Year round school (Atlanta, Decatur, Woodstock: preschool, vacation, activities)

[kippa]

If anyone could give their school name...........

I am in search of year round schools.

[Mattie]

Check out schools in Woodstock. My friend has since moved from there, but she loved the year round schedule when she was a resident.

[janet45]

Cambridge International Preschool at Buckhead (but it is a preschool) or the Chastain School (religious).

Good luck!

[RainyRainyDay]

Woodstock, mentioned by Mattie above, is in Cherokee county. The Cherokee public schools have been on a "balanced" schedule for several years, I believe. It's not really year-round, exactly, but the summer vacation is shorter and there are one-week breaks during the year.

Cobb County Schools went to the same schedule, starting this August. I'm a Cobb parent and was personally neutral or mildly favorable toward this change. However, I have the impression that the majority of parents were enraged about the shorter summer and are ready to kick out the school board members who voted for it just as soon as they possibly can. Therefore, I'm skeptical if this schedule will last beyond the 2010-2011 school year in Cobb.

However, we're now at the end of the September break week. My high school junior LOVED having the week off. She found it a very restorative break. All her friends who stayed in town are saying the same on Facebook, apparently. A surprising number of students and teachers seem to have taken off on actual vacation trips, some even to Europe. I don't know if this break week will have gone over as big in elementary school families, but for high schoolers, it seems like a hit so far. My junior has a very demanding academic schedule, and I was able to say to her encouragingly the other day "So after this you just have to press on and work hard until Thanksgiving, and then you get another break! That's not so bad. After that, work until Christmas, then a two-week break." It's nice to have high school work broken up like this.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by RainyRainyDay

...

However, we're now at the end of the September break week. My high school junior LOVED having the week off. She found it a very restorative break. All her friends who stayed in town are saying the same on Facebook, apparently. A surprising number of students and teachers seem to have taken off on actual vacation trips, some even to Europe. I don't know if this break week will have gone over as big in elementary school families, but for high schoolers, it seems like a hit so far. My junior has a very demanding academic schedule, and I was able to say to her encouragingly the other day "So after this you just have to press on and work hard until Thanksgiving, and then you get another break! That's not so bad. After that, work until Christmas, then a two-week break." It's nice to have high school work broken up like this.

[lastminutemom]

RainyRainyDay

I have a question. Did she have lots of homework, tests to prepare for or projects over this break?

Back in the dark ages, when finals were given after winter break, many teachers would assign a fair amount of work over the break. This had made many, including me, leary of a year round calender.

LMM

[RainyRainyDay]

Originally Posted by lastminutemom

RainyRainyDay

I have a question. Did she have lots of homework, tests to prepare for or projects over this break?

Back in the dark ages, when finals were given after winter break, many teachers would assign a fair amount of work over the break. This had made many, including me, leary of a year round calender.

LMM

Hi, LMM!

The week before the break was gruesome - all kinds of work due, three major tests on the Friday! I can only think the teachers were determined to avoid assigning work over the break, so they really piled it on before-hand.

As a result, over the break itself, my daughter had only to complete a lab write-up and write a book report. The book report was assigned six weeks ago and was originally supposed to be due before the break too, but the teacher took pity on overloaded students and granted an extension. However, a student who planned ahead could have gotten it done before-hand. In my opinion, this wasn't a lot of assigned work during the break, and I was pleased about that. My daughter has had a good rest and done some fun activities. She got together midweek with some school friends and reported that everyone was enthusiastic about the week off.

I myself attended high school on the block system in Canada, during the dark ages. I hated having assignments to do and studying for finals to worry about during the winter break, so I'm personally a big fan of the way it's done here in the Atlanta area, with the school year starting in August and finals before Christmas.

I guess it remains to be seen if the teachers can manage to continue avoiding assigning work at the next week off, at Thanksgiving. I certainly hope so, as our family has a vacation trip planned.

[roxyrn]

It really isn't a vacation if kids have homework, tests to study for, whatever, hanging over them.

It is great for students and teachers/staff to have a week off and for those who want to travel, September is the time for best travel deals.

But, three months in the summer can be awful long and the amount of "knowledge" not retained does not do anyone any good. Some special education students are entitled to ESY (extended school year) if it is deemed appropriate.

[oakhurstlauren]

City of Decatur school system went to this schedule as well. We had our first fall break the week of the 13th and the kids loved it of course. No homework either other than reading, which my son would've done anyway.