School schedule - what's yours?

[DawnM]

Your youngest is in preschool? Is there not a half day preschool somewhere so that you can bring him home for nap time and not have to pay for after school care?

And I find it really strange that a preschool gets out at 3pm. Is this a PS type preschool or something? Most preschools are either half day or allow late pick up due to parents working.

I am sooo ready for next year when my kids go to the same school. Not only do the kids start and end the school year on different dates but they have different Spring Breaks this year. My older son gets the whole week off for Thanksgiving while my preK kids gets Wednesday-Friday off. They also have different teacher conference and in service days. To make matters worse my older son gets out of school at 3 pm and my younger son gets out at 3:20 pm. The schools are 30 minutes apart. I also have to pay to put one kid in after care even though I'm a SAHM so I don't get in trouble everyday for picking up my younger son late. I looked for a good preschool option near my older son's school but wasn't successful.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

What I really, really wish they would do instead????? Give us a week like Jersey week. A Fall or Winter full week off to do something like Disney!~

"Jersey Week" is only 2 days Some schools may close for the whole week but I don't know of any myself.

Here's our schedule.

School Starts Tuesday Sept 8th. Current scheduled last day is June 14th but we will have snow days.

October: Columbus day
November: First Thursday and Friday for Teacher's Convention and Last Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving
December: Off the 23rd return Monday Jaunary 4th
January: MLK
Feb: President's Day (Used to be two days but every year for the past 5 we lost the second day to make up for snow days)
March: 25th, 28-31 Spring Break
April: April 1 last day of break
May: Memorial Day

 

[DawnM]

Wait, WHAT?

I always thought it was a whole week. We have 2 days off in October (end of the month) at my son's school.

Do those in NJ just take the extra 3 days off?

"Jersey Week" is only 2 days Some schools may close for the whole week but I don't know of any myself.

Here's our schedule.

School Starts Tuesday Sept 8th. Current scheduled last day is June 14th but we will have snow days.

October: Columbus day
November: First Thursday and Friday for Teacher's Convention and Last Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving
December: Off the 23rd return Monday Jaunary 4th
January: MLK
Feb: President's Day (Used to be two days but every year for the past 5 we lost the second day to make up for snow days)
March: 25th, 28-31 Spring Break
April: April 1 last day of break
May: Memorial Day

 

[Gracie09]

Wait, WHAT?

I always thought it was a whole week. We have 2 days off in October (end of the month) at my son's school.

Do those in NJ just take the extra 3 days off?

Most places you get Thursday and Friday off and a half day off for Election Day on Tuesday. So people take advantage of only having to miss two full days and getting a week off

 

[TheIncredibles!]

Wait, WHAT?

I always thought it was a whole week. We have 2 days off in October (end of the month) at my son's school.

Do those in NJ just take the extra 3 days off?

Nope just the two days and yes many either go on a long vacation or pull the kids the first 3 days. Some schools might close for election day too, especially if it's a Presidential year but it's not a whole week off.

We're doing it next year but we're going on a cruise not Disney. I would never go to Disney that week - lol.

 

[DawnM]

It is not bad at all. DH's work has been sending him down for a conference every year at the same time as Jersey week and it has been fine.

This year his work is sending him the week before. However, this is the first year we aren't homeschooling and don't have the freedom to just go. My son DOES have the Thur and Fri of that week in Oct off and I would love to have him take the extra 3 days off but he is in high school and I am not sure that is the best decision.

We did go to Universal the 3rd week of August and it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be crowd wise. The heat was still horrible for me as I hate heat, but overall, it was ok.

Our Universal passes expire in Dec. and I would love to go one more time.

Guess we will see.

Nope just the two days and yes many either go on a long vacation or pull the kids the first 3 days. Some schools might close for election day too, especially if it's a Presidential year but it's not a whole week off.

We're doing it next year but we're going on a cruise not Disney. I would never go to Disney that week - lol.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

It is not bad at all. DH's work has been sending him down for a conference every year at the same time as Jersey week and it has been fine.

This year his work is sending him the week before. However, this is the first year we aren't homeschooling and don't have the freedom to just go. My son DOES have the Thur and Fri of that week in Oct off and I would love to have him take the extra 3 days off but he is in high school and I am not sure that is the best decision.

