school, but I'm not going to go full Karen over it.

The school should implement a schedule that is compliant with DCPS rules and enables its faculty and staff to engage in meaningful enrichment. Parental comfort isn't their problem, and I really hope the administration doesn't cave. Given how much we expect from our teachers, I'm happy to give them Wednesday.

This is not about people opposing professional development FFS. It is about the school messing up the calendar and then dropping a big change on parents with no consultation.

Hope they don't give away your spot!

Not likely, my family's been there for five years. There are families every year who miss the first few days of school. It's not a big deal. As long as the teacher knows beforehand, it's fine. I certainly don't expect the school to consult me on scheduling matters. I'd pay for private if I needed that sort of power.

Anonymous wrote:I wrote the school in support of the schedule. A Wednesday training is better for the teachers, who should be a higher priority than the parents. Two Rivers figured it out, so I'm sure we can too. Inauguration should be a holiday. And you have six months to plan. My kids will miss the first few days of school, but I'm not going to go full Karen over it.

The school should implement a schedule that is compliant with DCPS rules and enables its faculty and staff to engage in meaningful enrichment. Parental comfort isn't their problem, and I really hope the administration doesn't cave. Given how much we expect from our teachers, I'm happy to give them Wednesday.

This is not about people opposing professional development FFS. It is about the school messing up the calendar and then dropping a big change on parents with no consultation.

Hope they don't give away your spot!

I wrote the school in support of the schedule. A Wednesday training is better for the teachers, who should be a higher priority than the parents. Two Rivers figured it out, so I'm sure we can too. Inauguration should be a holiday. And you have six months to plan. My kids will miss the first few days of school, but I'm not going to go full Karen over it.

The school should implement a schedule that is compliant with DCPS rules and enables its faculty and staff to engage in meaningful enrichment. Parental comfort isn't their problem, and I really hope the administration doesn't cave. Given how much we expect from our teachers, I'm happy to give them Wednesday.

Anonymous wrote:For the PP who is asking about other schools’ policies - why? what would it matter?

Each charter is its own district and can and do set their own policies and schedules. Some try to coordinate with DCPS but there’s no expectation that they will. So long as they get 180 days in OSSE is ok with it. And in DC, a half day equals a full instructional day.

Because whenever people ask about changing this, the administration tells us that many other schools do it too. But I am starting to doubt that that is true.

For the PP who is asking about other schools’ policies - why? what would it matter?

Each charter is its own district and can and do set their own policies and schedules. Some try to coordinate with DCPS but there’s no expectation that they will. So long as they get 180 days in OSSE is ok with it. And in DC, a half day equals a full instructional day.