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The school buses were out today


Cinder
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After Labor Day here too. Of course school ended on June 25.

 

Yeah, ds2 mentioned how some schools don't start until after Labor Day. And I reminded him that they don't get out until the middle of June at the earliest. He didn't seem bothered by that part because at least they're starting later than now. :rolleyes:

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Why is it earlier every year? When I went to school back in the Stone Age we started after Labor Day and ended early June. Ds goes to public hs and starts the 20th and gets out the end of May. They used to start something like the 25th or 27th before my kids were in high school but they still seem to get out around the same time as before. Are more school days required now?

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Why is it earlier every year? When I went to school back in the Stone Age we started after Labor Day and ended early June. Ds goes to public hs and starts the 20th and gets out the end of May. They used to start something like the 25th or 27th before my kids were in high school but they still seem to get out around the same time as before. Are more school days required now?

 

More days aren't required--still 180. (Actually with all the budget cuts the public schools might only hold classes for 175 days or so.) The two county systems around me will have more breaks. Our county has done this a few years now but the other county has been off and on. This year they're on. So they'll have about 6 weeks or so on then a week break: fall break (late Sep/early Oct), Thanksgiving, Christmas, winter break (mid-late Feb), spring break. Then school lets out before Memorial Day.

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My state school ds just finished school on the 18th of July! We go to the States next week for our summer holiday. It's so weird to be starting our vacation and being confronted with "back to school" everywhere.

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They start this week and next here too. Ugh!

We are going to the pool! Thankfully the lifeguards are local college kids so they are still working!

Sigh. All of the public pools are now open only in the evenings and weekends. Even nearby amusement parks are only open on weekends throughout August. 

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  It's better to start a little earlier than have to lose vacation days.

 

Here the inclement weather days are built in to the breaks. So if they're needed then winter break usually gets cancelled and classes are held then.

 

Every couple of years or so there is an uproar about school starting so early. But the breaks really are nice--that was how we scheduled our year when I homeschooled my sons--and there is a strong expectation in this area for Summer Break to start Memorial Day weekend and for the first semester to end before Christmas break. So that's just how it goes.

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School starts Monday here.  Cinder, aren't we in the same general area?  We did have one school district start earlier this week, but I have to admit starting in July, even if it's the last day, is weird to me.  

 

Anyway, I really like this calendar.  My theory is that by the time school gets out around the 20th of May, Spring has been spring for quite some time in the South, and everyone is restless and ready to be done.  Then, no matter what date they get out, they're always ready to go back 2.5 months later, and that happens to be right around the first of August.

 

I love the break in September (we'll be on a cruise then, thank-you-very-much), 3 full weeks off at Christmas, a bunch of other long weekends here and there.  It works out well, I think.  

 

The only thing that irks me this year is that my county and the one directly next to mine don't have the same spring break this school year.  That's annoying to me because I have a daughter in one and a step-daughter in another, so no Spring Break plans for us as a family.  

 

 

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If you look at the number of two-income families, it is a wonder that there is summer vacation at all. I see my neighbors struggle all summer with juggling the kids and I wonder why they don't encourage schools to go all year. I'm not saying I am in favor of it but it would make a lot of sense.

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If you look at the number of two-income families, it is a wonder that there is summer vacation at all. I see my neighbors struggle all summer with juggling the kids and I wonder why they don't encourage schools to go all year. I'm not saying I am in favor of it but it would make a lot of sense.

 

This is a good point, but it isn't really new (not that you implied that it is...just thinking out loud here).

 

Generally speaking, summer camps and daycare facilities adjust their schedules to meet the needs of the local community.  It works out.

 

Even with year-round school, there are 2 or 3 week breaks at a time when parents have to figure out what to do with kids.  It's not easy.   

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Almira, I am near-ish you--next county over in the other direction. We have the same spring break. :D

 

And I agree about getting out in May. By then it's usually warm enough and everyone's just restless to be done.

 

I remember years ago when my sister had to deal with different vacations for her dc. They had "fall" break (because there isn't really fall in HI) on different weeks for one son's high school and the other son's elementary school. The thing is, though, that both schools are in the same school district! That was a long time ago and their first foray into year-round schooling. Not sure how things are now.

 

 

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If you look at the number of two-income families, it is a wonder that there is summer vacation at all. I see my neighbors struggle all summer with juggling the kids and I wonder why they don't encourage schools to go all year. I'm not saying I am in favor of it but it would make a lot of sense.

 

Oh I know. I am watching my sister and my brother and most of my friends play that game. In my little town people are paying 300$ a week for a 9-3 day camp plus extra for the 3-5:30 'after school' hours.  Then in the middle of August all the camps, pools etc close down because the college students go back to school, but the k-12 schools here don't open until after Labor Day. Even the day care centers for toddlers and infants close for those 2.5 weeks.

 

Most working families I know don't have their kids in school year activities like dance or choir etc because they have to save their money for summer 'camp' (daycare).

 

I can always tell when it is mid August without looking at the calendar. That is when all the grandmas show up in town to take care of the kids. Once those camps close parents have to find a way to take care of the kids. My mom will be here to watch my sister's kids for three weeks. 

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I grew up in the Midwest, where we always started after Labor Day.

 

Now that I"m in the South, it's always in August---which is weird.

 

Some kids start next Monday, but most districts start on the 18th.  Today and tomorrow are tax-free days I think at the stores.

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If you look at the number of two-income families, it is a wonder that there is summer vacation at all. I see my neighbors struggle all summer with juggling the kids and I wonder why they don't encourage schools to go all year. I'm not saying I am in favor of it but it would make a lot of sense.

 

Public schools are the worst baby sitters around though.  It seems like every third Friday is off and then most Wednesdays are half days and then there's teacher in service days.  

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Public schools are the worst baby sitters around though.  It seems like every third Friday is off and then most Wednesdays are half days and then there's teacher in service days.  

 

But when they are there, you don't have to pay for a babysitter. And around here the schools offer 'after school care' that extends for those half days and even snow days. So weird, the school is closed but you can bring your kid to the school for snow day camp. The issue is the buses when it comes to snow days.  Parents who don't need after school care can still buy a slot for snow day and conference day care etc.

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We get three weeks at Christmas this year? Wow!

 

School starts Monday here. Cinder, aren't we in the same general area? We did have one school district start earlier this week, but I have to admit starting in July, even if it's the last day, is weird to me.

 

Anyway, I really like this calendar. My theory is that by the time school gets out around the 20th of May, Spring has been spring for quite some time in the South, and everyone is restless and ready to be done. Then, no matter what date they get out, they're always ready to go back 2.5 months later, and that happens to be right around the first of August.

 

I love the break in September (we'll be on a cruise then, thank-you-very-much), 3 full weeks off at Christmas, a bunch of other long weekends here and there. It works out well, I think.

 

The only thing that irks me this year is that my county and the one directly next to mine don't have the same spring break this school year. That's annoying to me because I have a daughter in one and a step-daughter in another, so no Spring Break plans for us as a family.

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