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Back to Survey Questions
Ferndale School District Fall 2007 Calendar Survey Comments
Displaying 1 - 175 of 175 responses
1. School should be over by the first week in June! Wed, 12/12/07 8:56 PM
2. let's have a summer by getting out earlier in June. It would also be nice to see the early release days attached to the weekend either on a friday or monday NOT a wednesday in the middle of the week we can't take advantage of as far as quick weekend family trips or get-a-ways thanks Wed, 12/12/07 4:10 PM
3. For working parents the vacation days are a hassel, & it takes the kids off task. I believe the least interruptions the better, to get the kids used to the real world, & better prepared for the future. Wed, 12/12/07 3:30 PM
4. My preferences are to complete the 180 day requirement starting early Sept and ending as early in June as possible. My feeling is the concentration of school studies falls off quickly after Memorial Day and summer activities decline very close to Labor Day. I don't know how a few early release versus 2-3 days off impact the days, so would favor more in school time with short, appropriate breaks during Sept-May. Wed, 12/12/07 1:05 PM
5. We need to be out of school earlier in June. Our schedule needs to be more compatable with other county schools. Wed, 12/12/07 12:03 PM
6. Late arrival days seem to be MUCH better for the high school ages. In fact, on an ongoing basis, I would prefer an earlier start to elementary, and a later start for high school - better meets the biological clocks of those age groups. Mid-winter break seems so disruptive and it puts the end of the school year so late into June, especially when we have snow days. Thank you for asking for our input. Wed, 12/12/07 11:43 AM
7. In CA I went to a year round school_that was 3mo. in school and 3mo. out of school with 4 groups rotating cycles throughout the year, ever thought of this? Wed, 12/12/07 10:11 AM
8. I would love to see the children start school the Wednesday BEFORE Labor Day, this gives them, in my opinion, the chance to "learn the ropes" with a 3 day weekend following. I think it helps to reacclimate the children to the idea of school. They would then have a 4 day school week. Wed, 12/12/07 8:50 AM
9. Late arrival days are not useful to students. They sit in the house and wait for the bus. Lots of kids do this alone with parents at work. With early release, students can at least go outside and play with out worrying about getting dirty like before school. I would just prefer to know in advance and have the whole day off for the students and if parents need to we can take a vacation day from work. I have to work my full shift even with late arrival/early release, but I can take a day off once in a while. Wed, 12/12/07 7:37 AM
10. I would like to have access to final calendars ASAP for planning. Often, our Spring Break vacation has to be planned almost a year in advance, however, I'm always uncertain of what the dates will be. Thanks for all your hard work!! Wed, 12/12/07 7:29 AM
11. It is my opinion that out school year is falling too late into June. Children do not tend to focus as well when it is summer like conditions outside. Wed, 12/12/07 6:15 AM
12. Thank you for continuing to solicit staff input. Each year, the survey states the district's desire to provide "continuous blocks of instructional time." In my opinion, a full week off in February is in conflict with this objective for several reasons. First, grades 7-12 are only three weeks into a new semester. Second, snows days after New Year's are the norm, not the exception. Third, MLK Jr Day and Semester Work Day already chop time up. Fourth, it pushes the year late into June when kids are no longer receptive to learning. The placement of spring break does not foster optimum performance on WASL. The time between mid-winter break and spring break is a tough, non-stop, routine of 5 day weeks. The only exception is 1 day of conferences (7-12), Please consider a model placing spring break earlier. The long stretch in March could be a strategic time to schedule early release for staff collaboration. I believe the district's primary obligation, regarding calendar decisions, is to support active students and staff, not families. Domestic issues, such as day care or students at home during early release, should not trump the time staff require for proper training as well as rest. Otherwise, what good am I to students? You get what you pay for. Tue, 12/11/07 11:33 PM
13. School is getting out later and later every year, making it much more difficult for families to take vacations. I am sure that we could get a better school schedule going that would benefit most families. I truly believe that the children need that summer time off and summer is just getting shorter every year with all these days off. Hopefully you will eliminate mid - winter break. Tue, 12/11/07 9:14 PM
14. I believe Winter Break should be the week of Christmas through New Years Day and school should resume January 2nd, unless it falls upon the weekend, then it would be the first Monday afterwards. If snow days need to be made up, I believe that the Mid-Winter Break should be eliminated for as many days needed to make up those lost snow days. No late arrival days, no early release days, except for teacher conferences, so parents can plan around it. I do not work for the school district, but my kids feel sorry for the bus drivers on short days. It's too much for the bus drivers to rush through their schedules to meet the demands of picking up and dropping off kids from all schools - elementary, middle and hs. Courtesy must be made for their schedules. Let's pro-actively prevent accidents from happening because of their rushed schedules on these days. Tue, 12/11/07 7:07 PM
15. Consider, Effective teaching requires rested teachers. Plan good breaks appropriately spaces that make this work. Consider- coodination with other school districts so that we have the same schedules as they have. This makes for family togetherness during vacation opportunities. IE. Burlington Edison.... Note that well placed breaks help "Heal" a community where colds and flu is occurring. This current calendar seems like a good one! Regarding Early and late arrival. Have training and growth opportunities planned over longer periods. The 2-3 Whole days are better for this. The "District/Admin" can then bring in outstanding programs and people to quality meaningful trainings. The short hit and miss approach does little to elevate the needs we have here. It is the "Follow-up and continuation of an experience" that is vital to making things truly happen. A one hour occasional splash is a wasted opportunity. Make a difference! Remember it is the teachers who do it! Tue, 12/11/07 4:59 PM
