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School will be closed for the rest of the week

Discussion in 'Broadlands Community Issues' started by yajing, Jan 22, 2014.

  1. yajing

    yajing New Member

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    As much as I respect school's viewing student's safety as the top priority, the whole week off is really hard for working parents.
     
  2. hornerjo

    hornerjo Senior Member

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    Last edited: Jan 22, 2014
    Che11ez likes this.
  3. kenw

    kenw New Member

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    LCPS is way too conservative in closing schools. School is closed for a week because of a 4-inch snowfall? My main beef is the message that this sends to our kids about the importance of school and about their ability to overcome challenges. I understand that we want the kids to be safe, but there is a downside to canceling school.

    My daughter and I walked to the Safeway shopping center today at lunchtime today (Wednesday). We put on our boots and our cold weather clothing, and we walked carefully, and it wasn't a problem.
     
  4. Che11ez

    Che11ez Active Member

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    Please also understand the condition of the Western part of the county. Also, Friday is the teacher workday that WOULD have been Monday; makes sense to me.
     
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  5. MikeK

    MikeK Member

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    I don't envy the position Dr. Hatrick and the school administrators are in. If they don't cancel and students are hurt on the roads then they will be vilified. If they cancel school then they get a lot of folks mad and saying how "soft" Loudoun is. We are a unique county because the terrain west of Leesburg is still mostly rural compared to some of the other counties in the area.
     
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  6. Villager

    Villager Ashburn Village Resident

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    If you choose to live in "the country" (i.e., Western Loudoun) you should expect you'll need to be of hardy stock. Country life ain't for sissies.
     
  7. sportzfish

    sportzfish New Member

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    I drove through the Belle Terra this afternoon and saw a car that slid off the road into a shallow ditch, so there are some neighborhood roads that are not in the best condition....
     
  8. Jammy

    Jammy New Member

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    I understand the western part of the county having issues dealing with the weather conditions but may be it is feasible to shut down part of the school system and not everything?
    particularly on days when it is not an "arctic chill" effect.
    starting from thanksgiving break, you could literally count the number of days school was in session.
     
  9. Sasquatch519

    Sasquatch519 Member

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    I had heard that they closed for the rest of the week because it was midterm week and they just decided to cancel the tests. Not sure how much truth there is to that. Either way, it's still really hard on families with who don't have anyone home during the day.
     
  10. diana5869

    diana5869 Member

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    How would that work for instructional days? Some students get more instructional days than others? The school system plans for situations like this by having a longer school day than required by the state. The state requires 5.5 hours of instructional time, which would require the students to be at school for 6 hours. The county school day is 6 hours 45 minutes, meaning students make up one snow day every 7.3 instructional days. Since Monday was a holiday, and tomorrow is a teacher work day ( which was scheduled for next Monday anyway) these three snow days will be made up by the end of February. The students are not losing instructional time.
     
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  11. Jammy

    Jammy New Member

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    didn't know this
     
  12. Che11ez

    Che11ez Active Member

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    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 long. The minimum length of an LCPS instructional day is 6 hours. (The total day is 6 hours, 45 minutes.)

    School divisions are required to have a plan for making up a total of 15 days missed because of bad weather or other emergencies. For 2013-2014, LCPS will operate on a 180-day instructional calendar. Because the length of the instructional day in LCPS exceeds the 5.5 hour minimum, the 15 required “make-up days” are covered in the established school calendar.

    Loudoun County has had this policy governing the “fixed calendar” since 1990. The fixed calendar means that days missed for inclement weather will not cause truncated vacations, Saturday classes, lengthened school days, or changes in graduation dates.
     
  13. sandaddy

    sandaddy New Member

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    I'm so frustrated with the school system. Safety is important, but if they are so concerned with risk and lawsuits then why field football teams? The earlier commentator was right - it sends a message that we can't deal with even minor challenges. Maybe the eastern half of the county should secede so we don't have to be hostage to the unique dynamics of the western part and can get on with our lives. And here's another problem. Exams were supposedly canceled at high schools b/c of supposed need to get jump on next semester. So what happens? County makes the exams optional and kids are supposed to make them up on their own. And teachers at Briar Woods use class time to do the tests and those opting out of exams either stay home or do busy work in class and we haven't gotten a jump on the next semester academics. What a waste of another week.
     
  14. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    They cancelled mid-term exams?!?!? Really!?!??!
    And Loudoun likes to tout how academically strong it is!?!?!?? What a joke! This school system is an embarrassment. It is, at best, mediocre academically and horrible as far as leadership and management. Thank goodness Hatrick and some of his sycophants executives will be gone next year.
     
  15. sandaddy

    sandaddy New Member

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    Yes, they canceled exams. Then they changed minds and made it optional for students. The whole point was that they couldn't afford to waste more time starting on the next semester. But then Briar Woods, or maybe individual teachers, circumvented the whole system by giving exams during class, which left those not taking the exams sitting doing busy work, or staying home, while the exams took place. So now nobody got a jumpstart on the new semester. Bad idea to cancel exams - but if you're going to do it, do it. Don't do it half way and then end up with even less instruction. I'm curious if this went on countywide or if it was the brilliant academicians at our fine Briar Woods High School doing this on their own. All the schools my kids have been to - Hillside Elementary, Eagle Ridge Middle and Briar Woods have been horrible, with a few teachers as exceptions. Eagle Ridge is lucky now - have a new principle. Ms. Beechler (sp.?) was horrible. I agree, Loudoun schools are not good. Don't believe the hype. They really like to pat themselves on the back b/c of test scores, etc., but a lot of the teachers are awful and the students aren't learning and the instruction is so boring. Thanks Loudoun - great ROI for my high taxes.
     
  16. T8erman

    T8erman Well-Known Member

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    Loudoun has been like this for eons. I grew up Sterling Park and we missed school occasionally when the west got hit and the east got absolutely nothing, not even a flake!
     
  17. T8erman

    T8erman Well-Known Member

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    With that much distaste for LoCo schools, maybe you should have considered private schools.
     
  18. Mr. Linux

    Mr. Linux Senior Member & Moderator Forum Staff

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    The season's not over yet - looks like we're in for another storm on Monday. 5" predicted, and as of right now, Loudoun County is under a Winter Storm Watch.
     
  19. sandaddy

    sandaddy New Member

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    Some people can't afford private school. And private school isn't an automatic plus - some aren't that good/worth the money. And the real good ones are more expensive than going to college. Was hoping that the school system that supposed to be elite actually was at least above mediocre.
     
  20. andrewhoya

    andrewhoya New Member

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    As for Briar Woods, it was the school decision to have the exams during class time and not individual teachers. That being said, nearly all students did not take an exam, and teachers began on second semester work. In my six classes, there were a total of 4 students who took the exams. Contrary to what other posters have said, we were not given busy work, but instead were given extra credit opportunities (essays on various topics to be completed during class), outlines for upcoming chapters, or, in most cases, just began our second semester material. Was it an odd decision to do make-ups this way? Absolutely, I think it was one of the worst decisions the school has made in a long time. Did it actually put teachers and students behind to the extent that everyone here posting has inferred? Not at all.

    Also, teachers were instructed to not give homework this week....Which didn't stop them from making things due next week. They were hurt more by the countless students who did not show up to class, as they thought they would just be getting busy work, than the change of schedule. Friday was the last day we as seniors could miss before senior exam exemptions could start, which led to an even higher number of students staying home to get one last day off.
     

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