When do you begin your school year?

[DiannaC]

I'm trying to decide when to start school. Last year we began the first full week of August and were finished a week before Memorial Day. This year, my husband and I are going to a conference July 31st-Aug 2 and then we are taking our family vacation Aug 10-17. My husband says wait until Aug 19th to begin school, but that doesn't give us much wiggle room throughout the fall. Plus, that would be a full 3 months off and I don't know if it's good to take that big of a break. I'm considering beginning on July 15th to give us more breaks through the year.

 

When do you like to start school? July? August? September?

[craftyerin]

We're doing some school through the summer, but I'm resuming a full schedule the last week of August.

[mazakaal]

I usually start our new school year either the last week of August or the first week of September, but we don't end our year until sometime in July because we follow (loosely) the British school schedule. So our summer holiday is usually 5-7 weeks long.

[MinivanMom]

Usually we start in mid-August. This year we aren't starting until the last week of August, because ds7 has science camp in mid-August. In years where I've been pregnant we have started right after the 4th of July, so that we can take a break when the baby is born.

[swellmomma]

We will be schooling through the summer but our official kick off to the new school year will be Aug 26th. The 2 weeks leading up to that the teens go to summer camp, they get home the saturday we do laundry and repack and we head to family bible camp, and the day we get back from that is a weekend farmer's festival of sorts involving a whole section of little towns, so we town hop going to parades and special events for a couple days. By Aug 26th we will be vacationed out and ready to get back to our regular schedule.

[Melissa B]

This year - July 1st.

Only 13 more days of summer. :willy_nilly: :willy_nilly:

[mschickie]

Officially I start our new school year on July 1 for tracking hours. We start easing in our new curriculum the beginning of August and then normally ramp up to a full schedule by the 3rd week in August. I will decide when we are closer to that time based on our schedule.

[Ellie]

I'm trying to decide when to start school. Last year we began the first full week of August and were finished a week before Memorial Day. This year, my husband and I are going to a conference July 31-Aug 2 and then we are taking our family vacation Aug 10-17. My husband says wait until Aug 19 to begin school, but that doesn't give us much wiggle room throughout the fall. Plus, that would be a full 3 months off and I don't know if it's good to take that big of a break. I'm considering beginning on July 15 to give us more breaks through the year.

 

When do you like to start school? July? August? September?

 

January 1. Last day of the school year: December 31 :-)

 

We took off a couple of weeks in the spring around Easter; a couple of weeks in late August/early September (when the schools were starting back); and Thanksgiving through about the middle of January. We also took off random days for vacations, visits from grandparents, random mental health days, and so on. Otherwise, we kept our regular routine of Official School Stuff.

 

I never saw the point of having a school year that was different from the real year, KWIM?

[texasmama]

We start mid-August. In your situation, I would start August 18th.

[*Michelle*]

Last year and this year, it's the first Monday in July. We school year-round, though, so I guess it doesn't really make a difference one way or another.

[luvnlattes]

We used to start the 3rd week in August but the last couple of years it's been the first week in September. My kids are older and like to be on a similar schedule as many of their friends. In your situation I would most likely start in August. I wouldn't like the idea of 2 weeks of school, 1 week off, 1 week of school, a week off, because *I* would have a hard time transitioning back and forth.

[SilverMoon]

Most years we haven't really started or stopped. We just keep plugging along throughout the year, but we will do a new year kick-off in the fall. This lets us take breaks whenever we want to.

[Maela]

 

January 1. Last day of the school year: December 31 :-)

 

We took off a couple of weeks in the spring around Easter; a couple of weeks in late August/early September (when the schools were starting back); and Thanksgiving through about the middle of January. We also took off random days for vacations, visits from grandparents, random mental health days, and so on. Otherwise, we kept our regular routine of Official School Stuff.

 

I never saw the point of having a school year that was different from the real year, KWIM?

I would seriously love to do this! However, with a PS teacher as a husband, it makes more sense to line our schedule up with his. We'd rather spend the summer hanging out as a family.

