When do you start school?

[Soph the vet]

We have started school in August or September usually. Do some of you never take a break? Do you have a time when your students "advance" to the next grade. Do you find yourself doing school yearround as your students get older with more responsibilities?

[TraceyS/FL]

OUr goal is year round here, we had our major break in Dec/Jan this past year though with unplanned for company here that whole time ( :glare: ).

 

Things have been mucked since this with no good routine. SOOO, we are back on track. Mine just advanced when they need to go to the next level. They know that their breaks during the year add up to more than other kids get to do normally, so they don't mind it. Example - we have seasonal Disney passes and so the FLower Festival at Epcot becomes a school day :D

[VaKim]

We do year round, with breaks whenever needed or wanted. We "officially" change grade levels (for the sake of telling people who ask) in January. But we don't ever actually stop one grade and start another. We just use something until we are finished or tired of it, then go to something else. Never get bored that way, because there is almost always something new being started. :)

[Trivium Academy]

We've had to take more time off than wanted this school year, with MIL's illness and passing (last fall) and now this move so our 2nd grade and 3rd grade year will be almost back to back. We're starting Sept. 15th due to a few reasons, the extended 2nd grade year and so that I have time to plan out TOG Year 3 Unit 1 which may arrive sometime later this month.

[JFSinIL]

While full-time school starts in August (timed to public school, as I have kids there, too) , few summers have been totally devoid of 'Mean Mom' forcing poor little abused children to do reading or state history or math. I use summers to cover stuff like state history (which does not fit into the four-yr-history rotation too well) or to catch up/get going on math as needed.

[Tracy in Ky]

I'm not even sure when we will start. I really need the kids to help with the garden and preserving food. We will start when we can.

[Amy loves Bud]

We follow the calendar of the local school, so we'll be starting late August this year.

 

While I would like to accomplish a bit more during the summer, we live in the same neighborhood with five other families that we are in Bible study with. Our kids are together a lot, and it would be difficult to do school while the others are on break.

 

In addition, I find I really need the extended break. I like to have stretches of time to work on bigger projects and to spend some quality time with my own friends.

 

So a full summer break is what works for us.

[SnowWhite]

We just started our new school term this week. I prefer the middle of July to the beginning, but a family vacation is going to prevent that, so I opted to go early.

 

I like to be started well before the local public school (early August) so that we can finish before they do. I start to get spring fever in April.

[JudoMom]

We go year round. I changed our official year this year. We used to run from August 1 until July 31. But for this year I changed from July 1-June 30. It dawned on me as I was planning that it would be helpful to me for planning if our halfway point was at Christmas break. We take breaks at Christmas (2 weeks), Thanksgiving (1 week), September-ish (ILs come visit for 1-2 weeks), April-ish (my parents visit for a week), and we often take a 1 week trip each to WI and TN to visit.

 

Once we hit our official number of days the state requires I'm a bit more relaxed about taking days off just because (for example-we ds6 had 2 doctor's appointments last week, so instead of having them do schoolwork like I would when we're gathering days, we just took the day off).

 

My boys really need the structure of school in their days--otherwise their minds get bored and lazy and when their minds get bored and lazy the only things they can think of doing involve ideas that annoy their brothers (and/or me). We're done by noon, though, so they still have plenty of time to play.

 

I officially promoted them sometime in June (when ds8 was done with his ITBS).

[elegantlion]

We typically follow the school calender, so ds can play with his friends. However, we do light in the summer and will take off for vacation in the fall. So we will start back full time August 11th, I think that's a week before public school.

[brehon]

I chose "other" as we do actually stop and take breaks every once in a great while (contrary to what my son told me the other day):lol:. Otherwise, we school year round and take breaks when needed/wanted. I've found that having lessons during the long, hot summer helps control the "I'm booorrreeeddd. It's toooooo hooooot to go outside." (I can't fault that last one; it really is too hot during July and August to play outside except in the mornings.)

[Closeacademy]

Year round here but I promote everyone sometime in May/June to the next grade but I schedule out the work August to July so that the summer is more of a transition from one level of work to the next.

 

We take holiday weeks, 2 weeks at Christmas, and 2 weeks in May off.:001_smile:

[Marie in Oh]

we ususally start the Monday after the 4th of July, but this year we finished the middle of May and started again the first of June to get a head start before baby arrives this fall. July to May is usual, with June off, a week at Thanksgiving, 2 weeks at Christmas, and 2 weeks in March. That gives us 8 weeks off, schooling the rest.

[Plaid Dad]

Our school year officially starts on July 1st. This year, we took May and most of June off, but started doing lessons about 10 days before our usual start date - we were ready. Our summer schedule is more varied with science camp, VBS, and swimming lessons, which is part of why I decided to do a history-based study this summer rather than our full program. Come September we settle into a more regular rhythm, hopefully with a classical cottage school as our main school time.