16. I like to start in August and get out earlier in June. Thanks for asking! Tue, 12/11/07 4:03 PM
17. We need to maintain 1 week break in February. Tue, 12/11/07 2:39 PM
18. Start the first week of September, get rid of mid-winter break, get out in early June. Tue, 12/11/07 2:12 PM
19. We need to try and get the Kids out of School early in June. The Weather gets better and the Teacher can't keep the Kids focused on school work. Tue, 12/11/07 1:32 PM
20. We attend activities the week before Labor Day. We like school starting after Labor Day. Tue, 12/11/07 12:01 PM
21. ' Tue, 12/11/07 11:52 AM
22. A week off in February is ridiculous. Also going to school through last June seems excessive. Get rid of the February break and move up the lst day of school. Thanks. Tue, 12/11/07 10:48 AM
23. Having our children get out of school at the end of June is INSANE. Other schools throughout the country start at the end of Aug. or right after Labor Day and they are getting out mid May or at the beginning of June. Giving them more summer over a mid winter break in February makes way more sense. Tue, 12/11/07 10:35 AM
24. Thank you for taking the time to ask our opinion. I believe that having long stretches of uninterrupted education are important. I also enjoy bonus days with my kids and understand that in service days for teachers are important to strengthening our educational system. Because we don't get much sun around here, I prefer that summer break incompass as much of June, July and August as possible with the calendar weighted toward more days at the end of August, begining of September in exchange for days in June (in which it will probably rain anyway!) Thanks again. Tue, 12/11/07 10:02 AM
25. I believe the school year should end a week earlier than it currently does. This year, if we have snow days (and we all know it happens here in Ferndale) the kids won't get out of school until the last week of June! Perhaps we can cut some time out of mid-winter break? When I attended school in the 80's/early 90's we had Winter Break at the end of December, then Spring Break to look forward to - no "mid-winter break" - and it was just fine. What is Mid-Winter break for anyway? Tue, 12/11/07 9:58 AM
26. I would like school to start the day after Labor Day not two days after. Tue, 12/11/07 9:49 AM
27. My kid's pics should be in it Tue, 12/11/07 9:28 AM
28. Suggest scheduling mid Winter break in February and using some/all of it to make up snow days if necessary. While it's true that it can/does snow after mid February, this is rare. Besides, even if it does snow after mid February, this plan alleviates some of the make up days that have already accumulated. I have heard the teachers dislike this idea because they want to plan trips to warm weather destinations during the break. That is understandable, but most parents cannot afford a trip in February and this causes many of us to wonder how the teachers can? Also, if the district refuses to schedule spring break around Easter, at least continue to have Good Friday as a holiday. Many of us drive to see relatives for Easter weekend and could use a longer weekend. Thank you. Tue, 12/11/07 9:13 AM
29. There needs to be more pictures of Windward High School in the calander because all of the other schools are represented and I have only ever seen one picture of Windward in the calander since it opened. Tue, 12/11/07 8:58 AM
30. Windward High School needs to be in the Calander there are pictures of all other schools but I don't see them represented much. They deserve alot more credit for being there own school. They arn't given much of anything it seems like. Tue, 12/11/07 8:54 AM
31. This paperless survey is a great idea. I appreciate being able to give my input and understand that the district will need to go with the plan that the majority of people prefer. Thank you for asking for input. Mon, 12/10/07 10:07 PM
32. As far as early release, late arrival, or full days off, I would support whatever the TEACHERS felt like was the best use of their time. Mon, 12/10/07 10:02 PM
33. I would like to have a full summer since most parents who have a split family have child visitation scheduled around the summer breaks, not mid-winter breaks, half days or early release days. Plus those early release, days, midwinter breaks etc. are hard on families with two working parents. I would recommend going to school during the school year and giving the children and teachers a full three months of summer. Mon, 12/10/07 9:29 PM
34. Like in the past, I hope we can align our major breaks with the rest of the schools in Whatcom County (Spring and Winter) as much as possible. Thank you! The phone messaging system was very helpful, the reminder call even better and hope we can use it for other items such as Open House, Conferences etc! Mon, 12/10/07 8:29 PM
35. In general,we would prefer school starting before Labor Day and ending PRIOR to June 15th. Mon, 12/10/07 7:58 PM
36. It is my hope that if the District decides to do away with the Mid Winter break(at least for these next two years)that the end of the school year will be moved back a week. It just seems as though the kids are in school quite late into June. If we have make up days everyone panics, because June can be hot and nobody likes going until the latter part of June. Middle of June would be great. Mon, 12/10/07 7:47 PM
37. I believe the mid-winter break is a waste of time. The kids and teachers just had a week off in Dec., a week off in Jan., and then a week off in Feb. Just to be followed up by a week off in April. Why don't they just get out earlier in June. Mon, 12/10/07 7:33 PM
38. I don't like the year going so long into June. Mon, 12/10/07 7:30 PM
39. We prefer to reduce or eliminate the mid-winter break and end the school year sooner. Vacation time is more valuable to families in the summer when the weather is nice. Mon, 12/10/07 7:30 PM
40. I think the midwinter break in February is unnecessary since there has been a winter break so recently in Dec-Jan. It makes the date for the last day of school too late. I would prefer a schedule that allows school to end earlier in June than the 29th. That was very late. Mon, 12/10/07 6:14 PM
41. I would like to see shorter breaks so that snow days made up prior to the end of the school year, and summer break beginning within the first two weeks in June. Mon, 12/10/07 5:57 PM
