When should school start and end for the year? [Archive]

kakn7294

08-23-2007, 12:09 AM

There is a bill proposed in PA that would require that public schools do not start the new year until after Labor Day. This year, my DD's will start school in the morning - on Aug 23. We are the only district in our area to start this soon. They also go until usually somewhere around the 8 - 10 of June. I love the idea of this bill - I'm sick of cutting my summer plans (including needing to change the week of my recent vacation to WDW) because of how short our summer breaks are. For a non-year-round school, when do you think the school year should start and end? I'd like to see it go back to the way it was when I was a kid - start the day after Labor Day and end at the end of May or very beginning of June. Let the kids have a real summer break! Please, to all who post - let's keep this discussion civil and not get nasty with each other.

SPCMT

08-23-2007, 12:14 AM

well in my high school we get out mid-july and get back in early september...i know that my cousins school in arizona gets out in may but gets back in August...i would rather have hers becasue she has all of May to go to DL and stuff when everyone else is still in school but if everyone switches to that...it sort of defeats the purpose

Sunshine1010

08-23-2007, 01:11 AM

My son's school:

School starts the last week of July
School ends the last week of May

.....he's got a whopping 8 1/2 weeks for summer break.

Poor kid......

BigRedDad

08-23-2007, 04:01 AM

NC passed a similar Bill that schools cannot start prior to Aug 25 and end no later than June 10th (or somewhere around that date in June). The problem with it is that they left room for "exceptions". Over half the counties have exceptions to this Bill meaning it is a Bill for the minority. In my county, there is such over crowding, most Elementary schools and some middle schools are Year Round (on 9 weeks, off 3 weeks). Once the Bill gets removed, I am betting my county will take all Elementary and Middle schools to YR.

conorsmom2000

08-23-2007, 07:45 AM

Our district has always started school the Wednesday after Labor Day - it's been that way since I was a kid. What frustrates me, though, is the last day of school. Last day of school, has to be a set date due to the HS graduation - back when I was in HS in this district, the graduation party was held at the HS. Parents decorated the entire HS in a elaborate theme - it was open to the public for one afternoon prior to Graduation because it was such a popular thing to see. But, within 5 years of my graduating, they stopped having the graduation party at the HS because they could not get enough parents to help anymore. So, now the party is held outside the school and it must be booked a year in advance. So that, plus the "built in snow days", means that we have a set date of June 25th as the last day of school. This is also pushed backed later than in the past because we now have a week off in February as a "Fuel Conservation Week" - in the past, we only had a 3 day weekend for Presidents Day, now we get the whole week off.

Should we not use all our built in snow days, as we didn't this year, they can no longer adjust the date of the last day of school - now the kids are given a longer Memorial Day weekend (Con was off Friday, Monday and Tuesday this year, instead of just Monday). And it works the opposite way too - should we go over our snow days, the days are then taken off our April Spring break, shortening that vacation week - because they can't add on at the end of the year since it's a set date.

It's all rather confusing, but the bottom line is that I think June 25th is awful late to be getting out. Not in terms of not having enough of a break for the summer, but in terms of the fact that it's hot in the NE at that time and these are old schools with no AC - both kids and teachers will admit that not much gets done in the month of June because it's just too hot. Personally, I'd rather see them get out mid-June and lose some of the breaks during the year.

By the way, I personally like the idea of year round schools, but I'm wondering if that's harder for working parents? I'm not debating it, just thinking out loud.... :D

kakn7294

08-23-2007, 08:26 AM

I have wondered about the year-round school thing too. I haven't decided if I would like it or not although I'm leaning towards liking it. I know that they would miss the longer summer break that they have now but with only 10 weeks off anyway, so I don't think that their summer would really be reduced by that much time. BTW, my girls going back to school today is about a week earlier than many districts in the area and about 2 weeks earlier than many Pittsburgh area schools but we don't finish the year earlier than any of them - in fact, most finish before we do. We have so many piddly breaks - a 3 day weekend here, a day off for teacher development there, built-in snow days, a spring break - that's what extends our school year.

