I really admired my DC's freshman English teacher who had the students acting out scenes from Romeo and Juliet during the last week of school. This wasn't done on the last day, but maybe 2-3 days before school ended. It was a major grade and was a bit more fun and active than traditional English projects. I would have loved for DC's chorus to work during the last few weeks on sight reading, since that is always weak and they had no repertoire left to polish. Alas, that didn't happen. Movies.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand this either. My DD had a 5th grade promotion the day before the last day of school and the teachers emailed all parents beforehand to let them know that "parents traditionally sign their child out of school afterwards to a celebratory lunch." But kids are welcome to stay at school of course. Don't get why the school would basically be telling people to take their kids home. MybDD stayed and she said there were probably about 20 kids( out of 100) at school who didn't go home at noon. On a full day of school. Of course there was also "no learning" the next day as well.

This is a different situation than high school kids, or even 4th graders. Parents presumably took the day off of work to come to the 5th grade promotion. Most parents DO want to do something with their kid after the promotion since they are off anyway and want to make the day fun and special for their kid - a celebratory lunch afterwards sounds perfect.
The school was acknowledging what most of the parents would do anyway.

What is a 5th grade promotion? I mean honestly, they all go to middle school. This everyone gets a trophy generation. PreK graduation, K graduation, 5th grade graduation, 8th grade graduation, Freshman Final day, Junior Day, Senior Day, Senior graduation. Stop treating kids like every grade they complete deserves a freaking ceremony.

Why are you so bitter about it?
This was not this year, but DD attended a relatively small elementary school by MCPS standards. She and many of her friends had been together since kindergarten. they loved their school and their teachers. Yes, they were all going to middle school. But a couple were moving away, a few were going to magnets. And they knew that there would be a couple hundred other kids in the 6th grade that none of them knew. New school, bigger school, bigger kids, big changes, yes sure everybody grows up. You can say suck it up and deal. Or you can say that ten and eleven year olds have emotions. As adults, it is helpful to give them a context and a method to process those emotions. At DD's promotion ceremony, each student was handed a carnation by the principal. That student was then given the opportunity to give that carnation to anyone the student chose as a way to thank the person for all their support. Some kids gave the flower to a parent, some to a sibling, and many gave them to teachers or administrators. Every child except one gave a short statement of their favorite memory or thanked their loved ones. When one little boy was too overcome with emotion and was crying, his friends cheered him on so that he could get the words out. These kids loved each other. That ceremony was not about everyone getting a trophy. Humans have rituals for a reason.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand this either. My DD had a 5th grade promotion the day before the last day of school and the teachers emailed all parents beforehand to let them know that "parents traditionally sign their child out of school afterwards to a celebratory lunch." But kids are welcome to stay at school of course. Don't get why the school would basically be telling people to take their kids home. MybDD stayed and she said there were probably about 20 kids( out of 100) at school who didn't go home at noon. On a full day of school. Of course there was also "no learning" the next day as well.

This is a different situation than high school kids, or even 4th graders. Parents presumably took the day off of work to come to the 5th grade promotion. Most parents DO want to do something with their kid after the promotion since they are off anyway and want to make the day fun and special for their kid - a celebratory lunch afterwards sounds perfect.
The school was acknowledging what most of the parents would do anyway.

What is a 5th grade promotion? I mean honestly, they all go to middle school. This everyone gets a trophy generation. PreK graduation, K graduation, 5th grade graduation, 8th grade graduation, Freshman Final day, Junior Day, Senior Day, Senior graduation. Stop treating kids like every grade they complete deserves a freaking ceremony.

Anonymous wrote:In HS no kids go the last day. Unless you have to make-up an exam or something. Nobody lies and calls in sick, they just don't show up and the school isn't going to care.

In MS usually it's the 8th graders that don't go, but grades 6 and 7 still do to see friends, sign yearbooks, etc..

In ES - kids go

haha, MCPS doesn't even have final exams anymore. The kids barely showed up or cared since Memorial Day. Pathetic

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a teacher in NYC and grew up in NYC public schools. All kids here go on the last day because that's when we give out report cards. Don't come, you don't get it. (Well- I assume they get mauled- but am not sure). Last day is a half day and no learning takes place. Various activities depending on the teacher. Students with yearbooks sign yearbooks.

How does that work with Regent's exams? I grew up in New York State (not NYC), and we couldn't have received report cards on the last day of school because we hadn't taken our finals yet...? Here in glorious MoCo there are no finals, so I would say that 2/3 of my students skipped school. I took attendance in each class but as many parents have said, who cares?