 

This is only our second year hsing. Last year we started with our charter. This year we're going to try starting August 1st - the week before DH starts and when he begins his serious planning. That way he can be a part of the first day fun. I'm planning forty weeks of school this year. We'll probably be done sometime in June.

[Mom2TheTeam]

We school year round....until we are done and then stop for the "year." This year, we will get 2 wks off. :)

 

Our school year goes from July 1 - June 30. This year we are officially starting 2nd grade on July 4th. (Studying U.S. history and hubby has to work anyway.) We have a camping trip planned in Aug and a vacation in Sept. I don't worry about our trips/vacations/whatevers. We just do school and take breaks for those times. (We also take random breaks and holiday breaks and we get derailed all.the.time because of having twin 5 year old, twin 3 year old and an 8 month old.)

 

I could wait till Aug or Sept, but I like the wiggle room that schooling year round gives us.

 

If I were you, I would just start in July to get a jump on it. I would want the wiggle room. You could start July 15th and get 2 wks in before Aug. You'd be that much ahead.

 

Another option would be to wait till Aug 19th to start, but give yourself longer to finish, say till June 15th instead of Memorial Day. But, that would probably be hard if you are used to stopping at Memorial Day.

 

Good luck deciding!

[Mona]

We are going to start the second week of July this year, so we can take plenty of breaks.

I'm realizing that my family seems to work better on a sorta year-round schedule.

[5LittleMonkeys]

We normally start the first Monday after the 4th of July Holiday, but this year I'm not "feelin' it". We have been so busy since we officially ended our last year - I don't feel like I've even had a break. This may be the year we don't start until mid August.

 

However, my preference is to start in July so that we can take more breaks. I like doing a 6 week on 1 week off schedule with time off between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

[KrissiK]

The week that ends July and begins August. We will have had a 7 week summer vacation and that's enough. I like to take weeks off periodically during the school year.

[fourcatmom]

We were going to start July 22 and work the 6 weeks on and 1 week off schedule until May with December off. I just found out that my Step-daughter and her 3 year old son are moving in with us on Saturday. :confused1: This might end up moving our start date back but I hope not. I would ideally like to do 3 of the 6 weeks sessions before the December break and 3 after before our summer break. :coolgleamA:

[My3Munchkins]

We always start back the 1st full week in August. That gives us almost a month to settle back into our routine before dance, scouts and other activities begin.

[momto2Cs]

Probably the third week of August. We're doing some light summer schooling now, while I am off from college. I have 5-6 weeks off from work coming up too, so they'll start back up the week after I start back to work.

[elegantlion]

The first week in August. We finish by the end of May. We do six weeks on, one week off and I like our first six week break to fall near ds' birthday.

 

In your case, I wouldn't start back until after vacation.

[Kalypso]

August 5 this year. I have one in school, so we are going to try and follow his schedule in order to have days off together. We will finish about the middle of May.

[Ellie]

I would seriously love to do this! However, with a PS teacher as a husband, it makes more sense to line our schedule up with his. We'd rather spend the summer hanging out as a family.

 

:iagree:

 

This is only our second year hsing. Last year we started with our charter. This year we're going to try starting August 1 - the week before DH starts and when he begins his serious planning. That way he can be a part of the first day fun. I'm planning forty weeks of school this year. We'll probably be done sometime in June.

 

:thumbup1:

[Kathryn]

Our school year runs July 1 to June 30. So far we finish in mid-May each year. We take time off whenever we feel like it though, so I like to start early so we don't ever feel rushed. I divide our curriculum into a schedule of 180 days since that's our required attendance. When we complete a day of work, I check it off and note the day that it's complete, regardless of how long it took. When we're done, we've got our required attendance and we've finished all our materials.

[boscopup]

Usually end of June or beginning of July. This year, I was going to start the 2nd week of July (which is late for us!), but this week I'm going insane with kids stuck inside and bored by 10am when it gets hot. So we might start school next week. I prefer to take off more time in the fall/spring when the weather is cooler.