BigRedDad

08-23-2007, 08:27 AM

By the way, I personally like the idea of year round schools, but I'm wondering if that's harder for working parents? I'm not debating it, just thinking out loud.... :D

I could go on all day about that discussion. For the kids and most teachers (the ones that actually get the 3 weeks off), it is a tremendous benefit. The teachers have less burn-out, the kids retain more information. Working parents have to find alternatives, but there are many programs available now for these things. I just wish my wife can get into one of the schools to teach. Makes vacationing 100x easier with crowds and cost.

kakn7294,
The comment in your signature about WDW only being the MK, they had River Country then :) They also had that massive arcade in the Contemporary with the shooting gallery (when they actually had BBs), the Hercules pinball machine, and a bunch of others. I almost enjoyed that as much as MK.

BMan62

08-23-2007, 08:29 AM

Pennsylvania has a state law that school must be in session for 180 days per year. The school district can specify school year start and end dates, but they MUST be in session 180 days and holidays and in-services do not count.

That is 36 weeks. Giving a week mid-semester break in fall and winter sessions and a two week Christmas/New Years break, there is 40 weeks off the calendar year. Add Labor Day, Thanksgiving (2 - 3 days depending on whether or not your district gives First Day of Deer Season off,) Easter (Good Friday,) President's Day, MLK Day, in-services, etc. and you have two more full weeks off bringing the total to 42 weeks (or more.)

Now, that only leaves 10 weeks for Summer vacation. If you start after Labor Day, then you would have to run into late June.

Caroleh

08-23-2007, 08:30 AM

When I lived in Iowa, we would start around the last week of August and get out the first week of June. Up here they start the Tuesday after Labor Day and go until the end of June. They usually have 2 weeks off in Feb. for spring break.

murphy1

08-23-2007, 09:17 AM

My kids started August 8th and end in June, I believe beginning of the month. The hard part here in GA is that they haven't been able to get out for recess much b/c our heat has been 100 degress most days!!! Their dad has been taking them to our community pool when he gets home from work to let them get out and cool off. I think Florida has been a week after us.

(PS I want to see a trip report and pics from you Kathy!!!)

Darbylew

08-23-2007, 09:19 AM

Our schools here in the panhandle of Florida
started on Aug. 20 and will get out on June 5.
We are disappointed that there will be no fall
break this year by starting later. We usually go
to WDW during the fall break but not this year.
They will get a week at Thanksgiving and then
have a spring break.

tink2006

08-23-2007, 09:23 AM

There is a bill proposed in PA that would require that public schools do not start the new year until after Labor Day. ... I love the idea of this bill ... I'd like to see it go back to the way it was when I was a kid - start the day after Labor Day and end at the end of May or very beginning of June.

I am in Indiana and our schools started August 13th and will go until the end of May/early June. The State required some schools to start earlier, based on declining IStep scores.

I agree! Schools should not start until after Labor Day and they should end for summer break end of May/early June. Our school system has many one day "breaks/holidays" throughout the school year. There is not much that can be done with just one day. Why not eliminate some of these days? We also have several teacher in-service 1/2 days. Maybe they can consolidate some of these as well.

I think a good education is one of the most important gifts we can give our children. Therefore, I am not suggesting less time in school just more efficient use of the time. Teachers....Please do not be offended. I realize that you have one of the most important jobs - educating our children! You do the best job possible given the many constraints imposed - thank you.

Ian

08-23-2007, 09:54 AM

Momof2boys

08-23-2007, 10:12 AM

Here in Wisconsin we have a law that states school cannot start until September 1st. Some years we start the Thursday or Friday before Labor Day, but this year with the 1st being on a Saturday we won't start until the 4th. Our last day of school is June 11th.

murphy1

08-23-2007, 10:25 AM

Wow, Ian, it would at least be nice to have a choice whether you want full or half day, I can't believe that she only gets three hours. You can do half day here at private schools for K or full. All of our public funded prek 4's are full day and K public is full.

conorsmom2000

08-23-2007, 10:25 AM

Well let's start with me expressing my frustration with the fact that our school district doesn't have full day kindergarten. I think that's ridiculous, considering most kids have been going to all day day care and pre-school by now.