[Quiver0f10]

We used to start after Labor day, then we moved to Maine and my oldest 3 worked for a farmer doing the potato harvest which is mid September through the first week in October, so we switched to a start of mid October and worked through July. We tried one year of year round school ad they hated it and honestly, I need a summer break. :)

 

Then the older kids started college classes and the started in August so it made sense for us to start too andnow we follow the traditonal school calandar.

[Baseballmom]

We usually start core subjects in July. Then we add in History, Science & Latin in August when our co-op starts. We have a heavy baseball schedule in the spring, so I like to be done with the core subjects by April.

Dorothy

[Ellie]

We started then because the new year begins January 1 and ends December 31. I saw no point in following the public school calendar. In real life the year starts January 1, not the Tuesday after Labor Day.

 

And I use the word "started" loosely. I figured that education happens 365 days a year, and we never really stop learning at all. Sometimes the learning looks like Official School Stuff and sometimes it doesn't, but we (I as well as my dc) learn all the time.

[lori in tx]

We start back Monday and we take may and june off and 4 weeks in December.

blessings

lori

[Just Me]

We take what I like to call a "modified" summer break. We did have school through June, until my youngest went to camp for the last week of the month. My oldest two have been at camp this week and my oldest ds will be going to the beach with a friend at the end of July. So we will be off until mid-August. This gives me time to schedule for the next year, and allows us to work with my dd on math facts she needs to practice.

[Miss Marple]

July 1st here. Kids have had about 6-7 weeks off and once they start arguing and bickering, we start back to school :-)

[Snickerdoodle]

July 1st is the "new" year, but we go year round.

[Mom2legomaniacs]

We follow a schedule that is similar to a public school's year round format. I will start in another week (mid-July). We sort of do a work while we are fresh, take a break when we need one kind of "plan". I do breaks according to holidays, friends off from school and available, and moods/brain power. Works well.

 

We have been off since mid-late May. We are needing to get going again. Too hot to play outside anyway.

[amary]

Usually the third week in August. We used to homeschool year round when the children were younger, but now that we have several in high school and college who have summer jobs, it just doesn't work out. The younger ones still do drill work, some writing and personal reading and the older ones usually do math at least a few times a week during the summer to free themselves up a bit during the school year.

[Dayle in Guatemala]

We school year-round with breaks as we need it and during the holidays.

[chiguirre]

I follow my oldest's school's schedule which works out to about 8 weeks off a year, never more than 2 weeks at a time. The "new" school year starts Aug. 18, but the hsers will be in an end of summer daycamp that week, so we'll kick off K and 2nd grade with new books on Aug. 25.

 

Nothing like fresh books to get everyone enthusiastic about school. Well, that and the smell of freshly sharpened pencils!

[Tammyla]

August start here. I can't believe we are already well into July! :001_huh: Where did the time go...

 

Mine take local classes and we all need a real summer break now that they are older. We do summer lessons in swimming etc. and read at least an hour a day for their reading program.

[momofkhm]

No one wants to go outside. It's either too hot or too humid or both. So we school. Then we are finished in April when everyone wants to go outside.

[Parrothead]

We start when the public school starts. About the first of September, with a day off for Labor Day. Our winters are so harsh that I prefer to have dd get outside as much as possible in the summer.

[serene]

From May to September it's too hot to be outside for very long, unless we're swimming.

 

Like Ellie said, learning is part of our daily lives, it just looks differently throughout the year. We participate in two co-ops during the Sept-May school year, but we spend more time swimming with friends during the summer months.

 

In my record-keeping, our school year runs from the beginning of July to the end of June. We 'officially' change grades at that point. The only place in our lives that their 'grade' matters is church (for Sunday School classes).

[charlotteb]

We go year round, Monday thru Thursday. I love having Fridays off. We use that day for errands, extra cleaning or just having some fun. By going year round, the kids keep all their lessons fresh in their minds. This schedule does give us more than the 175 days our state allows, so we have extra room to take days off if something comes up.

[Catherine]

because my teenager is in school again now and his younger sibs do NOT want to be 'in school" while he is "on vacation". I end up doing more unstructured educational activities during the summer like museums, field trips, more RAs.

[Plucky]

I guess we're year-rounders but make summer a light load. We continue on with math, independent reading, handwriting review, and journal writing. If we're home they do their chore list and school list. My oldest is taking an online class this summer instead. It works really well here.

[Qs3]

Today is our last day. :D We're going to take a few weeks off and then start back up towards the end of August.

[abbeyej]

Our school year officially "starts" whenever dh (a professor)'s fall semester begins. But we do usually continue schooling throughout the summer, though in a slightly different capacity than during the school year.

