So frustrated right now - school start date change

[DeluxePrincess]

I can't believe so many are saying the first 4 days won't matter to a first grader. I've taught first grade. Those first 4 days are all about ROUTINE and PROCEDURES. I always felt bad for the ones who missed the first week because they had to learn how the classroom operates when they come in. They always seem so lost. Honestly, I'd rather my kids miss 4 days later in the year than in that first week.

 

[tasha99]

-snip-

Personally, I'm stunned that so many people are upset with the school, a place that is responsible for educating children, because it is cutting into potential vacation time. I'd think that education would be first.

I think there are many philosophies on balancing family time and education . Maybe because I taught in a school system that generally expected kids to miss school, even in high school (often to go hunting), I don't see missing a few days as that big of a deal. I do think the schools should do a better job of planning--since some districts do succeed in this, others could look to them to learn how.

 

[LBIJim]

I can't speak for the OP. But the reason I picked that week's vacation is school has never started before Labor Day here in the 50 years I've been alive. We always go on vacation the week before Labor Day. It never crossed my mind that school would be starting the week before Labor Day. Labor Day was also on 9/7 in 2009 and we started school on Tuesday 9/8.

School never started before Labor Day when I attended, and not for many years after. The first time I noticed a pre-Labor Day start was in 2004 for just a few school districts in this area. Then more schools joined the trend in 2009. I haven't checked yet, but I expect even more will join the crowd this year.

The early start has only been when Labor Day was September 6 or 7. The rest of the years it reverts to its tradtional Wednesday or Thursday after Labor Day. AFAIK, no school near here has ever started the Tuesday after LD.

We went to WDW with our girls during the week before LD three times. But we knew when school started and probably planned the trips no more than a month in advance.

 

[LBIJim]

I think there are many philosophies on balancing family time and education . Maybe because I taught in a school system that generally expected kids to miss school, even in high school (often to go hunting), I don't see missing a few days as that big of a deal. I do think the schools should do a better job of planning--since some districts do succeed in this, others could look to them to learn how.

I question the quality of any school system that "expects" kids to miss classes, especially in high school.

Wait, don't tell me. Your high school was one of the top rated schools in the state, of course.

 

[Colleen27]

Personally, I'm stunned that so many people are upset with the school, a place that is responsible for educating children, because it is cutting into potential vacation time. I'd think that education would be first.

Education should be first. That doesn't mean it needs to be the only priority. Schools like to push the idea that parents are "partners" but don't want to accord any courtesy or understanding to the realities that families deal with. Parents are "partners" in the sense that we're supposed to do exactly what the schools tell us to do, exactly when we're told to, no matter how short the notice and with no respect for other things we might have going on.

I question the quality of any school system that "expects" kids to miss classes, especially in high school.

Wait, don't tell me. Your high school was one of the top rated schools in the state, of course.

You're absolutely right. A quality system would stick their heads in the sand and ignore the fact that many families hunt or travel rather than working with the reality of the community they serve.

Our schools aren't even close to top in the state - the schools that get that honor are all much more affluent. But they are the best in our county and well above state average. And they do expect students will miss classes to travel. To expect otherwise would be simple denial, since many families in our area make their livings in seasonal industries and have no choice but to vacation during the school year and many others hunt as part of how they put food on the table. I'm not sure how pretending that isn't the case would make the schools better.

 

[tasha99]

I question the quality of any school system that "expects" kids to miss classes, especially in high school.

Wait, don't tell me. Your high school was one of the top rated schools in the state, of course.

It was Alaska, and not even rural Alaska. I was a speech language pathologist in a K-2 school, and subsistence hunting is very important there. People should respect that, and if they can't respect other cultures, they have no business being there. It's often the high schoolers who hunt--they're older and able to go with their parents on more strenuous trips.

I remember working with some kids on irregular plurals once and a boy (second grader!) told me, "I shot a geese for dinner last night." He was soooo proud and adorable with his sentence, even if it was wrong. That's how important hunting is there, even at a very young age.

It was actually my son's high school where the principal said at a parent meeting that he knew several students would be out for part of hunting season. It actually makes me pretty mad to hear that people would oppose that. Way to respect people's way of life! It was a competitive school that DS had to do an interview and write an essay to apply to. Attendance is important, but they know the population they are serving. And that's the thing--the schools are serving their local population. Seems like some schools have forgotten that since they can't get a calendar out in time.

 

[smitch425]

I'm surprised so many of you choose to vacation the week before school starts (regardless of the calendar). We have meet the teacher events that week, and we use that week to get our kids back on a good sleeping schedule. Lol

 

[Colleen27]

It was actually my son's high school where the principal said at a parent meeting that he knew several students would be out for part of hunting season. It actually makes me pretty mad to hear that people would oppose that. Way to respect people's way of life! It was a competitive school that DS had to do an interview and write an essay to apply to. Attendance is important, but they know the population they are serving. And that's the thing--the schools are serving their local population. Seems like some schools have forgotten that since they can't get a calendar out in time.

