When do your kids start school?

[CarolAnn856]

Wow you guys are in school a long time we only have 180 days of school here in the states

That isn't true everywhere in the US. Our district has 185. Each state and/or district sets their own number of days.

 

[lovin'fl]

Maryland...Aug 23rd.

 

[DawnM]

Kids go to school 40 weeks here, minus teacher training days (1 per term), and public holidays.

Public holidays vary from state to state.

That is similar to ours, 40 weeks, if you include all the holidays and pupil free days. The kids get off about 12 weeks in the summers.

How many actual school days do you have?

 

[DopeyDame]

Silly, silly, me. I was on my phone and only grabbed one link.

Here's reference to an ESY program at the High School and Elementary levels in New Paltz: http://textlab.io/doc/8851299/meeting-agenda---new-paltz-central-school-district

Here's one in Rondout that specifies that it is K-12: http://www.rondout.k12.ny.us/common/pages/DisplayFile.aspx?itemId=19869137

So it seems like it is a common program in that part of the state. And, of course, as a PP pointed out, it's a nationwide initiative.

I have no clue about what is or isn't offered in other districts, but in our district ESY is *only* for kids on an IEP, whose IEP includes "critical life skills", and who are at risk of losing ground on those critical life skill IEP goals over the summer. Generally speaking, only those children who have the most severe issues and are furthest behind are eligible. Most kids with an IEP aren't going to get ESY services in our district.
And kids without an IEP (including those who need summer enrichment to stay on track and "stay out of trouble") are absolutely, positively, not going to be eligible for ESY.

ESY has a very specific goal related to IEPs and IDEA. It has nothing to do with the general enrichment that kids need over the summer and that - sadly - some kids don't get due to various familial and socio-economic factors.

 

[Tasha228]

School starts August 4 here. We get out for summer break in May though.

 

[cords]

That isn't true everywhere in the US. Our district has 185. Each state and/or district sets their own number of days.

Exactly. The student report days in the district I work in is 172, not 180. (School day is 7:52-2:30 for elementary) The teacher report days is 186. I love my shorter year.

 

[DawnM]

Exactly. The student report days in the district I work in is 172, not 180. (School day is 7:52-2:30 for elementary) The teacher report days is 186. I love my shorter year.

The district I was working in, I worked 163 days with kids and had only 3 pupil free days per year. None of them were prepping the classroom though. They were all in-service days.

Our school was year round and on a Concept 6 calendar. Each track had 163 days, but our day was longer to accommodate the additional minutes needed. Most traditional calendar schools were from 8-3, 180 days. Our school (and all schools like ours) were 163 days and went from 7:40-3:30.

I loved it.

 

[RedAngie]

I wonder if part of the Diocese used the public school busses so they kept the same schedule for all of the schools? We're in NJ, and that's how it works with our local Catholic school. Obviously, Philly is much larger, so I'm just guessing.

It's possible, but I really don't remember how the transportation worked district wide. I attended from fall of 1966 to spring of 1973. K-6.

I just remember that our particular Catholic school was closed when public schools were closed. I really had no idea what Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur were until maybe 3rd grade. I just like having those days off, especially the years when all 3 fell on weekdays.

 

[CarolAnn856]

I really had no idea what Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur were until maybe 3rd grade. I just like having those days off, especially the years when all 3 fell on weekdays.

I teach and I have kids, so I still love getting those days off!

 

[cords]

The district I was working in, I worked 163 days with kids and had only 3 pupil free days per year. None of them were prepping the classroom though. They were all in-service days.

Our school was year round and on a Concept 6 calendar. Each track had 163 days, but our day was longer to accommodate the additional minutes needed. Most traditional calendar schools were from 8-3, 180 days. Our school (and all schools like ours) were 163 days and went from 7:40-3:30.

I loved it.

Ours is a traditional school year - August 18 through May 26 with lots of days off in between. All our student non contact days are professional work days. There are usually a host of classes and planning sessions you are required to attend. Last year one of the things our group did before the first student day was CPR / First Aid certification training. Another non contact day we all did our CPI (safe restraint training) certifications.

I love having at least one 3 or 4 day weekend every month to look forward to!

 

[DawnM]

Ours is a traditional school year - August 18 through May 26 with lots of days off in between. All our student non contact days are professional work days. There are usually a host of classes and planning sessions you are required to attend. Last year one of the things our group did before the first student day was CPR / First Aid certification training. Another non contact day we all did our CPI (safe restraint training) certifications.

I love having at least one 3 or 4 day weekend every month to look forward to!

Where I live now it is traditional calendar.

I will miss being off when the rest of the world is working. When I was in SoCal, I would run down to Disneyland by myself for an afternoon when I was off-track and it was almost empty. I loved it. I would hit a few rides, go leisurely eat and have a nice cup of coffee on main street and people watch. The leisurely part my DH and kids don't like, so the days I could do it were lovely.

