Comments on Our Loudoun Schools: Will there be school this week?

students in my class must be ready for the school ...

2010-02-15T20:59:27.840-05:00

students in my class must be ready for the school day at 7:50- this means in their seats and ready to learn. My kids are dismissed at 2:30 and I teach up to that point. Agreed that some teachers end their day at 2:15 but not my class. I am usually reading to them at the end of the day.. which we then discuss. I take EVERY minute possible to teach my kids!

Some of us actually teach until exams start in Jun...

2010-02-13T00:06:14.504-05:00

Some of us actually teach until exams start in June because some of us give a final exam.

Profe

To Anonymous @ 6:12... Let's not forget about...

2010-02-10T18:54:14.975-05:00

To Anonymous @ 6:12...

Let's not forget about the last 2 weeks of school that should not count as instruction time because testing is done and it's basically party time!

I think we desperately need to revisit this flawed...

2010-02-10T18:32:28.577-05:00

I think we desperately need to revisit this flawed thinking - especially for the most at-risk kids in our community.

I have a child with a disability who receives special education services. She still has not recouped the gains she made before the winter break, showing regression. Almost all kids show regression after a break but ours take a lot longer to recoup those losses. Add in

To Anonymous at 9:46... Let's take out the no...

2010-02-10T18:12:43.313-05:00

To Anonymous at 9:46...

Let's take out the non-instructional time like lunch and recess and all the time the kids at my school aren't receiving instruction such as the first 15 minutes of every school day when they are still getting off the bus and the 15 minutes it takes to get the kids ready to leave the school before the bus leaves ten minutes before the official end of the

Anonymous @ 7:31 9 Feb - I am hoping your comments...

2010-02-10T14:41:50.879-05:00

Anonymous @ 7:31 9 Feb - I am hoping your comments about a "real bargain" for the "extra" hours of class time are written in jest. Otherwise I see why you choose to remain anonymous with that kind of thinking.

We already don't get enough instructional time for our kids in the current calendar. To assert that losing almost two weeks from the school calendar so

@Anonymous, 8:18 p.m. If you read the letter I ...

2010-02-10T09:46:43.172-05:00

@Anonymous, 8:18 p.m. If you read the letter I posted, you will see that the state requires that the school day must be 5.5 hours in length. LCPS students are in school from 7:50 to 2:20, which is 6.5 hours. That's the explanation for the extra hour that accumulates over time into 15 snow days.

Then why does my local elementary school not have ...

2010-02-09T20:18:48.464-05:00

Then why does my local elementary school not have extended days? School is supposed to start at 7:50 in the morning but the buses are still unloading. In the afternoon, school should be out at 2:35. The buses pull out from the school before 2:30 with full loads of kids on them.

When I was in school back in the Stone Age, if school started at 7:50, that meant you had to be at your desk

Here's an email I just received from LCPS: ...

2010-02-09T19:31:28.510-05:00

Here's an email I just received from LCPS:

"Loudoun County Public Schools doesn't have snow days.

Here is the reason why:
The Commonwealth of Virginia requires that schools provide a minimum 990 hours of instructional time each school year with each school day being at least 5.5 hours in length. School divisions are required to have a plan for making up a

15 snow days built in? If that is true, it's ...

2010-02-09T17:53:33.876-05:00

15 snow days built in? If that is true, it's ridiculous. Districts in the snow belt generally don't come close to that amount in their schedules.

Something is seriously wrong with the school calendar if we can miss 15 days and still meet the minimum requirement.

According to the Wash Post this morning, Loudoun h...

2010-02-09T11:44:07.273-05:00

According to the Wash Post this morning, Loudoun has 15 snow days built into the schedule so we won't have to make up any days until we max out that. Although we are up to, what, 9 or 10 already?

Loudoun County has built extra time (30 minutes, I...

2010-02-09T11:22:42.897-05:00

Loudoun County has built extra time (30 minutes, I think)into every school day. Therefore, we would have to miss quite a few days before we would be required to make up lost education hours to equal the minimum number of instructional hours mandated by the state of Virginia. I hope the teachers and staff enjoy this "backwards raise" since it's probably the only one you all will

Why doesn't LCPS have snow routes for use afte...

2010-02-09T00:00:20.111-05:00

Why doesn't LCPS have snow routes for use after major storms? Other counties in the region have such routes. These would allow adjusting away from routes that require a bus to turn around in cul-de-sacs.

I suggest the school board and superintendent need to start publicly discussing a plan now to make up the lost days. The obvious choice is to cancel spring break.

Thanks John I saw that later! My husband (on the ...

2010-02-08T16:20:11.261-05:00

Thanks John I saw that later! My husband (on the board of our HOA) had to call in a bobcat from our landscaper to clear out the snow from the bus stop. There was too much snow of us and our wimpy shovels!

Question: Why not open for President's Day as ...

2010-02-08T14:22:37.792-05:00

Question: Why not open for President's Day as Fairfax County will be to help offset the amazing amount of time lost?

Thanita... from the Superintendent's message: ...

2010-02-08T13:39:49.757-05:00

Thanita... from the Superintendent's message:

"As we prepare to re-open schools on Tuesday, February 16, the day after the scheduled President’s Day holiday, we will need additional help from Loudoun’s citizens in clearing sidewalks for the more than 20,000 students who walk to and from school each day. We also are counting on community assistance to clear bus stops for

Who clears the sidewalks and the bus stops? I hav...

2010-02-08T12:42:59.317-05:00
Who clears the sidewalks and the bus stops? I have been shoveling the bus stops these past few years for our kids in the neighborhood. Not sure if I'm reading this correctly but does the county do this? I'd love it if they did because I find that kids tend to stand on what's cleared; in this case it's the street. I've even offered up my minivan as a safe alternative (if I