What?? I grew up in the NYC suburbs. Are you saying you took all your final exams on the last day of school? I don't recall getting my report cards that day, but it wasn't because I hadn't taken my finals yet. And the Regents exams were not my final grade. In fact, we usually thought the Regents exams were kind of a joke, especially in AP classes. After taking an AP exam, the Regents was a bit of an afterthought. Hardly any of my friends ended up going to NY colleges, so we couldn't use the scholarships anyway.

Anonymous wrote:Happens every year in every school district in the US. It sort of bothers me because I think missing school because it's 'just the last day' sends a negative message about education. I can understand this attitude coming from a bunch of immature kids, but dislike hearing parents sharing it. 'Too cool for school' ha ha.

I'd be more inclined to send them if they were doing anything educational.

We took our DD out for a celebratory dinner the next day. I went back to work as I had taken the morning off. Why would you plan to take your kids out of school for lunch? But it's not surprising, some of those parents were dressed like they were the ones graduating haha

Anonymous wrote:I don't want my kids to sit around and do nothing! I want them to do a creative project there usually isn't time for. I want them to write a letter to the kid who will sit in their desk next year to tell them about my class. I want them to make a volcano explode or go outside for tug of war. A million great things to do!

Nothing left to do?? You have to be kidding!

Well, after my kids "graduated" from 5th grade we took them out to a celebratory lunch (like most of the other parents). One of my DS's friends parents weren't able to take off of work for the afternoon so we took him with us.

Anonymous wrote:I am a teacher in NYC and grew up in NYC public schools. All kids here go on the last day because that's when we give out report cards. Don't come, you don't get it. (Well- I assume they get mauled- but am not sure). Last day is a half day and no learning takes place. Various activities depending on the teacher. Students with yearbooks sign yearbooks.

How does that work with Regent's exams? I grew up in New York State (not NYC), and we couldn't have received report cards on the last day of school because we hadn't taken our finals yet...? Here in glorious MoCo there are no finals, so I would say that 2/3 of my students skipped school. I took attendance in each class but as many parents have said, who cares?

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand this either. My DD had a 5th grade promotion the day before the last day of school and the teachers emailed all parents beforehand to let them know that "parents traditionally sign their child out of school afterwards to a celebratory lunch." But kids are welcome to stay at school of course. Don't get why the school would basically be telling people to take their kids home. MybDD stayed and she said there were probably about 20 kids( out of 100) at school who didn't go home at noon. On a full day of school. Of course there was also "no learning" the next day as well.

This is a different situation than high school kids, or even 4th graders. Parents presumably took the day off of work to come to the 5th grade promotion. Most parents DO want to do something with their kid after the promotion since they are off anyway and want to make the day fun and special for their kid - a celebratory lunch afterwards sounds perfect.
The school was acknowledging what most of the parents would do anyway.

I don't want my kids to sit around and do nothing! I want them to do a creative project there usually isn't time for. I want them to write a letter to the kid who will sit in their desk next year to tell them about my class. I want them to make a volcano explode or go outside for tug of war. A million great things to do!

Nothing left to do?? You have to be kidding!

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand this either. My DD had a 5th grade promotion the day before the last day of school and the teachers emailed all parents beforehand to let them know that "parents traditionally sign their child out of school afterwards to a celebratory lunch." But kids are welcome to stay at school of course. Don't get why the school would basically be telling people to take their kids home. MybDD stayed and she said there were probably about 20 kids( out of 100) at school who didn't go home at noon. On a full day of school. Of course there was also "no learning" the next day as well.

They tell parents to take their kids home because there is nothing left to do. The kids have been promoted to "6th" grade. Why would you want your kid to sit around doing nothing when most of the other kids have left? That sounds more like a punishment.

I don't understand this either. My DD had a 5th grade promotion the day before the last day of school and the teachers emailed all parents beforehand to let them know that "parents traditionally sign their child out of school afterwards to a celebratory lunch." But kids are welcome to stay at school of course. Don't get why the school would basically be telling people to take their kids home. MybDD stayed and she said there were probably about 20 kids( out of 100) at school who didn't go home at noon. On a full day of school. Of course there was also "no learning" the next day as well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. The only class where more kids than my DD showed up, was the one where teacher said he will give kids who come today extra credit. And 3 kids were there, including DD. I don't think any attendance was taken and other classes had kids come in from other classes who came to school today to chat and have fun.

God bless that teacher!!

In my son's high school, the kids were told that kids who came the last two days would be watching movies in the auditorium. All. Day.

In this case I felt fine about my child taking an unexcused absence both days. Yes, school is important, but if the teachers aren't even going to pretend to be doing anything worthwhile I don't see the point in sending my child.

+1 I have no problem not sending my kid to school just to watch movies. They can be home and watch a movie.

Anonymous wrote:Not one absence at Beverly Farms ES, from what I have heard. Every student is there and ready to get in one more day of learning.

There is no learning on the last day of school.