42. Prefer to have kids out of school earlier in June to be able to start looking for jobs sooner. Mon, 12/10/07 5:48 PM
43. PLEASE GET RID OF THE MID WINTER BREAK......! Mon, 12/10/07 5:37 PM
44. I prefer that the high schoolers are out earlier in June so that they can start looking for jobs earlier. Mon, 12/10/07 5:33 PM
45. I would prefer school to let out earlier in the summer since it goes way too late compared with Midwestern schools. Also I would prefer no early release or late arrival but maybe a few whole days off during the week for teachers prep time and not so much time off for conferences-just two evenings where we do it marathon style in the gym. And then hopefully,get out earlier in summer. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to communicate my ideas. The teachers do an excellent job esp. Skyline and the High School. But lets see some sidewalks on Malloy Street. It is a treacherous road to walk to be sure. Thanks, Ferndale Mom Mon, 12/10/07 4:50 PM
46. Since snow days are added at the end of the school year, I would like to see the school year begin as early as possible to prevent snow days from consuming too much of June. Mon, 12/10/07 4:37 PM
47. If shortening the winter break, use that extra week to allow them to get out of school earlier in the year. Mon, 12/10/07 4:27 PM
48. I would prefer to see our children start school around Sept. 6-9 and and have school end around June 6-9. I do not see having mid-winter or spring breaks. it just makes summer that shorter. DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENCE Mon, 12/10/07 4:17 PM
49. I would like to see the calendar adjusted to provide the last day of school around the middle of June. Waiting until almost July is not good for anyone, especially when there is a strong possibility of some snow day make up most years. Mon, 12/10/07 4:08 PM
50. I would be very happy to see some of the breaks shortened. Since we never know what the winter is going to bring us for snow it seems like planning shorter breaks would allow our children more time in the summer to be kids. Mon, 12/10/07 3:59 PM
51. I would like to see year-round school. Good luck with that one:) Mon, 12/10/07 3:47 PM
52. When we have snow days they should be taken at the end of the year or used with any release time that has been provided during the year not from any of the scheduled vacation times as people have travel plans in place. Mon, 12/10/07 2:55 PM
53. We should start school before the holiday, I would support starting the second week of the fall sport season, that is let them have the first week for their double days and then start school. I would also support taking the mid-winter break days and strategically placing them throughout the year to create some three and four day weekends. Mon, 12/10/07 2:00 PM
54. Does Skyline have an after-school program? Do any of the schools? This might be very beneficial to have some sort of after-school child care program (at parent's cost) to reduce the need for kids to be shuttled other places for child care after school. Mon, 12/10/07 1:56 PM
55. Two hour late arrival would also be fine. Mon, 12/10/07 1:22 PM
56. I am happy to see a survey being done! I have not seen such a thing for many years. I do not approve of having a mid winter break. It is hard for the students to retain what they have learned with so many breaks. Mon, 12/10/07 12:30 PM
57. We would prefer mid-winter break to be shorter and the school year not last so long into June. It makes it next to impossible for our children to obtain summer employment and save towards college expenses. The summer break keeps getting shorter and shorter as the years go by, and we dislike it. Mon, 12/10/07 11:49 AM
58. I see no reason why we do not return to school the day after New Years Day. This year, in particular, why do we have the ENTIRE week of New Year's Day off? We should return to work/school right after January 1 and use those days for snow days!! Mon, 12/10/07 11:47 AM
59. It would be helpful to have a calendar for several years at a time- in terms of making vacation arrangements. Mon, 12/10/07 11:42 AM
60. If we want to do well with the W.A.S.L.'s, then the more days of teaching students have prior to the W.A.S.L.'s, the higher the percentage that will pass. Starting in late August, and reducing mid-winter break will increase the number of borderline students who end up on the passing side of the W.A.S.L. border! Mon, 12/10/07 11:25 AM
61. The 2010 Winter Olympics will be held in Vancouver in February. This should be a topic of discussion, given we are so close to the city. Many of the BC lower mainland schools have already declared they will be closed for the entire 2 weeks of the Olympics. I feel we need to remind people of this event before we vote and take into consideration the possiblity of high traffic volume during this time. I'm not saying we should close our schools for 2 weeks, however we need to be reminded of this world wide event coming to our area. Mon, 12/10/07 10:28 AM
62. keep mid winter break for the sake of the kids and flu season Mon, 12/10/07 10:25 AM
63. September is a much nicer month than June and I therefore would prefer to have time off in that month. Many kids are lost in the winter months to family vacation, if we offer a mid-winter break it allows schedule time for such activities. Mon, 12/10/07 10:23 AM
64. More days off in December, less in January Mon, 12/10/07 10:10 AM
65. I do not like the way the survey questions were written and presented. If you really want me to tell you whether I want any break at all or how long it should be, then the questions need to be written so that I can actually tell you that. As the questions were written, I was left feeling manipulated into agreeing or disagreeing to things that I don't really want to agree (or disagree as the case may be) to the various possibilities. If you want a variation of responses, then let me number my preferences, please. Mon, 12/10/07 9:57 AM
66. Regarding the mid-winter break: I would like to see the Friday prior to and President's day off. We have done this in the past and it has worked well. This gives a long 4-day break in between winter break and spring break. I am strongly against the whole week off at mid-winter break. This would get the kids out of school earlier and would give some cushion for snow days. If we have another year like last year..we could be going until July..which we would have done had we not alleviated mid-winter break. I personally have not heard of one parent that is happy with the mid-winter break..I am saying this because a lot of people will not take this survey. Regarding winter break: I kindof like the amount of time given for this...but you might consider (depending on when the holidays fall) not being locked into Monday to Monday off. i.e. this year we could have taken off from Dec. 20th to January 1st. We could have gone back on the Jan. 2nd rather than the 7th. We still would have gotten 9 school days off and you would still have 3 day weeks on either end. I don't think you should have to feel that you need to start the break on a weekend and end the break on a weekend. Thank you for giving the parents an opportunity to voice their opinions. I appreciate that. Mon, 12/10/07 9:51 AM
