FCPS Superintendent Dale plans to retire.

[tgbwc]

Originally Posted by CaliTerp07

Our staff meetings run 3:15-4:30 after school. For smaller ones, or interactive trainings, we give up our prep period on Mondays. (Which means they take place all day, and you just go to an hour long piece of it)

We wouldn't have time after school for a staff meeting. Students leave at 3:15. Staff hours are 8-3:30.

[Muffy62]

Originally Posted by tgbwc

We wouldn't have time after school for a staff meeting. Students leave at 3:15. Staff hours are 8-3:30.

So teachers in Fairfax do not stay after 3:30 for meetings? We have meetings scheduled during our planning periods and meetings after the last school bus pulls out. Of course, this is only for teachers not the entire school staff -- teacher assistants and secretaries do not stay for the meetings.

[tgbwc]

Originally Posted by Muffy62

So teachers in Fairfax do not stay after 3:30 for meetings? We have meetings scheduled during our planning periods and meetings after the last school bus pulls out. Of course, this is only for teachers not the entire school staff -- teacher assistants and secretaries do not stay for the meetings.

It depends on what the report/end time is. Mine happens to be 3:30, but I'm often there until about 4pm. I'm sure they stay at some schools. I have CLT mtgs. and team mtgs. during my planning period. Our staff meetings are held after the kids leave on the early Mondays. Sure, many people stay late, but the administration really isn't supposed to require staff to stay for a regularly scheduled activity such as a monthly staff mtg. We can be required to be at school for an occasional extra such as Back to School Night or a curriculum night, but not for a something that happens on a regular basis. I think it really comes down to the staff in the building. I know one school that has teachers come in for staff meetings an hour before the kids start school and no one really says "boo" about it. It's just something they accept or nobody has enough marbles to say they can't make it at that time.

[michgc]

I wish they'd create a "walk zone" around a school. That is, if you live within 1/2 mile (or whatever) from a school, you MUST be districted to that school and there is no chance of your school boundaries changing unless a new, closer school to you is built. The school district we are moving to (Chapel Hill) does that, and I love it! I'm so happy I do not have to worry about changing school boundaries! Along those lines, keep neighborhood schools. Children who live off Vale Road in Oakton should not be attending Luther Jackson Middle School in Falls Church. Seriously.

I agree that they need to move into the 21st century and get rid of short Mondays. As a SAHM, I actually don't mind them (and truthfully enjoy them), but come on, it is extremely hard/expensive for working parents. And if school ran later on Monday then it would end earlier Tues. through Friday, so my kids would not be getting off the bus after 4 PM on T-F. Later starting schools like ours that start after 9 PM would have meetings in the morning. And early-starting schools would have meetings that are after school. Plus, like Denton said, I also question how much learning goes on during Mondays. It seems like a rushed day.

Again, I agree with Denton - get a new math program. GET RID OF EVERYDAY MATH! Ugh and double ugh. Wait what is the lattice method to figure out how much "double ugh" really is? ;-)

Make pyramids real pyramids. If my elementary school is in the Madison pyramid, then it should stand that I feed into Madison High School. Duh. But no, I could be attending Marshall Road Elementary in Vienna that is "in the Madison pyramid" but actually go to Oakton High School. That makes no sense, but of course if probably does if the powers that be learned their logic from Everyday Math (sorry, I really hate that program). Along those lines - NO MORE SPLIT FEEDERS. All kids at Wolftrap Elementary go on to Kilmer. Don't have some of the kids go to a different middle school (Thoreau).

I think that's it for my requests of the new superintendent.

[michgc]

Originally Posted by michgc

All kids at Wolftrap Elementary go on to Kilmer. Don't have some of the kids go to a different middle school (Thoreau).

ETA: I think ALL kids at Wolftrap do go to Kilmer so that's a bad example. But there are many elementary schools that feed into two different middle schools. I think ALL kids in an elementary school should feed into the same middle school. And then ALL kids in a middle school should feed into the same high school.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by michgc

ETA: I think ALL kids at Wolftrap do go to Kilmer so that's a bad example. But there are many elementary schools that feed into two different middle schools. I think ALL kids in an elementary school should feed into the same middle school. And then ALL kids in a middle school should feed into the same high school.

Wolftrap used to split between Thoreau and Kilmer until 2008, when the area assigned to Thoreau was reassigned to Sunrise Valley and Hughes instead. At least at the time, virtually all the affected parents pleaded with FCPS to maintain the split feed at the middle school.

More recently, when FCPS was establishing the boundaries for new Lacey ES, the staff wanted to assign the entire school to Poe MS and Falls Church HS. Enough parents objected that they made it a split feeder with Glasgow MS and Stuart HS.

So the ideas all sound good but people around here hardly speak with a common voice.

[tgbwc]

Originally Posted by michgc

I agree that they need to move into the 21st century and get rid of short Mondays. As a SAHM, I actually don't mind them (and truthfully enjoy them), but come on, it is extremely hard/expensive for working parents. And if school ran later on Monday then it would end earlier Tues. through Friday, so my kids would not be getting off the bus after 4 PM on T-F. Later starting schools like ours that start after 9 PM would have meetings in the morning. And early-starting schools would have meetings that are after school. Plus, like Denton said, I also question how much learning goes on during Mondays. It seems like a rushed day.

Again, I agree with Denton - get a new math program. GET RID OF EVERYDAY MATH! Ugh and double ugh. Wait what is the lattice method to figure out how much "double ugh" really is? ;-)

As teachers in elementary school, as I mentioned earlier, we both agree with what you say about Mondays.

I wonder how many schools use Everyday Math right now. We don't have EM materials in our buildings.