2018-19 LCPS Calendar Survey

11/27/2017

The results of my unofficial, unscientific calendar survey are in, and Option C was the big winner. Interestingly enough, that's what the majority of the Board seemed to be supporting at the last meeting.
Under Option C, school starts for students on Thursday, August 23, ends for students on Friday, June 7, Winter Break includes Friday 12/21, and there are two county-wide professional development days for staff during the school year.
The vote on the calendar is scheduled for tomorrow night, Tuesday, 11/28. Thanks to everyone who participated!

23 Comments

Cory Brunet

11/20/2017 10:13:23 am

I don't like any of them, and want to know who comprises the calendar committee. I read in the paper that the committee members are trying to listen to students, parents and staff, yet today, November 20, is the FIRST time anyone has asked my opinion. I am a teacher AND a parent in LCPS. I think it's appalling that we do not have a full two weeks for winter break. We almost never do, because LCPS is afraid to be the county that ends the school year after surrounding counties, particularly FCPS. No one is taking students into consideration for this. I teach high school, and students truly need a full two weeks for winter break to enjoy their time with their families and rest.

Lauren Snow

11/21/2017 11:51:25 am

I 100% agree!

Maria Biggers

11/21/2017 12:38:37 pm

Ditto to Ms. Brunet.

Also, I do not understand why Spring Break is tied to Easter. It should be half way through the 3rd quarter every year and be consistent.

John Williams

11/21/2017 12:51:32 pm

Would you still want 2 weeks if teachers only received one week off and had to work/find daycare the other week? Parents don't want to have to use all of their vacation days during a winter break because teachers would like to spend some of their summer break on a long winter break. The short winter break is more than enough to cover a trip to visit relatives.

Joy-Ann Maloney

11/23/2017 01:22:37 pm

There’s no committee. I think both staff and the School Board are listening to feedback as we make our decisions.

Tonya Dagstani

11/20/2017 12:03:19 pm

The school calendar should remain the same each year. The constant changing is terrible for planning purposes. Please try to create a calendar that is more consistent from year to year.

It seems that the choices are not widely publicized each year and are almost impossible for locate on the website.

Thank you for your consideration.

Joy

11/23/2017 01:25:31 pm

We’re trying for more consistency but state law requires we get a waiver to start before Labor Day, which is what we’d like. We just passed our state legislative platform and are once again asking the law be changed to allow local control of school calendars. Let your state senators and delegates know you want it passed!

tpt

11/20/2017 12:48:17 pm

It is time to stop tying Spring Break with Easter. With SOLs and AP tests, it is time to have a set week, each year, designated for Spring Break. It will allow families to plan more consistently. The concern that it breaks with calendar of neighboring districts is not valid. We have starting and ending days that differ drastically from neighboring districts. Spring Break should be when it works for our district and our population.

Arlene Lewis

11/20/2017 01:21:54 pm

I appreciate being given a voice.

Ashley

11/20/2017 03:17:03 pm

It would be beneficial to both students, parents, and staff members if we keep the same schedule from year to year. It does not need to keep changing. Starting on a Thursday this year was not beneficial, at least to the elementary level.