67. I would like to coordinate with Bellingham school district as much as possible. Mon, 12/10/07 9:46 AM
68. Would prefer to end school year earlier in June. Mon, 12/10/07 9:25 AM
69. I would like you to consider year round school Mon, 12/10/07 8:19 AM
70. I think that the use of colaboration that is going on at Eagleridge is a good way to get the teachers together without taking the kids out of school. I am lucky to stay home, but I can't imagine having to schedule more things like early releases and late starts. Mon, 12/10/07 7:34 AM
71. Many teachers live outside of the Ferndale School District; therefore having children attending schools in other districts, many Bellingham. I think it would be wise to better align our calendar with the Bellingham School District, seeing how it does have the largest number of students, many of whom are those of Ferndale district employees. Mon, 12/10/07 6:33 AM
72. Re: Professional Development Days, I believe teachers would benefit much more from having an entire day for the purpose of improving programs in lieu of an hour or two here or there as they would with late arrival or early release, PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT THEY ACTUALLY USE THAT DAY FOR IMPROVING PROGRAMS. Re: Mid-Winter break - I have always hated the week off in February. It always extends the end of school well into June, and Ferndale seems to be the last district to get out of school. We have 2 weeks off in December, a week in February, and another week in April. If it's too much time between December and April perhaps a sooner spring break is needed instead of a mid-winter break which forces an extremely late end to the school year, especially if make up snow days are needed (we ALWAYS seem to have more snow days than other districts because the busses can't make it up the hills). Re: start of the school year - Can we PLEASE start before Labor Day?!?!? The calendar always shows the beginning of the year on a Wednesday or Thursday after Labor Day. If you want such short first week, how starting school the Wednesday BEFORE Labor Day so you can have a 3-day weekend after a short first week of school. Again, this would help keep the end of the school year from reaching July in the event of the many snow days we seem to have. Sun, 12/9/07 10:58 PM
73. A full time year round school makes more sense. Sun, 12/9/07 8:25 PM
74. Our building needs regular time to do the building and team work that supports our SIPTAP. More LID days would be great if they could be 6 half days instead of 3 full days. We have had many opportunities for professional development the last few years. We now need time to follow through with the work and meet with colleagues. Sun, 12/9/07 8:19 PM
75. The school year should be shortened by reducing the length of the breaks. Winter break should be no more than 2 weeks and Feb, should be no more than Presidents day plus one day. Thanks Sun, 12/9/07 6:04 PM
76. Keep breaks at least a week long because then it makes it worthwhile. Having only a couple days off makes it hard to plan a trip and makes it hard to relax from school for awhile. Sun, 12/9/07 5:05 PM
77. Please consider having the early release days be the same district wide. Then the older kids can watch the younger siblings on those days Sun, 12/9/07 4:45 PM
78. Seems that with snow make-up days and mid-winter breaks, school is getting out much later than other districts. It would be nice to have that extra time (vacation) during the summer, not the school year. Sun, 12/9/07 12:41 PM
79. Early release or late arrival days are extremely unproductive. I prefer the whole day approach. Sun, 12/9/07 11:46 AM
80. In the state of Minnesota, the fall conferences are compensated with the Wednesday before Thanksgiving off. I have been asking this around at school and it what well liked. Or trading a Mid-winter break day for the Wednesday. It would permit for easier celebration of the holiday. Sat, 12/8/07 10:19 PM
81. Why do snow days have to be made up at the end of the year? Sat, 12/8/07 12:56 PM
82. We need to get the kids into school early enough and with as many days in school as is possible so that they do not have to go to school until July. THAT IS STUPID!!! Unless of course there are snow days! Sat, 12/8/07 9:30 AM
83. I would prefer to have the school year end earlier in June than the last two weeks. When the weather gets nice it's hard for students to concentrate and with snow days tacked on at the end of the school year, an inclimate winter can result in a very late start to summer break Fri, 12/7/07 9:19 PM
84. I would like school to be out earlier in the summer, I do not feel that my children should still be in school the third week of June. There should be less days off during the school year so that summer vacation can begin earlier. I have no objections to starting school the end of August to accomodate this. Fri, 12/7/07 6:31 PM
85. I strongly agree with eliminating mid-winter break, in hopes that the kids could get out earlier in June. Fri, 12/7/07 4:08 PM
86. If Labor Day is later in September, I think we should start before Labor Day. Starting after about the 4th of September makes us stay too long into June and we never know if we will have to make up snow days or not too!!! Fri, 12/7/07 3:51 PM
87. I would like snow days made up during spring or winter break (if there is one) instead of tacking them onto the end of the year. Fri, 12/7/07 12:16 PM
88. Probably not in the buget but... It would be great to have individual school calendars. Fri, 12/7/07 9:45 AM
89. Effective professional development cannot happen with 1-2 or even 3 'hits' a year of full days. We need continuous and frequent (monthly?) collobaration time to work on school improvement and improved teaching practices. Half or whole days are needed for district-required trainings, which should not take the place of collegiate planning or school-wide improvement workshops. I'm strongly in favor of the late arrival or early dismissal times for schools to meet and work on their own needs, building capacity and professional learning communitites building by building. Fri, 12/7/07 9:40 AM
