City marks earliest back-to-school date in history Schools & Kids, posted by Editor, Palo Alto Online, on Aug 16, 2012 at 9:07 pm
More than 12,000 Palo Alto students kicked off the 2012-13 academic year Thursday, Aug. 16 -- the earliest back-to-school date in local history. Teachers, whose first official work day was Monday, Aug. 13, appeared to take it in stride, while not exactly rejoicing at the early start. Photo by Veronica Weber/Palo Alto Online.
Read the full story here Web Link posted Thursday, August 16, 2012, 10:55 AM
Posted by Resident, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Aug 16, 2012 at 9:07 pm
This has also been the first Thursday start to the school year. Many of the kids have been to various activities at school this week. It has been a very strange 3 days and can hardly be thought of as summer break as there wasn't enough time for camps or other meaningful activities.
Posted by Cur Mudgeon, a resident of the Greenmeadow neighborhood, on Aug 17, 2012 at 11:03 am
mmm when I was a kid in the 50s in the South, school was out by the end of May and started right after Labor Day. But the intensity of the academics was not what it is today. We also did not have a winter break, other than a week off at Christmas, nor a spring break. Not to mention NO A/C in the buildings--open windows, sultry days, floor fans blowing in the classrooms.
Posted by resident, a resident of the Barron Park neighborhood, on Aug 17, 2012 at 9:00 pm
We like the new calendar. I am looking forward to getting out early and getting good flight deals instead of paying full summer prices. You think we started early, my niece in LA started Aug 8th!
Posted by Not Like, a resident of the Crescent Park neighborhood, on Aug 17, 2012 at 11:34 pm
Our family don't like the new calendar - weather is still so nice but the kids are back to classrooms for hours. What's the hurry??!!! Let's have 2 calendars, high schools can start early if they want. Elementary & middle schools can start late.
Posted by JSD, a resident of the Palo Verde neighborhood, on Aug 18, 2012 at 9:41 am
Of course we would have loved some more time before school started, but that's been our experience regardless of when school starts. We are looking forward to school ending in May.
No calendar is perfect, and I hope the folks at 25 Churchill and the BOE will continue to look at any refinements that can be made, but (as someone who lived through post-Winter Break finals in college), I'm all for allowing the semester to truly end before the 2-week break.
Have the number of testing days in the 2nd semester (STAR, AP, etc.) been taken into consideration when trying to balance the class time of both semesters?
I hope that, as a parent community, we can find ways to discuss school district issues without drawing lines in the sand, creating an Us v. Them scenario over every decision point, and sabotaging (with attitudes and deeds) decisions that are made while still giving valuable and honest input as we live through them.
Posted by Paly Parent, a member of the Palo Alto High School community, on Aug 20, 2012 at 9:55 am
The very abbreviated summer meant everything was rushed--and downtime with the whole family (when my husband and I could take vacation) faced the biggest cuts. Sad, as my high school kids get older and I knew relaxing family vacations were going to come to an end eventually, to have them cut back so abruptly. For my work schedule, "vacation" in May just isn't happening, so instead of family vacation time we'll have parents working kids rattling around (because their summer camps of choise don't start until late June) time.
Posted by Good Schedule, a member of the Palo Alto High School community, on Aug 20, 2012 at 12:30 pm
I know it's hard to start school this early, but I'm really looking forward to having a real Winter Break when kids aren't saddled with studying for exams.
Posted by You are the 1%, a resident of another community, on Aug 20, 2012 at 4:13 pm
Ah yes, what a wonderful idea, Feel The Heat. Let's make everyone suffer because some classrooms don't have AC.
High schoolers are on campus for longer and many of them have sports or other after school activites (journalism, robotics, music, tutoring, etc.) that keep them on campus longer. While the kindergarteners might play a light game of Red-Light-Green-Light for PE, the high schoolers are running the mile or longer. Give them some AC while we're cramming their skulls and reminding them that the Ivy League is the only collegiate institution their parents will accept. The kindergarteners can be ferreted away to air conditioned homes or daycares at 1:15.
Posted by palo alto mom, a resident of the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood, on Aug 20, 2012 at 5:33 pm
Feel the heat - not sure how changing the start of school creates "suffering" for kinders. BTW - the kids who actually suffer from the heat are the middle school students because they have very little AC, only the portables have AC just like the elementary schools and they are in class almost as long as HS.
I personally would have been happy with more uneven semesters so finals could be before Winter Break. But we really don't coddle our teenagers - the opposite happens if anything.
Posted by You are the 1%, a resident of another community, on Aug 21, 2012 at 9:42 am
@Feel the Heat - I think the point of my comment was that NOBODY was suffering. True, the high schoolers have AC. However, the kindergarteners don't NEED AC. Consequently, nobody is suffering.
And if you're going to follow up with Mike and say that 71 degrees means we don't need AC in the high schools, then you logic would dictate that we don't need air conditioning in the elementary schools because the climate is similar. Your entire point is invalid. You're just upset because your vacation plans had to alter slightly in the name of helping the high schoolers--which your child will be, one day.
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