 

We always end near the end of May, when the public schools end. Though this year, the last 2 weeks ended up being movie weeks, so we did zero school work past the middle of May. :lol:

[Coco_Clark]

We begin each new year around the first of Sept. it's when all their friends "start" and coincides nicely with back to school sales and the beginning of the church year. We try to wrap up core subjects by the beginning of June and use the full three months of summers to persue interests (this year, bird watching) and continue our skill work at half time.

[ScoutTN]

We do some all year, with breaks when we need them. Math and history are continual here and we just go to the next book whenever we are done with the previous one.

 

We pick up our full, school year schedule around the third week of August when all schools here are back in and extra-curricular activites begin. And when the pool is no longer open in the morning and early afternoon.

 

Irritiating that our summer fun is cut short (pool closed :thumbdown: ) because public school begins earlier and earlier each year. I would love to have a long, leisurely summer season, 12-13 full weeks, but I think it is gone forever.

[amyrobynne]

We'll start the last week in August. My husband is a teacher and we follow his schedule pretty closely, ending the first week in June. The public school kids start after Labor Day. He goes back in mid-August for teacher prep days and if the older boys weren't at camp that week, I'd probably start with a couple subjects then and ramp up for the 2nd half of August.

[Mandy in TN]

We have started on different dates every year. I look at when I want to wrap up the first semester and count back 90 days factoring in all the days that I know we will be taking off- like the entire week of Thanksgiving. Some years we have taken a fall break. Some years we have schooled more heavily in the summer and taken a longer break in the fall when it isn't so stinkin' hot. Anyway, I just want to get about halfway through the 180 days that I am required to report before we take our winter break.

 

HTH-

Mandy

[meggie]

We're starting July 22. Last year we started July 1. This year we're waiting til swim lessons are over. I'd rather not have to try and get school done after swimming.

[Tress]

We follow the Dutch school year, although I'm going to try to do some work during the summer vacation.

Our summer vacation starts July 20 and ends August 31.

 

It feels really weird that almost everybody on this forum is already on break, or even starting up already :huh: , we still have 5 weeks to go.

[DiannaC]

Thanks for all your responses. I think I'm going to start on July 15th with just a couple of subjects (math and phonics). When we get back from vacation, we'll go to a full schedule.

 

It was interesting hearing how everyone manages their school year. I love how homeschooling is tailored to each families needs. :-)

[applethyme]

July 1. By then the weather is too hot and humid to want to do much more than stay in. This way we are using those days and being productive. We take time off in the spring and fall when the weather is great.

[happypamama]

We finish by Memorial Day and start back with the new year right around July 1 because that's when our state allows us to start counting for the year. This year, we will be taking a few weeks off in August when our baby arrives, and I don't think that will be a problem. What's the worst that will happen -- they may have forgotten a little of the last thing we studied, or we have to re-cement the routine? Eh, no big deal, and we'll feel good because we've gotten several weeks of work done already, thus allowing for more flexibility throughout the year. I would start as soon as your state lets you, if that is a concern, and then I'd just take a few weeks off when you need to.

 

We start with a couple of subjects and add more each week until we're at full schedule. We won't be starting history at all until sometime in the fall, once the new baby routine is somewhat established.

[Jennay]

I start my school year the day after my spring review with the county. The kids are "officially" promoted to the next grade that day. However, since we school year round we just keep going. This summer we are focusing on Math, History (Civil War studies & field trips), and Art. We'll add back in subjects like spelling grammar, etc. at the end of August. I should add that in my state we don't have to count school days, or hours of instruction. We just have to show we cover the same subjects as the public schools in a "regular & thorough" manner.

[StartingOver]

We school year round, it never stops for long. We will take a day off or even a week as needed for mom's sanity.

[Chelli]

We school year round, but we "officially" start a new year in January and school through November and take all of December off.

[unsinkable]

When my kids were very young, preschool and early elementary, our life was more of life as school than vice versa.