90. I like to have the controversial one week in February because my family goes skiing. I would have to take my children out of school if school was in session. Fri, 12/7/07 9:26 AM
91. I understand and appreciate the time and effort that this committe puts in to investigate and prepare all of the calendar options that our community is offered, and I would like to STRONGLY suggest that there be some type of stipend or compensation offered to these folks, to ensure that we continue to get the most experienced and informed participation in this important and time consuming role. Thank You! Fri, 12/7/07 8:24 AM
92. It is difficult for students and teachers to ramp up and down before and after every break in the school calendar. I belive these breaks have a negative effect on the students' education. That is why I am a proponent for eliminating the mid-winter break. Fri, 12/7/07 8:02 AM
93. With my younger kids they are ready to go back to school in August. It would be nice getting them out of school earlier in June. Fri, 12/7/07 7:12 AM
94. I don't mind the mid winter break in February, as long as it can be used to make up snow days instead of using extra time at the end of the year. My child has the opportunity to use her mid winter break to visit with family out of state. Thu, 12/6/07 11:28 PM
95. I would strongly prefer all school days be a "Full Day" with no early arrival or early realease.Then use the time complied for snow days if needed.This makes it easier for parents who have a plan in place for EVERY school day. Thu, 12/6/07 9:51 PM
96. It is important to parents that both work full time to have a school year that will benefit the childs learning and offer a schedule for parents to avoid time off to find care for after school or before school child care. Thu, 12/6/07 7:47 PM
97. I think that viewing the entire calendar to see what day we get out in June. That would also influence my decision. Thu, 12/6/07 6:47 PM
98. Are there any other options for scheduling Fall conferences? Thu, 12/6/07 6:36 PM
99. It is my hope that Kids can get their summers back and be done with school by early June. Coming from another state I feel this district can do a better job with the calendar and stop letting the teachers union dictate what they want. It seems teachers have become professional travelers and vacationers and care about the next holiday, without regard to families. Do you realize there are only, I think, 28 teaching days after winter break before the next break which would be mid winter break, and then spring break is just around the corner. If teachers need a break that soon, then move Spring break up a couple weeks. I don't really think teachers need a mid winter break. I would like to see an extra day before Thanksgiving. Thu, 12/6/07 5:15 PM
100. I think that the school year should end by June 10th, going later I think the students get too antsy and not much learning is getting done. Thu, 12/6/07 4:01 PM
101. thanks for asking our opinion =] Thu, 12/6/07 3:56 PM
102. If we do end up having a full week off for mid-winter break, is there a way it could be designated as possible snow make up days in case we have another winter that has many snow days? Maybe use it if more than three days are needed, or some stipulation like that. Thu, 12/6/07 1:50 PM
103. Figure out a way to start a few days before labor day weekend and end the second week of June. Utilizing early release before a Holiday may encourage families who travel to attend the morning session before leaving, thus reducing the number of students who are absent. Thu, 12/6/07 12:57 PM
104. The report card prep day has fallen on the friday before our report cards are due for 2 years now! This is horrible timing and we need to have another full weekend between the time that they are due to be able to complete the report cards. Thu, 12/6/07 12:48 PM
105. Please schedule spring break immediately before or after Easter weekend. Thu, 12/6/07 12:13 PM
106. If you need additional people (on the committee- if there is a committee) I would like to help the district in this way. Kersten Fairbairn, Custer Elem. Thu, 12/6/07 12:10 PM
107. We need all the time before WASL to give the studetents the information they need to pass the tests, I've often wondered why we have so many breaks before, and none after until the end of school, which is late June. I'd rather have a longer summer break, and fewer breaks during the school. Or at least hold spring break until after the WASL, the weather is better in May anyway. Thu, 12/6/07 10:55 AM
108. Shorter Summer Vacations are shown to have a reduced impact on student learning loss. We need to seriously consider more breaks spread throughout the year. This would have the greatest impact on our lower income groups who show the greatest dip in performance due to the long summer break without structured learning or enrichment. If we are serious about increasing student performance, we need to reconfigure our calendar to better serve our students and stop thinking about our own vacation needs. Thu, 12/6/07 10:49 AM
109. I think having shorter breaks would help a lot. I would also like to see more alignment with the Bellingham District, if possible, since I have two children attending two different schools in that district. Thu, 12/6/07 9:00 AM
110. If you receive this note, it is attached to a survey completed on the same computer as a previous response. How do you plan to assure the validity of the responses? What is to keep a person from filling in multiple surveys and submitting them? What is to keep someone from filling out and submitting a survey that doesn't reflect who they actually are? (e.g. a parent saying they're a teacher, or a student or teacher saying they're an administrator) Thu, 12/6/07 8:36 AM
111. I find it frustrating tht my child attends school so late in the month of June. This does not benefit in the preperation of state mandated tests. Most tests are completed by April. Would it not make more sense to have as many school days before April in order to get our children as ready as possible? Thu, 12/6/07 7:25 AM
112. Would like to see the kids out of school the first part of June!!!!!!!!!!! Wed, 12/5/07 8:35 PM
113. Prefer to have school end earlier in June, and absolutely not to start prior to September 1st. Wed, 12/5/07 7:38 PM
114. I really would like to see my kids start school earlier and finish in the beginning of June not the end. Thank you for giving my family the opportunity to express our ideas and feelings about the up coming school year. Wed, 12/5/07 7:07 PM