[TravelingChris]

We school year round but try to get more academic subjects done by mid June. We changed to this when our oldest got to high school and we realized for him to start college in August, we have to be done by mid-June with senior year. Even though my second is in high school, since she was ill this year, we are behind. But not so much that she won't be able to graduate in three years in end of May or beginning of June. Summer means a vacation, lots of summer camps, VBS, and school as can be fitted in. My high schooler will be attending a full-time marine science camp for high schoolers this week and it will be part of her 1/2 credit in marine science. She is also finsihing geometry, reviewing Spanish so she doesn't forget and finishing geography.

[hsmom]

We start back in August.

 

We had not taken a real break since we started Feb 2007 and I was burning out. So, you know the ds was also. So, I am really, really enjoying this break. It started June 13 and will end sometime in August. Exact date still unknown!

[Zoraida]

We school all year round. Our official new year starts the day after Labor Day. Than we take seasonal breaks. We take the last two weeks of September off for fall break, the last two weeks of December off for winter break, the last two weeks of March off for spring break and than the last two weeks of June off for summer break. We also take off for any type of government or national holiday - if the mailman ain't delivering than we don't do school. Since we are Catholics, if there are any type of Holy Days of Obligation that lands on a week day we will also take that day off too - in the United States there are only six Holy Days of Obligation that we have to observe.

 

Our last official day of school is the last day of May. Than from the first of June until the end of August we do summer school. I just require the kids to study their Catechism, do one math exercise, do one grammar exercise and than spend an hour reading a book of their choice. I only make the kids do school Monday thru Thursday during the summer and let them have a three day weekend.

 

Blessings

 

Zoraida

[Allearia]

This is our first year (we started in September) but we are going year round with breaks/light days/time off sprinkled in liberally. We have finished the math book so are going to continue some practice and games and otherwise spend that time on more fun science and history for the rest of the summer. ds3 goes to preschool and gets the last two weeks of August off, so we will be taking that time off and promoting to the next grade starting after Labor Day. He will be going to preschool probably just one more year so we'll see what we decide next summer.

 

I've really noticed so far that things go more smoothly with at least a little school every day, and we try to do daily reading and piano practice even during breaks if we're home. I'd like to get the habit of math games every day as well so it feels like we're always keeping even and not going backwards. Also, if we are traveling we tend to listen to SOTW, Jim Weiss or Poetry CDs in the car so we are always learning.

[Pensguys]

*I* have to have the summer in order to "build up steam" to make it through the school year. So, we take the summer off. The boys are still reading some and we're continuing on with my younger ds' therapies (OT and vision). I had big plans to do some things this summer, but it just isn't reality for me.

 

We start back with the public school kids do so that everyone goes back at the same time. We don't take the same breaks as they do so we can have a longer Christmas break and we end before or right when the ps does.

[Holly IN]

I voted other...

 

Why?

 

We normally school year round with light schedule in the summer. We start on the 3rd week of July (Indiana states that the start time is July and end time is June)So we end about the 2nd week of June then take a break from formal schooling but continue to do light light school until end of June then take an official no school break for the 1st two weeks of July then start back up with light schedule during third week of July then slowly add formalities back into it. We use TOG but we do not start until late August after everything else has been added back in.

We normally follow the TOG schedule for our breaks so it is 8-9 weeks of schooling then break for about 2-3 weeks depending on where it falls. Thus why our start date for TOG is different than any other subject so it the end of unit falls under Christmas break.

Holly

[Nestof3]

Well, we finish up any school work during the summer and start school on September 1st. It drives me crazy to start a new year on any day other than Monday -- I don't know why.

 

Also, we never do anything for Labor day as my husband labors on that day, so it's just another day. If you ask me, there are just way too many gov't holidays.

[HSMom2One]

Last year we started in late September. (It was our first year and it took awhile for me to get organized.) We have decided to take a month off in the summer and a month off in the winter, then school during the rest of the year at a more leisurely pace. By the time we get to mid September again we will be ready to move on to the next grade. BTW, my siggy lists the curriculum for what we plan to do in the fall.

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

[Jenny in Atl]

We go year-round with lighter times and heavier times.

[ereks mom]

This year, we'll start on July 14.

[nukeswife]

We always start the first Monday in August. This allows us to take a nice long break at Christmas time, or if they only want a couple weeks then we wrap up in early May.

[gardenschooler]

We've been on break since Memorial Day. I'll start back up w/dd9 tomorrow, and grab dd13 when she gets home in a week. This next 4-5 weeks is just a little summer fun, though. :lol: We'll start for real Aug. 11, which is when ps starts.

[Chris in CA]

We start after Labor Day

[RebeccaC]

We are finishing up a two week break and will start the new school year tomorrow. We go year round at our house.

[Julie T]

We start as soon as we return from the lake with hubby's parents. Usually the first or second week in August.