 

We generally did more formal stuff starting in very late September because fall is so beautiful here and we spent time hiking and playing outside. Rainy days were usually for more formal learning. Then Halloween time and Thanksgivng time lead to lots of hands-on making and baking and creating. December was lighter, too. More stories and crafting and decorating. January, Feb, March...more formal work but breaks for snowy days and sledding. April and May aren't the best weahter months but we did take breaks for warm sunny days, getting bikes out again, and chalk and bubbles. May and June meant cramming in more field trips to places that got crowded in summer, like the zoo and nature trails.

 

But through it all, they all learned to read and write and do math and love books music and get excited about history and nature and science experiments.

 

I had to put dates down on paper for the regs but it really meant nothing in practice, in our real life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Brooketopia]

We end the Friday before Memorial Day (usually the last Friday in May) because that's when our public school district gets out for the year and it's just torture to keep my kids inside when the streets are filled with kids.

 

We take two weeks to do absolutely nothing outside of whatever it is we decide to do each morning at breakfast, and then we have two weeks of art classes, and then we start back up again with school. This year, that has us starting on June 24th. We take a week off the week that July 24th falls in (Pioneer Day--a state holiday here in Utah, plus our town's "Fiesta Days"--lots of stuff going on), and then we have another vacation for the two weeks before Labor Day (first Monday in September).

 

We get bored with nothing "scheduled." History and art projects are fun. There are no kids playing in the street come July because it's so blazing hot outside. Four weeks is a good break length for us.

 

That being said, I treat the Tuesday after Labor Day as our "Back to School" moment, even though we're 20% through our curriculum by that point. It just "feels" more natural to do all the back to school stuff then--and people don't leave weird comments on FB when you post your back to school pics in September, unlike when you do it in June. Hee hee.

[Penguin]

We follow the Danish system. That means that summer break = 6 weeks. We will finish June 28, but math and grammar will continue through the break except for the weeks that we will travel.

[m0mmaBuck]

We generally start the Monday after Labor Day (or later is summer is particularly late in coming).

[Aurelia]

We do year round, but seem to start new levels of most things in October or January.

[KAM]

We are switching to more of a year-round schedule. We just took a few weeks off, our new year starts on Monday.

[Shannanlee]

The day after Labor Day.

[Mom2OandE]

This is our second year and we are starting Aug 5th with a planned ending of May 30th.

 

 

We plan to take 1 week off in Sept, Oct and March and a full month off in December to bask in the glow of the holidays.

[RemsMom]

We usually just follow the school district schedule (last week of August to second week of June). My two older children took classes part-time at the local high school so for eight years that dictated our schedule while they attended. I only have DD11 for a student now and she is in a youth orchestra that follows the school district schedule. Also, our local pool is only open from Memorial Day to Labor Day and we love the pool! So it works best for us to follow the schedule of the school district.

[DiannaC]

This is our second year and we are starting Aug 5th with a planned ending of May 30th.

 

 

We plan to take 1 week off in Sept, Oct and March and a full month off in December to bask in the glow of the holidays.

 

 

I like your schedule. I might try this next year.

[Heidi]

This year, July 22 will be the first day of school. Trying to get 15 weeks in before I have this baby!

[Mandy in TN]

This is our second year and we are starting Aug 5th with a planned ending of May 30th.

 

 

We plan to take 1 week off in Sept, Oct and March and a full month off in December to bask in the glow of the holidays.

I scheduled our year today and we are doing something very similar. We will start ramping up July 29. Then, we will take off a week in October, the week of Thanksgiving, the last 2 weeks of December, the first week of January, a week in March, and a week in April. This will have us wrapping up the Friday before Memorial Day.

 

Mandy

 

 

[Kelly1730]

This year our daughter was getting married on May 25th, so ALL school work needed to be completed two weeks before for my sanity:) We have a little more flexibility with the coming school year barring any unforeseen circumstances. We officially start counting days July 1st and I will count camp and any educational trips as school days. I plan to do a two week scientists/inventors unit in August (still light school but it will count) and then go full swing the third week of August. We will take two weeks at Christmas this year and maybe one in spring if we have some nice days. We are planning a trip in the fall to visit my newly married daughter and will count any educational visits as school then also. We should finish up mid-May, Lord willing.