115. I have disliked the week-long mid-winter break ever since it started in the fall of 1995. I realize that there are administrative employees that schedule skiing vacations that week. Personally, I would prefer starting school later in September when the weather is nicer and being able to do things with my children outside with the nicer weather. We have two weeks off at Christmas time that can be used for skiing. Wed, 12/5/07 6:04 PM
116. I feel that no matter when the school year ends the kids are ready to get out so the sooner the better and same goes for getting back to school, when the end of August arrives the kids are anxious to go back so the sooner the better there too. Wed, 12/5/07 5:20 PM
117. You wonderful People; You all do such a Great Job on the Calender and it really shows. I really enjoy and am thankful for the phone Messages and all information available regarding my son and his School. thank you so much. I am a Single full time father and am thankful for such a Wonderful School and so many wonderful people working so very hard to make it so nice. Thank you again. marty Fleming Wed, 12/5/07 4:56 PM
118. Mid winter break is a very inconvenient break that takes kids away from learning just after they get back from a long winter break. I would also prefer a 3,4 then 5 day start. I think it is a great way to break up the start of the school year and ease the kids back into the process. Wed, 12/5/07 3:57 PM
119. For those that are activity advisors, it is extremely difficult if you have a late labor day. I would rather start the last day of August than start school on the 8th or 9th of September. This is very limiting and any shows you want to produce or major events require a smaller window of time in which to pull it together. Wed, 12/5/07 3:26 PM
120. Good luck!! The sooner any calendar is published, the better for everyone. Wed, 12/5/07 2:32 PM
121. I would prefer not to have mid-winter break at all. It seems as though the kids have a long enough break during Christmas, then come back and have a holiday two weeks after that. Then President's day in February and spring break in April. It seems like they have too many breaks that interrupt learning once they get back from Christmas break. And if there are snow days, the kids seem to have to go until almost the end of June....and it's difficult enough trying to get daycare over the summer let alone daycare for a week in February. Their summer is cut short when the can be outside the most and they have a week off in February when the weather here is usually rainy and they can't get outside. Most schools in the county do not have midwinter break and it works fine. Wed, 12/5/07 2:20 PM
122. I feel that the mid winter break in February, is unnecessary and inefficient for the education process. This break fall during a time when sustained and focused instruction toward the goals of better test scores and NCLB is crucial. I believe it is best to not break our student's and teacher's focus. Wed, 12/5/07 1:37 PM
123. 1) More days are needed prior to the start of school for teacher inservice. One day to cover all mandated district/state information and any school improvement professional development for teachers is not enough. 2) I cannot begin to stress how important an early release or late start is needed for collaboration purposes - time is needed to plan, implement and evaluate programs and services at all levels. This should be equitable from school to school - grade level to grade level. Please do some county level research and see what other districts are doing with late start or early release days. We cannot continue to be successful without this important collaboration piece. Wed, 12/5/07 1:09 PM
124. As a teacher, I would rather have an entire day for collaboration rather than late arrival/early release because we need the full day to accomplish anything worthwhile. Wed, 12/5/07 1:06 PM
125. A regular schedule of early release/late arrival would be helpful to teachers. Wed, 12/5/07 11:41 AM
126. I would prefer more days before Christmas off; and fewer days off after New Years. PLEASE!!! Wed, 12/5/07 10:56 AM
127. In addition to the guidelines already set in place for the creation of the calendar, I think it is also important that we seek to conclude the school year as early in June as possible. As a teacher, I find that it become increasingly difficult to engage students (and myself!) in productive and meaningful learning as soon as the calendar flips to June. Sun, summer jobs, other schools getting out before us, family vacations...all of these things interfere with sound education. I think it is time to re-evaluate our usual calendar and make some decisions that would alleviate the impact of these issues. Starting after Labor Day sounds nice, but when it comes late it translates to June 20-something at the other end...not to mention the addition of any snow days, which seems to be the rule rather than the exception due to changes in weather patters. Mid-winter break is nice, but totally unnecessary. Thank you for considering this information as you seek to create a calendar that truly does put student achievement first. Wed, 12/5/07 10:40 AM
128. I like the idea of late arrivals if they occur on a consistent basis (ex. the 1st and 3rd Fridays of the month). For any teacher work time to be productive I think that the time allocated needs to be in at least 2 hour chunks of time. Wed, 12/5/07 10:37 AM
129. I would like to see the Christmas break a few days shorter to actually add on days to the school year for snow. That way if there are snow days before the end of the year they are already built in. If we didn't need to use them, the last day of school could be moved up. Nobody's Christmas vacation would be messed up because the days are to be used as school days, but who wouldn't like getting out a few days early if the days weren't needed? Make the calendar 183 or 184 by taking some days off of Christmas break and the mid-winter break. Tell people up front that if no snow days were needed throughout the year, the last day of school could be earlier than scheduled. No Christmas vacations are messed up, the worst thing that happens is that teachers/students get a couple of extra days in June before they leave for a vacation.... And student learning wouldn't be interrupted right in the middle of February after they just got back on track from Christmas break. Wed, 12/5/07 10:13 AM