My DD's kindergarten goes for a whopping 3 hours a day, leaving us with a big child care headache. For all the money we pour into our public school system, you'd think they could have full day classes.

Our district also does not have full day kindergarten which is very frustrating, especially as most of area already has full day K. Conor attended Kindergarten for a whopping 2 hours and 42 minutes - considering they have the same curriculm guidelines as the schools that have full day K, this meant his teacher had to do the same work in half the time. As I got to be in the classroom a few times, I can honestly say it could be quite chaotic and very fast paced. Though, K enrollment in our district is quite low, as most parents opt to send their kids to full day at the private and catholic schools - then we get a huge surge in enrollment for first grade! When Conor was in K, there were 30 kids enrolled between the AM and PM sessions - when he went to first grade, there were 44 children enrolled. Our district has been exploring the option of full day K but the biggest hurdle is space - our school does not have any available class rooms and no room to add on. We already only have an "all purpose" room - so no gym, no cafeteria (the kids eat their desks!) and no auditorium - just the one room that can barely hold all 260+ students at once. Not all of the schools in our district have this problem, but it is our biggest hurdle right now.

murphy1

08-23-2007, 10:42 AM

We are in such a great district, I don't know why people complain about GA being in the lower end of all the states on education, they are building schools here like crazy and the teachers are awesome. My dd's kind class is only 15 kids with two teachers. We also have been helped for my oldest dd with Speech and the guidance counselor has tutored her and kept an eye on her. I feel very, very lucky, this is probably the biggest reason I haven't moved back to Florida.

honeybear

08-23-2007, 11:08 AM

This new bill almost sounds like how our school system is here. School starts the Wednesday after Labor Day and Ends the 2nd or 3rd week in June. They get a week at Christmas time, A week in February, and a week in April. I am not sure if they still do, but when I was little we used to get off for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. (Please forgive me if I have spelled this incorrectly). I really had no idea how much the school calendar differed from state to state. I thought all the schools in the north started in September, and the schools in the south began in August.

I hope the bill works out for you!

snifflesmcg

08-23-2007, 11:58 AM

Oh how this subject makes me mad.:mad: School keeps starting earlier and eariler every year. I think that school should start AFTER Labor Day and end the first week of June.

kakn7294

08-23-2007, 12:14 PM

Our district does not have full day kindergarten either. However, my cousin's DD (same age as my oldest) attends a school with full-day K and I can tell you that while she learned more than my DD did in K and was slightly further ahead in 1st grade, by the time they reached 2nd and definately in 3rd grade, they were at the same level, learning the same things. The full-day K didn't have a significant impact on their educations at all after 2nd grade.

As far as the number of days required for a school year, I've lived in PA my entire 38 years so I am fully aware that PA law states that school must be in session for 180 days a year. I don't want the actual 180 day school year shortened - what I want to see eliminated in order to shorten the school year is all of those 3 day weekends for snow days and in-service days and no long spring break. I realize that they can't all be eliminated as the teachers are required to have those in-service days, but why can't they be combined in some cases - make the snow days in conjunction with the in-services and holidays (MLK and Presidents day spring to mind)? We have a 10 day spring break that most parents and teachers I've talked to don't like having. And looking at my girls school calendar for this year, we have 181 days scheduled, 1 day more than required by law. It's hard getting my girls to accept that they have to go to school when their cousins in different districts aren't going.