It is a symptom of the "one right way" thinking that has come to dominate most educational issues. The whole system right now is being reconstructed around a middle class professional worldview, with no room or respect for ways that don't fit in with that perception (having to put in vacation time requests more than a few months in advance, hunting as anything other than expensive hobby, seasonal jobs that don't allow time off at the peak of summer, all those things people on this thread have expressed disbelief about). You see it in the "college for all" push too, the disdain for trade skills and vo-tech programs, the aligning of graduation requirements with recommended courses of study for admissions to selective colleges, etc. Because the people making the rules are all college educated professionals, it is assumed that everyone is or at the very least should aspire to the same.

 

[msjprincess]

I'm surprised so many of you choose to vacation the week before school starts (regardless of the calendar). We have meet the teacher events that week, and we use that week to get our kids back on a good sleeping schedule. Lol

We don't have Meet the Teacher until a few weeks after school starts.

 

[ReneeA]

We don't have Meet the Teacher until a few weeks after school starts.

Us either. We do have a schedule pick up day, but that's normally 2 weeks prior to the first day.

 

[msjprincess]

Us either. We do have a schedule pick up day, but that's normally 2 weeks prior to the first day.

We don't even have that. The schedules go up on the parent portal a couple of weeks before school starts. A day or two before school starts they can go in and set up their locker. That's it.

 

[anniemae]

We don't have Meet the Teacher until a few weeks after school starts.

Same with us, it's usually end of Sept for teacher meets.

 

[pinkle]

My kids quite often missed the first few days of school for Disney. They have the entire year to catch up. One is graduating college this spring and the other is finishing his second year of university. Disney is such a great place to make memories and bond as a family

 

[Disneylover99]

I'm surprised so many of you choose to vacation the week before school starts (regardless of the calendar). We have meet the teacher events that week, and we use that week to get our kids back on a good sleeping schedule. Lol

We also have never had any type of school events the week before school starts. Meet the teacher evening is typically 3 to 4 weeks after the first day back.

We're rope droppers at Disney the week before school starts. That puts my kids on an excellent sleep schedule for the first day back.

 

[kirstenb1]

Not all of Virginia. Those of us in counties that tend to get more snow (west and north of Richmond) can apply for an exemption to go back before Labor Day. Our county usually goes back 2 wks before.

 

[Colleen27]

Us either. We do have a schedule pick up day, but that's normally 2 weeks prior to the first day.

Here too. Ours is "mandatory" and kids that don't attend have a bit of a hassle when school starts because book handout, schedules, locker combinations, school ID photos, lunch account set-up, transportation information, and all of that is handled at back-to-school day, which is held mid-week, during the day (no evening hours), two weeks before school starts. Just another of those things that shows exactly how little the school cares about the other things families have going on - no consideration for the fact that it disrupts the ability to plan August vacations nor for the reality of dual-income families that have a hard time getting their kids to school for a couple of hours on a work day.

 

[Cambray]

Weighing in...
Starting before Labor Day has throw us as well. We love WDW before school starts in NYS, because Florida is already in session. Our family loves the Magic as much as anyone, but missing the opening of school is not an option. (Both my wife are teachers).
Teachers are compelled to provide instruction at a pace set by the state, and are evaluated on how effective they are at implementing that which the state has mandated. If missing school is really hard on our students. I would plan otherwise.

 

[aprilgail]

We don't even have that. The schedules go up on the parent portal a couple of weeks before school starts. A day or two before school starts they can go in and set up their locker. That's it.

We get the schedules the same way- a few weeks before on the parent portal- but they don't go into school for anything prior to the first day of school. The locker they are issued is there's for the 4 years of school, it never changes and they are not allowed to put anything in it prior to the first day of school.

 

[rotlex]

Wow, didn't think this little thread would grow so large, LOL.

Even though we have made the decision to just keep our vacation plans, it seem as though there is a lot of conversation here about school schedule\calendars in general. I think my original issue\complaint\rant was not so much about the schedule coming out late as it was about the change to pre Labor Day start, after being post Labor Day for decades. The fact that our district switched to pre Labor Day a few years ago, for one year, and back again after numerous complaints, only to go back AGAIN this year PRE Labor Day with an iron fist attitude is what is really troubling to me. (And yea, giving only 5 months notice on that just really topped it).

In the end, as my other post said, we had discussions with teachers, neighborhood families and yes, of course our own kids, and figured heck with it. It's 4 days, and the schools attitude is there will be so many kids out this year, same as the last time they did this, they will not be doing much in the way of anything anyway.

Here's looking forward too our trip!

 

[Ceila]

Wow, didn't think this little thread would grow so large, LOL.

Even though we have made the decision to just keep our vacation plans, it seem as though there is a lot of conversation here about school schedule\calendars in general. I think my original issue\complaint\rant was not so much about the schedule coming out late as it was about the change to pre Labor Day start, after being post Labor Day for decades. The fact that our district switched to pre Labor Day a few years ago, for one year, and back again after numerous complaints, only to go back AGAIN this year PRE Labor Day with an iron fist attitude is what is really troubling to me. (And yea, giving only 5 months notice on that just really topped it).

In the end, as my other post said, we had discussions with teachers, neighborhood families and yes, of course our own kids, and figured heck with it. It's 4 days, and the schools attitude is there will be so many kids out this year, same as the last time they did this, they will not be doing much in the way of anything anyway.

Here's looking forward too our trip!

I'm confused, but maybe I read your initial post wrong. Did the district publish next year's calendar and then make a change, or did you assume that it would be the same as this year?