130. I feel that we should try to make the calendar as complimentary to families with daycare needs as possible while still staying within our guidelines. The fewer days disrrupted by early release,late starts and extra breaks, we don't need,the better. And without the mid- winter break the kids will be able to have a little longer stretch for summer vacation. Wed, 12/5/07 9:52 AM
131. I would love to have school dismissed at 11:10am the day before Thanksgiving. This would help those who travel and also help those who are hosting family and friends for the Holiday meal. Wed, 12/5/07 9:35 AM
132. i strongly prefer preschool on a half day basis for those students who want to attend and should attend. the february break is totally ridiculous not only considering the timing but the value when weighed against instructional continuity. if my memory serves me correctly we are the only district in whatcom county who still has a week-long break. it does not speak well for the ferndale education to advocate for such an irresponsible position and one that has ignored the wishes of parents who pay the tax bill. Wed, 12/5/07 9:17 AM
133. save mid-winter break, it is good to get people well from their colds and flue and recharges everyone, discipline referals drop dramatically after the break wich means more students are being more productive. It is a positive thing for the district. Wed, 12/5/07 8:50 AM
134. I liked it better when we used to begin the three days before labor day. I think the kids really need the mid-winter break. It's too long to go from winter break to spring. They get burned out and don't progress as much as they could if they were refreshed. Wed, 12/5/07 8:29 AM
135. Please try to get schools to be thorough and specific when submitting activities & late start dates prior to printing the calendar. Over the years there has been many instances of forgotten late starts &/or different start times for events. Thanks Wed, 12/5/07 8:26 AM
136. I think late arrivals are far more disruptive than early release, for parents, staff and students. The mid-winter break is very necessary. When we didn't have one last year, there were so many sick students and staff - and not enough of a sub pool to cover. Wed, 12/5/07 8:14 AM
137. I would rather see the spring break in March, and do away with mid winter break. Easter is not a holiday off, so why tie spring break with it? Please do away with mid winter break and make the school year shorter. Wed, 12/5/07 7:24 AM
138. What about getting out sometime in early June? Do we not get to decide on that? Get rid of all the breaks and get out of school the 1st or 2nd week on June I think everyone I talk to would prefer that the most. Wed, 12/5/07 7:19 AM
139. Years ago we had banked time every school day by starting a little bit earlier every morning. I don't think that we every dropped that and we are probably already banking the time we would need in order to do early release days for collaboration. Looking over previous M808 reports would probably reveal this. Releasing teachers during the day for meetings is NOT a good option, we need to get away from doing that. Tue, 12/4/07 10:21 PM
140. I do appreciate that the calendar is published for the entire year so I can plan my work schedule around it. However, it is very inconvenient to wait so long to find out what that calendar is. We didn't even know the first day of school until the end of summer. My preference is that the first day of school for the following year be known in May. An early release day here and there is okay. I can change my work schedule to accomodate that. However, having 5 of them in a row (on top of a week which already had a holiday on the previous Mon and an early release the previous Fri) was incredibly difficult to manage for me, as a working parent. It required too much flexilibity with my work schedule and imposed a lot of stress on making arrangements for my child. Snow days and late arrivals. Some are justified, others seem pretty overly-cautious for no reason. For instance, 12-3-07. Roads were completely clear by 8am with no ice, slush, etc.. in Ferndale. They were simply wet. A late arrival was not necessary and posed issues for juggling schedules for parents and children. Good luck in the bargaining process! Tue, 12/4/07 9:50 PM
141. Our middle child attended the pre-school provided by the government grant. We would really like our last child to be able to attend the same pre-school program as well. My husband was told that the current program has been altered to only serve American Indians. We understand this is the reason for the grant, but if there are openings we would really like the opportunity to send our child to it as well. Our second child who did attend the pre-school, benefited greatly from it, and we would like the same opportunity for our last child Tue, 12/4/07 9:36 PM
142. I prefer a full day for teacher improvement. When meeting for the entire day, teachers are able to focus completely on the learning improvement task at hand. Tue, 12/4/07 9:30 PM
143. I would like to see school get out 5 to 6 days before Christmas and go back to school right after the New Year. This year's schedule has way too much time after Christmas. Tue, 12/4/07 8:45 PM
144. Has the School District considered starting school the Wed before Labor Day, going the 3 days and then getting the Labor Day weekend off, easing the kids back into school and getting out earlier in June? Just curious. You guys are doing a great job!!! Tue, 12/4/07 8:21 PM
145. I appreciate the district allowing us to give our opinion regarding this important decision, Thank you. Tue, 12/4/07 8:04 PM
146. THE EARLIER OUT IN JUNE, THE BETTER. Tue, 12/4/07 7:32 PM
147. Thanks for asking our opinion! Tue, 12/4/07 7:18 PM
148. 1. attendance is terrible the day before long breaks (Winter, Thanksgiving). please consider having these be 1/2 days. I know of at least two other districts who do this so family, staff, community can leave early without missing classtime. 2. more time for professional development Tue, 12/4/07 6:38 PM
149. I prefer that the day between semesters be either Friday or Monday. I'd like all students to have a half-day on the day before Thanksgiving. I'd like to explore the idea of having a holiday on the Monday after Easter. Tue, 12/4/07 6:06 PM
150. When school starts in August, I feel cheated out of my summer. At the high school, I find that the February break, when too long, throws off the learning happening at the beginning of the semester. The rhythm gets thrown off as you and your new or mixed-up classes try to "bond". A day or two works, a whole week is disruptive. Tue, 12/4/07 5:29 PM