Disneyatic

08-23-2007, 02:59 PM

My daughter goes to a private school and today was their first day. Their schedule is really similar to public districts though. They usually get out for summer the Friday before Memorial Day which is about a week earlier than public.
Almost all other districts around us start the
27th as their first day.
It seems so odd to me to start them on a Thursday and then the first full week off school goes into a holiday/3 day weekend.
I agree that they seem to "nickel and dime" with all the 1 day off here, in-service day there. It seems that this could be put to better uses letting them start later or have a full week off somewhere instead.
DD's school doesn't get the fall break, but I think that is because they take all the religious holidays off that public schools aren't allowed to.
DDs principal justified the Thursday start day by saying that she feels it is easier for the children to transition back into school from summer if they just go for 2 days instead of jumping into a full week.
I always thought mid week starts were pointless, but I have to admit that makes sense. :blush:

Ian

08-23-2007, 03:32 PM

The one thing that really gets me about our school district in terms of kindergarten is that there are many districts in our area that are in lower income communities that still manage to fund full day kindergarten.

In my district, we pay some of the highest school taxes in the state, and we can't even get full day kindergarten??? We're one of the few school districts around that doesn't have it. :angry:

Mousefever

08-23-2007, 05:04 PM

My son's school started August 21st and our last day of school is May 22nd. We have two weeks off at Christmas and one week off in March. However, my son's school day is a 1/2 hour longer than the other schools in our district. He goes to a Core Knowledge charter school and though the district doesn't require a full seven hour day, our school is allowed the latitude to set different hours.

:dory:

NewmanFamily6

08-23-2007, 05:39 PM

Wow we must be getting jipped here in the SWVA mountains;) My children begin school the day after labor day and go until the second week in June. They do not even get a whole week for spring break but simplay a 4 day weekend and the same with Thanksgiving just the 4 day weekend. Oh well as long as they don't realize how much time other areas get:blush:

disneycouple2004

08-23-2007, 05:47 PM

This year in Texas its start date of Aug 27th
Last day is May 29th..i think all Texas public schools have the same start date this year..:confused:

IloveDisney71

08-23-2007, 05:47 PM

My school district began school this year on August 9th (a THURSDAY!) and will end on May 22. I'm a teacher and once school begins, we only have 3 teacher workdays (no 1/2 days). I would not like year round school. When I first started teaching I had a three month summer vacation, but I swear it gets shorter every year or so. I enjoy using my summer for family vacations and to leisurely make plans for the upcoming school year. This is when I plan new units and make new things for my classroom/students. If I only had 3 weeks in between semesters (for year round school), I would barely have time to re-group for the next semester.
When I first started teaching we went from the beginning of Sept. through the end of May. It is TOO hot to start school in AUGUST! We have not been able to play outside yet, because of heat advisories! :(

jillluvsdisney

08-23-2007, 06:20 PM

Starting school in the middle of August is ridiculous. I saw a news clip that schools had to send kids home from the first few days in parts of TN because of the heat. IT"S THE MIDDLE OF AUGUST. HELLO !!!! IT"S SUPPOSED TO BE HOT. I was driving home from work this Monday (08-20) . It was a sunny 90 degree day. The local pool was empty and closed because it was the first day of school. UGH!! We had the good common sense here in WI to start public schools after Labor Day.

Sean Riley Taylor's Mom

08-23-2007, 09:30 PM

Our first day of school is September 5th and we end June 27th this school year. We always start the Weds after Labor Day and end the third Friday in June.

We get September 13th off this year (which is why we added another day to our vaction this year!) for Rosh Hashanah (Please forgive any spelling error if I made one :blush:), we get Veteran's Day off, three days for Thanksgiving, almost two weeks off for Xmas, a week in February, a week in April and Memorial Day off. I know I am forgetting a few others. We usually get two Superintendant days off and any unused snow days are added to the Memorial Day weekend. Wow...they are home a lot!! ;)

I know we have the 180 day rule too. Our summer vacations are usually 8 weeks or so.

