Anonymous
Post 08/15/2021 10:43     Subject: APS - what is up with the calendar in September??
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OK obviously I should have paid attention to this earlier, but I'm looking at the calendar and there's a 5-day weekend around Labor Day? We now have schools closed for both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur? This is the first year this has happened, right? I'm curious about what proportion of Arlington students observe these holidays. There are also days off for Diwali and Eid al-Fitr. Do we still have the same number of school days in the year? For the record I'm agnostic but culturally Christian, I would be more than happy to swap out existing Christian-based holidays for any of these other religious observances.


So it's only ok to observe these holidays as a school system if a certain proportion (defined by you) culturally observes?


Schools don’t observe religious holidays. To the degree days off coincide with them, that’s a pragmatic consideration based on proportion of staff and students that observe them. So on one level, it’s a fair question— why take off on Yom Kippur if it’s less than 1 or 2% for example? There would be no disruption to the classroom.


Why does this bother you so much?
Anonymous
Post 08/15/2021 10:41     Subject: APS - what is up with the calendar in September??
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OK obviously I should have paid attention to this earlier, but I'm looking at the calendar and there's a 5-day weekend around Labor Day? We now have schools closed for both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur? This is the first year this has happened, right? I'm curious about what proportion of Arlington students observe these holidays. There are also days off for Diwali and Eid al-Fitr. Do we still have the same number of school days in the year? For the record I'm agnostic but culturally Christian, I would be more than happy to swap out existing Christian-based holidays for any of these other religious observances.


So it's only ok to observe these holidays as a school system if a certain proportion (defined by you) culturally observes?


Schools don’t observe religious holidays. To the degree days off coincide with them, that’s a pragmatic consideration based on proportion of staff and students that observe them. So on one level, it’s a fair question— why take off on Yom Kippur if it’s less than 1 or 2% for example? There would be no disruption to the classroom.
Anonymous
Post 08/15/2021 10:38     Subject: APS - what is up with the calendar in September??
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Personally I wish they only had one week off for Winter Break and then could use the other week in February. That’s how it was growing up in New England. It’s a long haul for students and teachers to basically have no break between January and Spring Break which is in April this year. My high schooler gets burned out.


+1



+2 Really wish they would consider this in the future.


I'm leaning toward disagreeing. Even if winter break is one week, it's a significant break mid-term. Then there's MLK Jr long weekend later in Jan, Then there's Presidents' Day long weekend in Feb. As I type this out, I guess that week in Feb could incorporate Presidents' Day. But then we're almost to spring break anyway. Seems like a week off almost every month starting in November with 3 days off the week of Thanksgiving.
Anonymous
Post 08/15/2021 09:09     Subject: APS - what is up with the calendar in September??
Anonymous wrote:“ So it's only ok to observe these holidays as a school system if a certain proportion (defined by you) culturally observes?”

Not OP but yes. Otherwise there are a zillion holidays worldwide - yes we should celebrate the ones where a sizable mass of students are missing. But not just because some people are squeakiest



Of course that should be the policy, but no one wants to be viewed as culturally insensitive so common sense goes out the window.
Anonymous
Post 08/15/2021 09:03     Subject: APS - what is up with the calendar in September??
The workdays in the middle of the week are stupid, though! At least make it a long weekend so we can get away!
Anonymous
Post 08/15/2021 09:02     Subject: APS - what is up with the calendar in September??
I love having time off before Christmas! I wish we had some off after Easter! I could forego Spring Break for just a few days then, and a few days somewhere else. As far as the holidays I don’t celebrate go- that doesn’t bother me. There are certainly enough Jewish, Muslim, and Hindi kids in APS, and they shouldn’t have to do a ton of makeup work to celebrate a religious holiday. That’s not fair.
Anonymous
Post 08/15/2021 08:57     Subject: APS - what is up with the calendar in September??
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:“ So it's only ok to observe these holidays as a school system if a certain proportion (defined by you) culturally observes?”

Not OP but yes. Otherwise there are a zillion holidays worldwide - yes we should celebrate the ones where a sizable mass of students are missing. But not just because some people are squeakiest


I kind of agree. For instance, if I lived in a place where very few people celebrated Christmas, I wouldn’t expect schools to be closed on that day. Sure, it’d be inconvenient for me, but having school that day would make sense for the community overall.

That’s not Arlington
Anonymous
Post 08/15/2021 08:52     Subject: APS - what is up with the calendar in September??
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Personally I wish they only had one week off for Winter Break and then could use the other week in February. That’s how it was growing up in New England. It’s a long haul for students and teachers to basically have no break between January and Spring Break which is in April this year. My high schooler gets burned out.


+1



+2 Really wish they would consider this in the future.
Anonymous
Post 08/15/2021 08:43     Subject: APS - what is up with the calendar in September??
Anonymous wrote:“ So it's only ok to observe these holidays as a school system if a certain proportion (defined by you) culturally observes?”

Not OP but yes. Otherwise there are a zillion holidays worldwide - yes we should celebrate the ones where a sizable mass of students are missing. But not just because some people are squeakiest


I kind of agree. For instance, if I lived in a place where very few people celebrated Christmas, I wouldn’t expect schools to be closed on that day. Sure, it’d be inconvenient for me, but having school that day would make sense for the community overall.
Anonymous
Post 08/15/2021 08:36     Subject: APS - what is up with the calendar in September??
oh APS - equity equity equity..
Anonymous
Post 08/14/2021 17:21     Subject: APS - what is up with the calendar in September??
I’m Muslim and practicing so the Eid holiday is beneficial to our family. But to be honest I would have much rather them do what fairfax county did, which is allow students to take off those days and also make sure that no exams are scheduled that day and to make accommodations for when homework is due. I would much rather have school end earlier in June or start later after Labor Day instead of having Eid off.
Anonymous
Post 08/14/2021 11:27     Subject: Re:APS - what is up with the calendar in September??
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Amazing that school starts in 2 weeks and some people are just now lining at the calendar.


*looking


Some of us are struggling and only looking at one week at a time.


Maybe you wouldn't struggle so much if you would have taken 5 minutes to look over the school calendar back when they first passed it.


I'm not the poster you're directing your comments toward. But on their behalf, go FO.


+1

No need to sh1t on others just because you’re a miserable B.
Anonymous
Post 08/14/2021 11:26     Subject: APS - what is up with the calendar in September??
Anonymous wrote:Personally I wish they only had one week off for Winter Break and then could use the other week in February. That’s how it was growing up in New England. It’s a long haul for students and teachers to basically have no break between January and Spring Break which is in April this year. My high schooler gets burned out.


+1

Anonymous
Post 08/14/2021 10:30     Subject: Re:APS - what is up with the calendar in September??
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Amazing that school starts in 2 weeks and some people are just now lining at the calendar.


*looking


Some of us are struggling and only looking at one week at a time.


Maybe you wouldn't struggle so much if you would have taken 5 minutes to look over the school calendar back when they first passed it.


I'm not the poster you're directing your comments toward. But on their behalf, go FO.
Anonymous
Post 08/14/2021 10:23     Subject: APS - what is up with the calendar in September??
“ So it's only ok to observe these holidays as a school system if a certain proportion (defined by you) culturally observes?”

Not OP but yes. Otherwise there are a zillion holidays worldwide - yes we should celebrate the ones where a sizable mass of students are missing. But not just because some people are squeakiest