FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — The School Board is discussing the possibility of lengthening the current shortened Monday schedule for elementary schools to a full instructional day and is asking parents to provide feedback before the School Board is scheduled to vote on the issue at its June 26 meeting. Parents and teachers are invited to complete a survey (available online at www.surveymonkey.com/s/fulldayMondayparents) on this proposed change by Monday, June 23 at 5 p.m. More details are available at www.fcps.edu/news/fulldaymonday.shtml .

At its May 28 and June 16 work sessions, the Board heard the results of a working group composed of 23 members, including principals and central office staff, whose charge was to review the current practices for scheduling students at the elementary, middle and high school levels, and then, make recommendations to Superintendent Karen Garza that will improve effectiveness and efficiency. Several recommendations to lengthen Mondays were shared with the School Board, including providing 20 minutes of recess each day within the regular elementary schedule and providing additional resources and policy flexibility at the elementary level to increase teacher-directed planning time. In addition, the School Board heard from the working group reasons to switch from the 180-day calendar to the 990-hour option for meeting state accreditation requirements. This change would eliminate the need to add snow makeup days to the end of the school year.

This post originally appeared at Fairfax County Public School’s MyFCPS Family website:

The Fairfax County School Board’s Minority Student Achievement Oversight Committee (MSAOC) has released a new website to help parents be advocates for their children. The Parent Advocacy Toolkit features timely topics each month with tips specifically for parents. The website also has important information about closing the achievement gap, attendance, academic programs, college and career readiness programs, discipline, special education, testing and assessments, and technology at home and in the classroom.

“MSAOC has long challenged parents to be advocates for their children, which starts with a partnership with your child’s teacher and school. Knowing and understanding how the school system works and how parents can help are critical to being an advocate,” said George Becerra, chairman of MSAOC, an advisory committee of parents, community leaders, and educators.

The January Toolkit features information and resources on how to help your child at home and at school. Upcoming months will highlight the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program, features and resources to improve parent engagement, and how to access early childhood programs.

For more information, contact Larry Bussey at 703-204-4341.