We do have full day Kindergarten for those who were talking about that. Our Pre-K program is three hours, five days a week and starts at age 4. The cut off for that is 4 by December 1st. My DD will be going next month. :(

Kindergarten has the same cut off, 5 by 12/1 and has the same hours as the rest of the district. 8:25am -3:05am.

With the exception of a day or two, all of the schools around here follow the same schedule. I can't imagine starting before Labor Day. The weather here is no where near as bad as the southern states and the classrooms were unbearable at the end of the year in June. The teachers were taking the kids outside to teach for breaks.

I guess I should be happy with our schedule. :blush:

Sunshine1010

08-23-2007, 10:48 PM

crazypoohbear

08-23-2007, 11:07 PM

My boys start school
Sept 5th
#1 son GRADUATES!!!!
Friday of memorial day weekend
#2 son's last day is June 13 this includes 2 built in snow days. So if we don't have snow days then he will get out June 11.

Personally I think schools should start after labor day and end by mid June.
If they need to add time I'm all for extending the school day.
With so many parents working full time and single moms having the kids get out at 2 or 3 pm is an inconvenience for most.
If school hours were 8 to 4pm then we could still have GYM, Recess, and study periods! and more than 20 minutes for lunch. With study periods built in the kids could do home work then, with a teacher to assist if needed.
But, to me this makes too much sense so it would never happen :(

kakn7294

08-23-2007, 11:18 PM

Sorry.....just had to chime in here to defend my state of Tennessee. :-) .... I agree with you....school shouldn't start in August. My son's school starts in July every year. But, we go year-round here. The plus side ----We get more vacations, more days off...and he's not 'burned out'. But, on the flip side....we miss a long summer vacation.

Yes, us Tennesseans know it's supposed to be hot during the summer months. But....we're not used to it being over 100 degrees for almost 3 weeks in a row....literally...., with absolutely no rain. Then add almost 100% humidity.

My thermostat registered 112 the other day. Today - 104. Yesterday....106. We've hit record breaking temps for weeks on end. The farmers here are ruined because of the drought. The creeks are dried up. The rivers are waaaaay down. The grass is dead everywhere. All the leaves are falling off trees. It looks like fall....literally because the leaves are dying. If you try to mow your yard...you cause a dustcloud. Animals that are kept outside are dying left and right. The deer are coming out like crazy to find water. It's bad here this year.

Schools are closing because the A/C units are breaking trying to maintain a comfortable temp in the classrooms. Most school buses here do not have A/C .....or seatbelts (that's a whole other soapbox I could get on)

We southeners know it's supposed to be hot...and we're used to it....but we're not used to this.

P.S. Just wanted to show another side.

Have a great day!!!!!!!!
Good luck to you on that heat - I can't even imagine and I know that's not normal for your area. As far as your statement about seatbelts on buses, my uncle owns a school bus company so I feel qualified to comment on this. They (my aunt and uncle) have been told that studies have shown that our children are potentially safer on the bus without seatbelts than with. In the event of an accident, more students, especially younger ones who may not be able to work the seatbelts easily, can be evacuated if they do not have seatbelts on than if they did. The backs of the seats are built higher in an attempt to prevent the kids from flying around the bus in an accident. I can see both sides of this issue and don't think there's really any good solution here.

Sunshine1010

08-23-2007, 11:24 PM

It was nice to hear 'the other side' regarding seat belts on busses.

Yes, I can see how some children may not know how to use them.

It's a very sticky situation isn't it. I, too, see both sides.

I suppose I'm 'pro-belt' because I'm in EMS....so I've been the one to tell parents that they're child has passed when they've been in a car wreck.

It's hard.....but I completely see your side.

Thanks...

P.S. Thanks for the 'good luck' regarding our weather. The other day at about 6pm, I went outside and started doing some yard work because it felt so much better than it did earlier in the day. Only then did I look at the thermostat and it read 97. I'm actually getting used to 103 temps.

That's crazy!!!!

