Seattle Schools Decides on Snow Make-Up Days
From SPS Communications:
I have to smile at this:
" the amount of instructional time a student spends with their teacher is one of the most important factors in learning."
An effective teacher can be effective until the last day of school but experience shows us that many teachers give up and just show movies. I think those last days might be a great time to focus on art curriculum which students would enjoy and, if done correctly, would enhance the learning they have already done.
Noting upfront that more snow may come next Sunday, March 3rd, or Monday, March 4th, this news may change.
The winter weather and related schedule changes have been a challenge for many and we thank you for your patience. In February, school closed for five days due to the series of snow storms.
This year’s school calendar included two make-up days in June (June 21 and 24); the three additional make-up days will be added to the calendar following those days as outlined in the 2019 Collective Bargaining Agreement, with the Seattle Education Association.I assume this means the district will not ask OSPI for any waivers.
The last day of school for students in grades preschool through 11 will be June 27.
The priority of the district is to provide high-quality instruction to all our students and ensure they are academically prepared. The decision to extend school until June 27 was made with this goal in mind and in consultation with the Seattle Education Association. While we recognize extending the school year may be challenging for some families, we also know that the amount of instructional time a student spends with their teacher is one of the most important factors in learning.
High school graduation dates will not change. Read more about graduation. In order to meet the state’s instructional time requirement, the last day of school for students in 12th grade will be June 20. Students will be expected to finish any outstanding coursework or exams required for graduation. High school principals will communicate further updates specific to their school over the coming weeks.
See the revised school year dates for 2018-19.
I have to smile at this:
" the amount of instructional time a student spends with their teacher is one of the most important factors in learning."
An effective teacher can be effective until the last day of school but experience shows us that many teachers give up and just show movies. I think those last days might be a great time to focus on art curriculum which students would enjoy and, if done correctly, would enhance the learning they have already done.
Noting upfront that more snow may come next Sunday, March 3rd, or Monday, March 4th, this news may change.
Comments
A parent
Listen, we get it. Just take the kids and go. Your students might have unexcused absences but they and you will live. Just spare us the outrage that there are minimum standards of school time. Seattle schools have a lot of issues but forecasting for recordbusting snow isn't one of them.
Feel sorry for people who make their living on summer camps. That's a week of revenue down the drain.
Another Parent
Nw parent
I don't have summer plans so don't really care when school ends this year, but I do hate to send my kids somewhere where they're going to just waste their time instead of learning, which is what they'd rather do. Unless I hear from the teachers that they actually ARE going to be doing important learning on those days--that they aren't just play days, because the teachers feel they need to cover everything important by the original deadline--I'll keep my kids home and let them read and make things.
Snow use
checks out
Newbie
ST Subscriber
Students and families won't get any say then either. So, we can always hope that out of the benevolent goodness of their hearts that they do what we want. But that's all the say students and families get.
I wonder what happens if the public schools get shut down for a month or two due to a health quarantine. Like what happened with influenza in 1918-19. Apparently L.A. switched to correspondence courses for older students...
Not completely true. Middle school grades can be important if a student intends to apply to private school for high school (or the latter part of middle school); if a student intends to apply to the Robinson Center's programs; if a student intends to apply for a competitive summer program or internship or scholarship; and so on. Grades may also impact whether or not a student is allowed to move to the next level of a class in middle school, or when they move up to high school.
Ironically, this may keep some of the most academically oriented students in school for the most academically useless week of all.
all types