More than 300 comments were received in response to the draft calendar posted last month.
FREDERICK, MD (LG) Below is an overview of the calendar. Details will also be posted on fcps.org.
The school year will begin for students on Tuesday, September 4, 2018. Schools will be closed on Monday, September 10 and Wednesday, September 19.
“First I want to thank all the members of the community who took the time to offer comments and feedback on the calendar,” said FCPS Communications Director, Michael Doerrer. “I know the Board of Education really appreciated it. We received more than 300 comments on the draft calendar and they took all of those comments into consideration on the final calendar,” continued Doerrer.
The calendar committee members included FCPS parents, teachers, administrators, a student, a business representative, and others, Doerrer said. They based their recommendations on maximizing instructional time for students. “The most popular comments that came in were for Yom Kippur, Fair Day, and Spring Break.”
A state mandate set by Gov. Larry Hogan last year that requires schools to start after Labor Day and end by June 15th, made for a tight schedule and the school system had to make some difficult decisions.
On Friday, October 5, schools will dismiss students two hours early for the mid-term teacher work session.
In November, schools will be closed for students on Monday, November 5 for a teacher work day and on Election Day, Tuesday, November 6. Parent Teacher Conferences will take place on half days at elementary and middle schools Wednesday, November 7 through Friday, November 9. Schools will dismiss students two hours early on Wednesday, November 21 and be closed November 22 and 23.
Schools will dismiss students two hours early Friday, December 14 for a teacher work session and be closed Monday, December 24, 2018 through Tuesday, January 1, 2019. Schools will be closed Monday, January 21 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and closed for students Monday, January 28, 2019 for a teacher work day.
Schools will be closed for Presidents’ Day Monday, February 18, 2019. On Friday, March 1, 2019, schools will dismiss students two hours early for a teacher work session. Other days in 2019 with two-hours early dismissals for teacher work sessions are Friday, May 10 and the last day of school.
In 2019, schools will be closed for students Friday, April 5 for a teacher work day, and closed Thursday, April 18 through Monday, April 22.
On Monday, May 27, 2019 schools will be closed for Memorial Day.
The last day of school, with a two-hour early dismissal, will be Tuesday, June 11th, unless snow days are needed. Snow days will be made up in the following sequence: April 18, June 12, 13 and 14; makeup dates are subject to BOE revision.
-Loretta Gaines