.....sorry we got off topic from the original one.

conorsmom2000

08-23-2007, 11:31 PM

We get September 13th off this year (which is why we added another day to our vaction this year!) for Rosh Hashanah (Please forgive any spelling error if I made one :blush:), we get Veteran's Day off, three days for Thanksgiving, almost two weeks off for Xmas, a week in February, a week in April and Memorial Day off. I know I am forgetting a few others. We usually get two Superintendant days off and any unused snow days are added to the Memorial Day weekend. Wow...they are home a lot!! ;)

Our schedule is very similar - we get:
Sept 13 &14 off for Rosh Hashanah
Nov - 6th (Staff Development day); 8th & 9th (NJEA convention) - hence, "Jersey week" at Disney! :mickey: ; 21st (half day) 22nd & 23rd (Thanksgiving)
December - off from 12/24 to January 2nd; Jan - 21st (Martin Luther King)
Feb - 18th to the 22nd (Fuel Conservation week :blush:)
Mar - 21st (Good Friday - wow, Easter is early!!)
April - 21st to the 25th (Spring Break)
May - 26 (Memorial Day) - with the potential of dates being added to make this weekend longer. So, our calendar is actually set at 184 days, but if we don't use the 4 snow days, they are given back. (that almost never happens, but we did get 2 back last year!)

November is the toughest month regarding days off because it's not straight days off, it's all over the place.

TennesseeTink

08-24-2007, 12:22 AM

Sorry.....just had to chime in here to defend my state of Tennessee. :-) .... I agree with you....school shouldn't start in August. My son's school starts in July every year. But, we go year-round here. The plus side ----We get more vacations, more days off...and he's not 'burned out'. But, on the flip side....we miss a long summer vacation.

Yes, us Tennesseans know it's supposed to be hot during the summer months. But....we're not used to it being over 100 degrees for almost 3 weeks in a row....literally...., with absolutely no rain. Then add almost 100% humidity.

My thermostat registered 112 the other day. Today - 104. Yesterday....106. We've hit record breaking temps for weeks on end. The farmers here are ruined because of the drought. The creeks are dried up. The rivers are waaaaay down. The grass is dead everywhere. All the leaves are falling off trees. It looks like fall....literally because the leaves are dying. If you try to mow your yard...you cause a dustcloud. Animals that are kept outside are dying left and right. The deer are coming out like crazy to find water. It's bad here this year.

Schools are closing because the A/C units are breaking trying to maintain a comfortable temp in the classrooms. Most school buses here do not have A/C .....or seatbelts (that's a whole other soapbox I could get on)

We southeners know it's supposed to be hot...and we're used to it....but we're not used to this.

P.S. Just wanted to show another side.

Have a great day!!!!!!!!

This is definitely the hottest I can remember it ever being here in TN. I think I heard on the news tonight that the record high for August has been broken 5 times this month. RIDICULOUS! But with that being said, July and August are the 2 hottest months of the year. There's a reason why schools never started before Labor Day when we were kids. It's too darn hot!

My kids got out May 22nd and went back Aug.8th. I would much prefer that they get out after the 2nd week in June and go back later. I signed an on-line petition yesterday to legislate that TN schools start back after Labor Day. Hope it makes it through all that red tape. ;)

Also it seems I heard a couple of years back, when local districts were discussing implementing year round school, that they would go 9 weeks, 3 weeks off, but still get like 6 weeks of summer. Not sure if those numbers pan out; that may have been me dreaming.

merlinmagic4

08-24-2007, 06:48 AM

The town I live in starts school the day after Labor Day. My husband, who teaches one town over starts on August 27th. I would LOVE it if he started after Labor Day, too. Once we turn the calendar to August "back to school" is staring at us already! We really enjoy the summer when he only has one job. Fall and spring can be tough trying to teach and work a landscaping business!

We have to go 180 days. So, we usually get out in mid to late June depending on the number of snow days we have.

It was interesting to read how different everyone's schedules are!

