Anonymous wrote:So grateful we are in a private school that doesn't take off for any religious holidays. Winter break for 3 weeks that coincides with Christmas. That is it. Spring Break is always between 3rd and 4th quarter and has nothing to do with when Passover or Easter. Most years, we aren't off near either of them. No Rosh Hashanah, No Good Friday, No Yom Kippur, No Easter Monday, No Eid - nada. Love it! MCPS needs a backbone. It is a public secular school district.

Given that your 3-week Winter break that coincides with Christmas and not a break between the quarters, it sounds like there is at least one religious holiday that your school observes.

What about closing the entire week of Thanksgiving? The family that I spend the holiday with each year is local so I don't have skin in the airline ticket game. However, as a teacher, I find it frustrating to schedule two and a half lightweight days to accommodate all of the mysterious "illnesses" that coincide with this holiday week. It's an open secret in our school community that the students are leaving for holiday vacations early, but their parents are calling them in sick. Our principal has directed the attendance secretary to excuse only "sick" kids, but she told teachers that those two and half days we're to only give work that can be made up independently using a textbook. I'd rather just close the entire week and go three extra days in June.

Anonymous wrote:So grateful we are in a private school that doesn't take off for any religious holidays. Winter break for 3 weeks that coincides with Christmas. That is it. Spring Break is always between 3rd and 4th quarter and has nothing to do with when Passover or Easter. Most years, we aren't off near either of them. No Rosh Hashanah, No Good Friday, No Yom Kippur, No Easter Monday, No Eid - nada. Love it! MCPS needs a backbone. It is a public secular school district.

Yesterday, I graded 150 "My Culture" projects and counted how many students listed "minority" religions like Judaism or Islam. There were more self-identified Jews, Muslims, and Buddhists combined than self-identified Christians.
--MCPS teacher

A 3 week Christmas break would-be a deal breaker for me.

So grateful we are in a private school that doesn't take off for any religious holidays. Winter break for 3 weeks that coincides with Christmas. That is it. Spring Break is always between 3rd and 4th quarter and has nothing to do with when Passover or Easter. Most years, we aren't off near either of them. No Rosh Hashanah, No Good Friday, No Yom Kippur, No Easter Monday, No Eid - nada. Love it! MCPS needs a backbone. It is a public secular school district.

8/29 this next year but might be 8/21 in 2017.

8/29

Anonymous wrote:Other than the Sept 12 issue, the rest of the calendar seems like it will be final.

With a first day of school of 8/22 or 8/29?

Other than the Sept 12 issue, the rest of the calendar seems like it will be final.

Calendar is not final. BOE has said that 9/12 will be a teacher workday. But they haven't figured out how they will be amending the calendar to switch one of the other workdays.

They cannot simply add an extra day/holiday to the school year because the last day was already planned to be on a Friday.

So is the calendar final? Where can I find it?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good. I teach high school in MC and in some classes, nearly 1/4 of them were out for Eid this year. Even though the absences are excused, it does impact instruction.

I've been in the system for 20 years - most of my years spent downcounty. Where is this? My students were never out.

Springbrook HS had (might still have) a large muslim student population with a very active MSA (Muslim Student Association). There's one for you.

Anonymous wrote:Just heard on WTOP that next year's MCPS calendar will include a holiday on Sept. 12 for Eid.

Barclay introduced the motion.

No news/link that I can find online. WTOP said it is still to be determined how exactly the 12th will be structured - as a teacher in-service day, holiday, etc.

Fantastic. I hope it's a holiday so Muslim teachers will also have the day off.

My child's school held a Veterans Day celebration and invited friends and family in the military to attend. All the children had been practicing patriotic songs in music class, the boy and Girl Scouts participated, and all of the invited guests introduced themselves. The entire school gathered around the flag pole, and the principal explained why the day was important. I felt it was nicely done and allowed the students to pay honor to those who serve, and still attend classes. I wonder how many non-military families would actually do something to honor the veterans if they had the day off?