151. I met a teacher this summer who works in a district that works 4 eight-hour school days per week and have a three-day weekend every week. This allows for longer chunks of concentrated class time, refreshing 3-day weekends, and significant budget savings (only 4 days of bussing, heating, water usage, cafeteria staff, etc...) and teachers can get bigger chunks of collaborative/planning time. Is there a chance we could request such a schedule from the state? Tue, 12/4/07 5:17 PM
152. Would like to see school started sooner and ending earlier. More Summer time for KIDS. Tue, 12/4/07 4:38 PM
153. Less Midwinter break = better Tue, 12/4/07 4:36 PM
154. Please coordinate programs between the schools (ie: elementary, middle high school) so that they do not fall on the same days, this would allow families to attend programs including open houses at all levels rather than having to choose. Tue, 12/4/07 4:26 PM
155. Please do not scedule the last day of school on a Friday. Please try to plan for make-up days that still preserve the last week of June for summer activities. Please! Please! Please! Tue, 12/4/07 4:25 PM
156. I think we don't need the mid-winter break,b/c we just had a christmas break for 10days. And we need to to save it for the snow days. If we don't then the kids could end up going to school into July. Which I don't want b/c we as a family start going on family vacations and go camping. Besides,in April the kids have spring break. Tue, 12/4/07 4:15 PM
157. By ending the school year late in June, it makes it difficult, sometimes impossible, for teachers to participate in university/college summer programs. If teachers are required to continue their education, they need to be able to take courses and not miss the final days of school in order to attend classes. Tue, 12/4/07 4:08 PM
158. Would like to keep spring break! Tue, 12/4/07 4:01 PM
159. Using the "all call" system to announce this has cheapened the importance of receiving an All Call message. Instead of "All Call" being important information from your child's school, it may or may not be important or it may be what is perceived as a 'sales call'. Those of us that think the calendar is important would have logged on and done the survey from a newsletter or some other means. Tue, 12/4/07 3:57 PM
160. Start early, get out early. Tue, 12/4/07 3:56 PM
161. Past experience has shown that more can be accomplished with full or half training days rather than simply one hour in the morning. Thanks for asking. Tue, 12/4/07 3:49 PM
162. Mid winter break is a chance to break the flu and cold cycle and start again refreshed for all the students and the staff. Tue, 12/4/07 3:40 PM
163. Winter break is fine the way it is. Mid-winter break seems a little pointless. I would rather my son and daughter get out of school earlier and only take a one or two day mid-winter break. Tue, 12/4/07 3:39 PM
164. I would like to see the district get back to school being out by early June. No later than June 9th. This can be accomplished by starting the last week of August, and getting rid of Mid winter break. I would rather see an additional day to Thanksgiving break. I favor early release instead of a teacher inservice once a month. You should research other districts outside of Washington State. I do not favor starting school early August and being out end of May. Tue, 12/4/07 3:38 PM
165. Please make some room for snow days besides the ones at the end of the school year. Tue, 12/4/07 3:37 PM
166. the kids need more time off and need to havea longer summer afterall, they're just kids! Thanks Alot Tue, 12/4/07 3:35 PM
167. The mid-winter break is not helpful to the kids or the parents. The kids return to school around the 3rd of January (receive MLK Day off) and then get another day (President's) in February. Having an entire week off after only attending school for 5-6 full weeks throws the kids consistency off and makes it difficult for working parents. We also feel that if Sept. 1 or 2 is Labor then start after Labor but if Labor day falls on 3-7 of Sept, start school the Wednesday prior to allow for earlier release in June. If you choose to have mid-winter break (or even a day or two of break) please keep them as an optional snow day so we don't run into the same headaches that occurred last year when we missed 8 days due to snow! Thanks for listening! Tue, 12/4/07 3:34 PM
168. Thank you for putting this online and thank you for letting us choose between before or after Labor Day for the two different years - since Labor Day are so different between 08 and 09. We should take into consideration that difference. Tue, 12/4/07 3:17 PM
169. I like the calendar exactly the way it was this year. Two weeks at christmas, 1 week in feb and 1 week in april. Because of daycare issues I would prefer to limit as many evenings where we are required to work. Tue, 12/4/07 3:04 PM
170. Lets start early, eliminate mid-winter break and get out of school early Tue, 12/4/07 2:59 PM
171. Please keep winter break with ten days and three weekends off! Please keep mid-winter break as one full week off! Please keep the first day of school ALWAYS after Labor Day! Thank you. Tue, 12/4/07 2:55 PM
172. My daycare provides extra care for early release and late arrival, but not for days off - days off are more likely to affect my work schedule. Mid-winter break is not needed - a long weekend should be plenty for kids just getting back into a routine after so many holiday breaks. Also makes it had for a working parent. Tue, 12/4/07 2:51 PM
173. I feel strongly about keeping the February Break because I think it gives us a "germ break." So many students and staff are really sick by that time that we need to be away from each other to break the cycle. Sometimes my family is able to travel that week, some years not, but we always benefit from the rest and are healthier for it. Thanks for asking. Tue, 12/4/07 2:49 PM
174. With fewer school days in September, it is difficult to meet timelines for special education. Tue, 12/4/07 2:46 PM
175. Because of the early Thanksgiving the past two years, the early dismissal prior to fall report cards/conferences has been too close to the beginning of conferences. I understand this also had something to do with making a long Veterans' Day weekend for families and that the jump to a late Thanksgiving next year might solve the problem, but the "rule" had previously been that there were to be two weekends between the early dismissal and the first conference date. If you need more info., have Elvis contact me. Thanks. Jerri Kennedy Central Tue, 12/4/07 2:44 PM
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