We did go to Universal the 3rd week of August and it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be crowd wise. The heat was still horrible for me as I hate heat, but overall, it was ok.

Our Universal passes expire in Dec. and I would love to go one more time.

Guess we will see.

Crowds drive me bonkers so even a little bit extra would do me in. The heat would be worse. We went once pre kids the third week of September and I thought I was going to melt - lol. There was nobody there though so at least I was only cranky from the heat. My brother is going down that week but he's going on Wednesday the 4th and staying the whole following week so hopefully the next week will be dead.

 

[DawnM]

Well, I had warned the entire family to expect long wait times, etc.....and we were very pleasantly surprised that we only waited more than 30 minutes for one ride!

But we were at Universal , and they have far more single rider lines, and we utilized all of them.

The waits were indeed longer than they were when we went last early December, but they were still much shorter than I had anticipated.

Crowds drive me bonkers so even a little bit extra would do me in. The heat would be worse. We went once pre kids the third week of September and I thought I was going to melt - lol. There was nobody there though so at least I was only cranky from the heat. My brother is going down that week but he's going on Wednesday the 4th and staying the whole following week so hopefully the next week will be dead.

 

[cybrkitn]

We're in NY. DS just started 8th grade on September 2, which is unusual. They normally start after Labor Day here and end towards the end of June. But it does happen occasionally. He has off:

4 days this month (Labor day, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur)
Columbus Day
5 days in November (Election Day, Veteran's Day, Parent Teacher conferences, Thanksgiving weekend)
Christmas week (a week and a 1/2)
2 days off in January
Winter break in February (6 days)
Good Friday
Spring break/Passover week which also doubles as Snow Closing Make-up days if we need them
Memorial Day with 2 extra days if we don't use any snow days
Out on DS's b-day in June which doubles as 8th grade moving up day (he starts high school next year)

His first two full weeks of school isn't until the end of the month and the first week of October. Every month of the school year has at least one day off except for June. All of his evening activities like Boy Scouts, won't start up until next month. Then the chaos begins

 

[cybrkitn]

My biggest gripe would be I wish school started later in the morning. It's 7:30-2:30, I'd much prefer 8:30-3:30, but all catholic schools in our area use the 7:30am start time. Bus picks up at 6:50am. So early for elementary school. JMHO.

Wow, that is early. When DS was in private school (Lutheran), he didn't start until 8:15 am. He was picked up by 8 am. Since he transferred into public school for 6th grade (he's now 8th), he gets the bus at 7:10 and starts at 7:55. That will all change next year when he starts high school. The bus will pick him up at around 6:30 for a 7:15 start time . He has enough problems getting up now as it is that I'm dreading the next 5 years. Plus it's too early for breakfast before-hand. He's not hungry that early, but he has to take his ADD meds with food before school starts. When DH and I were in the high school (same district), we didn't start that early. So that's something that has changed in the last 25 years since I've been out.

 

[aprilgail]

I swear they get more days off every year!
This year they started Sept 2nd (though my kid has been home sick the first three days of school!)
Sept 7- Labor Day
Sept 14,15- Rosh Hashanah
Sept 23- Yom Kippur
Oct-12 -Columbus Day
Nov-3- Election Day
Nov 11- Veterans Day
Nov 26,27- Thanksgiving
Dec 4th - Parent Teacher conference
Dec-23- Jan 4th- Christmas
Jan 18- Martin Luther
Feb- 13-21- winter break
March 18- conference day
March 25-28- Easter
April 22-May 1st- Passover
May 27-31- Memorial Day
June 14th is last day of classes for high school and June 24th for grade school and JHS.

 

[aprilgail]

[QUOTE="fly girl, post: 54355442, member: 413977"
My biggest gripe would be I wish school started later in the morning. It's 7:30-2:30, I'd much prefer 8:30-3:30, but all catholic schools in our area use the 7:30am start time. Bus picks up at 6:50am. So early for elementary school. JMHO.[/QUOTE]

I wish grade school started earlier here, ours started at 9:20- she was up way earlier than that and waiting to go, now high school on the other hands, the kids stay up later doing homework, working etc and their bus comes at 6:55, its brutal for them. They get out of school at 1:55 but its still way early to be up for school!