Andrea

12/1/2017 05:41:47 pm

As a teacher in this county, I was appalled at the way this year began. Teachers were given 2 less days to attend to start-up business, room set-ups, required documents to turn in to admin, etc. Starting on a Thursday is absurd. Two days to begin introducing routines and going over expectations for the classroom and the building in general, and distribute important documents to go home for review/signatures. Then two days to forget everything including the paperwork which is supposed to be returned. Then five more days to re-instruct everything you shared the previous week, and badger students to get the aforementioned paperwork in, and then three days to forget it all over again! Especially at the beginning of a school year, a consistent routine is absolutely essential to classroom management and smooth transitions from summer to work (for students AND teachers) and from review to new instruction. I really don't appreciate the anxiety that comes from feeling as though I am not fully prepared to greet my new students, and when we used to have the weekend before the first day, it allowed us all to get finished with essential prep, take home anything we felt we needed to tweak (Sat), and take one day to decompress (Sun); thereby presenting our most refreshed and best selves to our kids. This year's start did not even allow one day to breathe between Wednesday evening close of business and new students coming in the door the next morning. STRESSFUL. I felt the interruption of these mid-quarter PD days was a total waste. I'd rather have information I can use from the beginning, than "Oh by the way, here's something you might try," which I could've used a month and a half ago. I'm not willing to give up set-up days for that. It's disruptive and ill-timed. And if the point of tying Spring Break to
Easter (hello, Christianity isn't the only religious observance in this county!) is to reduce absentees for federal funding since many families travel, why would you have it BEFORE the holiday. More students who WILL travel, are absent after the break. It should begin after school on the day of Good Friday which gives family time to travel, be with whomever for the holiday and return without students out for extended visits after the holiday, or staying home Monday to recover from the travel, or showing up completely unavailable for learning. And WHY is it so important to start before Labor Day? Somebody needs to explain why that's such a desired thing. It's more important to be consistent. Teachers are sick of getting an extra week of summer one year, and then having that week taken away another year due to a shift in the calendar AGAIN. You expect consistency from teachers; we expect the same from those running the division.

Erin

11/20/2017 03:24:01 pm

What is option B?

Liz Miller

11/20/2017 04:05:29 pm

I, too, would like a more consistent calendar, a longer winter break, and a start date on a Monday.

11/20/2017 08:53:52 pm

Here is an example of a calendar that the students are finished with 1st semester by Winter Break and you only add in Snow Days if they are actually used.

http://www.wps.k12.va.us/calendars/cal1819F.pdf

11/21/2017 08:30:43 am

Starting and ending on anything other than a Monday and Friday only causes me to spend extra money to over daycare.. having a short winter break means no traveling to see family that lives out of state due to having to split the winter break with a non custodial parent. End the school year later - mid to late June and give the kids a break during the school year rather than longer summer breaks and starting on anything except a monday.

Linda

11/21/2017 09:04:59 am

Why can't we have spring break after EASTER!!!! It really stinks having it before Easter!!!!

Amanda

11/21/2017 12:11:33 pm

I think we should have a consistent spring break. I hate that it changes every year because it is difficult to anticipate with planning and assessing. Keep spring break in April and give the students a four day weekend in mid winter.

Alys Fraser

11/21/2017 02:44:54 pm

Can we just get a consistent calendar?!?! Many families had to change their vacation plans because we started on Thursday this last year instead of the following Monday. We haven't had a consistent schedule in YEARS. And please, please, please start on a Monday.

Colleen

11/21/2017 04:07:34 pm

I am choosing the only calendar option with a 2-week Christmas Break. As a teacher, it is such a gift to have two full weeks to spend time with family and re-charge. I liked having one of our workdays moved from August to October and I think it makes sense to spread some of our professional development throughout the school year.

John Williams

11/22/2017 12:35:02 pm

Does it bother you that this imposes a serious challenge on working families? As a teacher, you have about 9-10 weeks off during the summer and any extension of winter break doesn't mean you have to use up personal vacation days watching your kids. Do you think the school board should heed the wishes of parents and taxpayers or just teachers?

11/22/2017 10:19:12 pm

TMT

11/26/2017 04:55:14 pm

People that do not work with elementary children have no idea how difficult it is to teach when holidays are approaching. Starting at Halloween they are inattentive until January. Lack of sleep (due to parents keeping the children out late) keeps them from performing at an appropriate level. Having a longer winter break benefits a large percentage of families in the richest county in the country. Also, to some commenters, it is false if you think teachers and staff are getting paid for the days off. Teachers and staff are paid for only their contracted days. Having a longer winter break gets my vote. None of the calendars work for me. What happened to Option B?

CarolAmbers

11/28/2017 10:20:24 am

I prefer option C. I am a school employee and prefer the short work week at the start of school and the winter break.

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2018-19 LCPS Calendar Survey

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