Ian

08-24-2007, 07:38 AM

TikiGoddess

08-24-2007, 07:52 AM

For my family in CT, we go back next week. My DH and I are both teachers, in different districts and thankfully we have the same days off. We go from the last week of August until mid/late June.

We get weeks off for Christmas, in Feb, and in April. We have all the normal holidays (MLK, Columbus day, Thanksgiving). I personally don't mind having breaks within the school year and having a shorter summer. I know that when I have a 3 day weekend it's WONDERFUL! It gives me a chance to breathe and rest. Teaching is a very demanding job and I put 100% of my energy into it. When we have a stray day off it really helps me to recharge. I think the kids need a break too.

TikiG

alphamommy

08-24-2007, 10:34 AM

A law was passed in Michigan a few years ago requiring that school could not start before Labor Day. The exception was that any districts that had existing teacher contracts that indicated start dates before Labor Day could continue to start then until the next contract, when the start date must be changed.

I also think there's a minimum number of days required (180 sounds familiar).

Our DD starts on Sept. 4, but she doesn't get out until June 17. They get what I call the "Random Week Off" in February (near the week of President's Day). I would think that this week, plus the many in-service days that are thrown in at irregular intervals, would be difficult for working parents.

I think I would like YR school, but it's not offered in our district.

kakn7294

08-24-2007, 04:11 PM

I personally don't mind having breaks within the school year and having a shorter summer. I know that when I have a 3 day weekend it's WONDERFUL! It gives me a chance to breathe and rest. Teaching is a very demanding job and I put 100% of my energy into it. When we have a stray day off it really helps me to recharge. I think the kids need a break too.

TikiG
I can understand where you're coming from with liking / needing the extra day off. I like having extra days off at work too. Sometimes though, I don't think it's so great for the kids - at least not mine. When my girls have an extra day off, they just whine that much more when they have to go back, especially as it gets closer to the end of the school year. It's like they see that prize of summer break looming and extra days off just torture them. I'm glad you appreciate the extra time off though. It's good to hear it from all perspectives. I would have thought teachers would want longer summers but I didn't think about how nice it is to have long weekends too.

disneydeb

08-24-2007, 05:30 PM

105º today in middle Tennessee. Students in my school are working hard and our air conditioning is doing OK. This week though, we've a crazy problem with ants. It seems they are trying to find water. We are so dry! The drought has me more worried than the heat.

I feel sorry for those that have dealt with flooding this summer though. That would be another horrible ordeal.

merlinmagic4

08-24-2007, 09:41 PM

It's funny to hear people complaining about excessive heat in August, because around here it's been FREEZING the last couple days! Between Sunday and Wednesday of this week it never got above like 67º and the one day our high was 59º!!!

That's unheard of in this area for August, where we're normally sweltering in the Dog Days like everyone else.

Figures ... the year I buy a boat is the year we have a mediocre summer.

Yeah, we had a cold front like that while we were CAMPING on a little, primitive island. Boy, did that stink! It was so cold and rainy that we didn't even want to get on the boat to go home! But we did go in for the night and had a beautiful weekend to follow. Hope your area heats up again :cloud9:

DestinationWDW

08-25-2007, 07:04 PM

We are originally from PA - in K kids went 1/2 day am or pm as assigned, started after Labor Day and went to mid June. Here in GA they started school Aug. 13 and last day will be Fri. before Memorial Day. We do miss the not starting school until after Labor Day, but do also have some "pro" feelings towards year round schooling. It would be nice to have some breaks (in the fall say, or in Jan/Feb) to take a WDW break without the worry of kids missing school! :mickey: Now that they are 12, 9 and 4 it is difficult....GA also has STRICT laws about missing school time (along with fines and possible jail time!). Older 2 don't want to miss school now anyway! I agree with other posters though in respect to heat :thedolls: hard to go to school in 100+ temps....school buses not only without seatbelts but no air conditioning either!!!! I'd imagine it is hard for teachers to get students to concentrate as well!