 

[MomofKatie]

DD attends a statewide STEM boarding school for high achieving juniors and seniors. They have a very different schedule from "regular"high school. They have trimesters instead of semesters, and there is a short, 10 day "miniterm" between second and third trimester. Classes are more like college- they are not in class all day each day of the week. For example, my senior has 3 classes on Monday, 5 on Tuesday, 2 on Wednesday, 6 on Thursday, and just 1 on Friday. They also go home for 3 day weekends around once a month. These are called "extendeds" and are mandatory so the students who participate in the online classes offered by her school can come to campus and meet with their professors.

The dates look like this:
Move into dorms: Aug 15
First day of class: Aug 18
Three day weekend: Labor Day weekend
Three day weekend: First weekend of Oct
Trimester break: Nov 5- Nov 9
Thanksgiving break: full week of Thanksgiving
Holiday break: week leading up to Christmas and week after Christmas
Three day weekend: last weekend of January (they DON'T get MLK day off- it is a campus wide day of volunteer service)
Trimester break: Feb 12- Feb 16
Spring break: Mar 25- Apr 3
Three day weekend: last weekend in Apr
Graduation: May 28

 

[DawnM]

9:20am? What time does she get out?

I wish grade school started earlier here, ours started at 9:20- she was up way earlier than that and waiting to go, now high school on the other hands, the kids stay up later doing homework, working etc and their bus comes at 6:55, its brutal for them. They get out of school at 1:55 but its still way early to be up for school!

 

[shoney]

9:20am? What time does she get out?

Our k-2 started at 9:30 to 3:45
Our high school is 7:30 - 2:20

I wish it was reversed too...

 

[DawnM]

Wow.

Well, yeah, although my guess is that they can't have high schoolers starting ball practice at 4pm.

Our k-2 started at 9:30 to 3:45
Our high school is 7:30 - 2:20

I wish it was reversed too...

 

[aprilgail]

9:20am? What time does she get out?

920-320

 

[barkley]

lord, my son would kill for all the days off some of your kiddos get.

started-8/27
september-labor day off
october-1 day off for teacher training
november-vet's day off, 4 minimum days for p/t conferences, 1 minimum day before thanksgiving, thanksgiving and that Friday off
december-1 minimum day the Friday before the 2 weeks off (encompassing christmas/new years)
january-mlk day off
february-presidents day off
march-1 minimum day
april-,1 minimum day and1 week off
may-memorial day off
june-seniors done 6/2, rest of schools done 6/8


we have 2 days budgeted as snow days-if they are not used then the kids also get 1 extra day off in February and march.

school time-8:14 a.m.-3:05 a.m.
minimum days-8:14-12:05
early release days-8:14-10:25 (only 1 and the school ends up with almost no one attending).



I like it better than the private school they went to-they took none of the legal holidays off, kids had to go to school one sunday per month but then EVERY month they were off for 4 days (tuesday-friday). they would start the first day of the last full week in august and end the first friday in june. it was horrific for families w/2 employed parents to figure out child care for those 4 full days every month.

 

[tvguy]

I think the length of the school year start to finish is the same, just starting and ending 2 weeks earlier than when I was a kid. We started the Tuesday after Labor Day.
Around here the problem is the number of minimum days and school breaks have gone up. I feel sorry for parents now who have to deal with child care issues during all these new school breaks. I know more than one co-worker who burns up their 2 weeks of vacation time just dealing with child care issues, and then have to use sick time and shift swaps to cover the rest.

Around here every Thursday is a half day now.
They take Thanksgiving week off now instead of just Thursday and Friday.
They take President's Day week off now instead of just Monday.
Throw in the usual 2 weeks at Christmas (one neighboring district takes 3 weeks), and Easter Week (Spring Break now in some places), that's a lot of time off working parents have to make sure they have care arraignments in place for.

 

[Kitty 34]

I'm a sub here in mid Michigan. Our schools finally start this coming Tuesday. We have a day off here and there for PD days where the teachers "get smarter"; then two weeks off at Christmas; the first week in April off for Spring Break and then school is out June 10th.