We worked 4 months, were off 2, worked 4, off 2.

But this will be different being in a traditional calendar school.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

Our school did a summer reading program and not one student showed up that got a letter. We had students that did not need the service show up. This is what bugs me as a teacher, You can tell parents that their child needs help and some just don't care. I just wish there was a way to do more so these kids don't fall through the cracks, The no child left behind has hurt a lot of these kids because they are just pushed through the system .

NCLB is no longer in effect as of 7 months ago. How were your students affected by NCLB?

If you have a summer reading program then isn't that exactly what you were wishing for when it came to at risk kids - aside from the already in place, nationally mandated ESY program? I am not sure what more you are looking for as it seems that all the bases are covered. You cannot force parents to make their children attend some programs either, especially when transportation is not provided like for a summer reading program. When parents work trying to drive a kid back and forth to a reading program is typically not something they can figure out, especially if the kids are younger and they're already paying for camp or day care.

 

[Hrhpd]

I am quite sure your school also has an ESY program which as a teacher you should know about considering the teachers are heavily involved with not only identifying educationally at risk kids that would benefit from an ESY but also because they participate in IEP meetings where the need for an ESY is typically addressed on a case by case basis.

ESY is not the same thing as summer school. Also there's tons of programs already in place for NYC inner city kids to keep them out of trouble.

I believe that that poster stated in her thread requesting help with her first student with autism that in the 8 years of teaching, she had never been a part of nor knew of IEPs. She must teach in a very, very small school in a very, very small district to have never encountered an IEP before. So, if she isn't aware of IEPs, I can understand how she would also not know about ESY programs.

And can I still wonder how her husband's unit works in that her husband's partner stays at the station? She never came back to answer that and I am fascinated with how her station is different than others in the country.

Back on topic, our area schools start on the 22nd. Have no idea when the teachers go back as my kids are in college.

 

[dadtoagirl03]

Yeah, here they passed some law that says you need to start school the Monday closest to Aug. 25th. And you must end by June 9th. I hadn't heard of this law but the secretary at the school told me.

If you're in NC that is correct. School starts Aug. 29th this year and the last day is the 9th.

 

[tvguy]

ours still have 'classes'-it's just that single period classes are given 2 periods for each final so your finals occur over the period of a week but you won't be attending every class every day of that week. now for graduating seniors-their finals for the final quarter are done a full week prior to all other students (to ensure they qualify to graduate). when their finals are completed they only have to come to school for a couple of grad practices.

Yeah, 30 kids in my daughters high school class found out they weren't graduating the day of graduation. The final final is Wednesday with graduation on Friday, teachers are required to have seniors tests corrected and final grades entered by 5 pm Thursday. But that was a private school.

 

[roseaster]

NJ. We start the day after labor day.

Our teachers' union would revolt if they had to start ON Labor Day.

 

[RedAngie]

I'm kind of surprised by the many "day after Labor Day" responses. We never started until the Wednesday or Thursday after Labor Day, and as far as I know, all schools in my area still have it that way. If they suddenly changed, I'd bet at least half the students wouldn't show up that Tuesday.

 

[jevs]

That is similar to ours, 40 weeks, if you include all the holidays and pupil free days. The kids get off about 12 weeks in the summers.

How many actual school days do you have?

189 I think, if I've worked out the Victorian public holidays correctly.

Easter and Christmas is incorporated into school holidays.

 

[msjprincess]

I'm kind of surprised by the many "day after Labor Day" responses. We never started until the Wednesday or Thursday after Labor Day, and as far as I know, all schools in my area still have it that way. If they suddenly changed, I'd bet at least half the students wouldn't show up that Tuesday.

Ours changes from year to year. It's usually Wednesday but some years it's Tuesday or Thursday. Last year we actually started the Thursday before which is the first time that has ever happened.

What is weird this year is we start on Tuesday but we have the day before Thanksgiving off which we never get. I don't know why we didn't just start on Wednesday and get the usual Thanksgiving and day after Thanksgiving.

 

[bsblady01]

NCLB is no longer in effect as of 7 months ago. How were your students affected by NCLB?

If you have a summer reading program then isn't that exactly what you were wishing for when it came to at risk kids - aside from the already in place, nationally mandated ESY program? I am not sure what more you are looking for as it seems that all the bases are covered. You cannot force parents to make their children attend some programs either, especially when transportation is not provided like for a summer reading program. When parents work trying to drive a kid back and forth to a reading program is typically not something they can figure out, especially if the kids are younger and they're already paying for camp or day care.

I know some of the bigger school districts down near the city offer a summer learning camp for kids. I wish they did something like that up here.