I think the new calander is a great thing I for one can't afford the time off of work let alone to take my kids on vacation. So if their in school I can save up money so we can do more things on summer vacation!! I understand everyone concerns but for me it would be better if they where in school!

This new calander is educationally unsound. Adding an extra day off and a half day (no learning goes on during half days) to the month of November is ludicrous. The students basically lose a whole month of school as soon as they get started. Then comes December another low learning month, especially in elementary schools. Ocean county schools tried this a couple years back and found it was an awful idea. Of course, typical Wall so let us try it. Besides many years the February break is what saved Wall schools from horrific snow storms and making up 5 days. Another poor decision from Wall Schools.

Great idea, alot of parents cannot take the time off work which involves babysitters and also some parents are not as well off as others and cannot take their children on vacation. The break in November makes sense as they have four day weekend anyhow and the weather is more cooperative then in February! Well done Wall Board of Education!

The children do not have less days off from school. The parents still need to take off bon differnt days.

Our children are only with us for a very short time. While being educated in our schools is crucial, so is the time we spend with them. I feel that the winter break gave us ten days to have family bonding time. Whether you could get away or stayed home and had the opportunity to go on day trips, here was a a week that you could do that. The point was to be together, the setting didn't matter. Last night this was taken away from our town. I was at the meeting and listened to the reasons people gave in support of keeping a full week. They were very sound arguments. The board sat there and listened, but ultimately, I feel the decision was already made. We have had this break for years. Many of us look forward to it for various reasons...being with our families, chances to see colleges, a great week to air out the school from all the germs that go around during this time of year, saving money not having to heat the schools, etc. It has now been taken away from us. An unwelcome change. IT IS A SAD DAY FOR WALL.

I agree with all of the above....they need to rethink their decision ....and half days really what a burden for both parent and child not to mention trying to get all those little times off from wk and having no time left to take an avtual vacation. Ugh...

If people are this fired up about losing a couple of vacation days in February, they should wait until the year-round, 220 day school year, rolls out nationwide in a few years! In a clamor for greater academic rigor and higher accountability in the classroom, ten day breaks and 70 day summer vacations will soon be remembered as a 20th century relic.

At the very least a public vote on the proposed calendar should have been issued. In the last five years, our Feb break has had snow storms (including the 2010 blizzard). "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!" People that need to get babysitters are STILL going to need them for the added Columbus Day, Veteran's Day, and MLK Day...teachers that work in the district and have children in the district are doubly penalized because they must attend school for teacher's in service during those added days! Finally, those of you that want to comment one way or another should use proper grammar and sentence structure if you want your opinion considered viable!

I've never heard so much whinning in my life! You just had 11 days off for Christmas break after a disruptive month of November. A month later, you want another 10 days off to "bond" with your families? You should be bonding with your children on a daily basis...not just on vacation. You wonder why the United States is 27th in the world when it comes to learning. This is a prime example of why. God forbid you miss a vacation. We live at the Jersey Shore...you have the entire summer to vacation.

People aren't "whinning" because we lost vacation days- they just moved them around. Same days off just sporadically thrown around the calander. I don't know how anyone can look at the month of November for next year and think this was a good idea. (11/7,11/8 and 11/11 off, 11/18-11/22 half day for conferences, 11/26 half day and 11/27-1128 off. ) No learning will take place this month.

Vacations are fun but in Highschool, unless you traveled, by the end you are just sitting in your house doing nothing. Studies by McCormick in 81 make it very clear that vacation days do not actually hurt a student. Even summer vacation days do not.
I personally would rather have sporadic days off to play catch up and relax than pound straight through a year with only long breaks that get boring.

I would like to see all half days done away with. It is wasted day for learning, difficult for working parents to deal with and it skirts the 180 day requirement by allowing schools to take credit for a full day. Other schools schedule parent teacher conferences after school and evenings. I am also not happy about losing the Feb. break. As others have pointed out, it allows families to travel at a more reasonable rate. This is why we had this week. Parents overwhelmingly petitioned for this week several years ago for that very reason. True, if you can't afford to travel you have to get a sitter or put your children in camp but we still have the same number of days off, so it's a wash.

Oh well I guess my son will always miss school days. We will never give our Feb. vacation up. My child can handle the make-up work. I think next year the school enrolllment will be at least half for that entire week. Feel bad for the teachers.

Plus really Bright Move on Board and Super to rid the Snowy month of days off to where you are almost guarenteed to have snow and now right back to end of Summer days to makeup BECAUSE ALL THE DAYS WERE USED IN NOVEMBER!!STUPID MOVE.

Kathy Setteducato
I was at the meeting last night and I'm so dissapointed with the vote. The board "wants to hear what we have to say" but it didn't matter they obviously already had their minds made up before the meeting. Typical. They put two half days in November and May...why? They should use those for their in-service days..the kids can go to school in the morning and the teachers can do their in-service in the afternoon. Then the Superindent said " they even tossed the idea around to have the kids go to school on December 24 for a 1/2 day...are you kidding me. Then lets shorten February break so the germs can hang out and wait for the kids to come back..Unbelievable...

I teach in another district that does not get the February break. Not having the same break as my children was always unfortunate. It would be great if we had the same calendars county wide .

To be honest, whether my family took a vacation or not, having the times off in February made our lives easier. We will now be scrambling for child care for the here there and everywhere half days and full days off.. We live in a time when being a stay at home parent is not an option we can all afford. Many of us depend on two incomes to survive and if I ask for the all these single days off or 1/2 days I may be looking at termination because of the nature of my profession and title. It's hard enough already the way it is. My husband and i flip flop the christmas and easter weeks i.e. who would be home while the other worked. Conference weeks are the pits. As it is we wing each day as it comes. It's so much easier for both of us to use a vacation week in February to stay home with the kids and do whatever. I will def miss it and hope I don't lose my job over the new requests.

I wonder why PEOPLE without children in Wall School System anymore are commenting on here.

Wall is one of the few school districts in Monmouth County that had a full week off in February, and I think it is unfortunate that a commenter would reference Freehold as if what it and most other schools in the county do is somehow wrong. I would think that parents would want their children to be in school as much as possible in the weeks leading up to the high stakes test that our kids are required to take, especially the high schoolers. My son graduated last year, but I know his teachers were rushing to get through the subject matter for he AP tests he was going to be taking. Just one mom's opinion.

I am also a Wall graduate and have lived here all my life. This February break has been around as long as I can remember. This decision is just going to have children miss more school. Families will pull their kids out for extra days in November and February. I for one will continue to vacation in February. We have had more snow in February then any other month so it is assured the children will be making days up anyway. How about Spring Break? With all the sports our children are involved in, it makes it difficult to travel then anyway. Especially if your kids are involved in High School sports. This is very disappointing.....

How about the teachers have their convention in the summer and work in Nov.

To 'just one mom': the Freehold reference is based on the fact that our new Super has children in that district. There has been talk that he just wanted to get our calendar "more in-line with other schools" and "consider working families" but it's really because he wanted his schedule aligned with his children's. true or not, the info points in that direction.
Regardless, the new calendar creates more of a mess- for working families and those who traveled during the break alike. Looks like the only one who wins is Simon.

Very dumb move.....either way.....we will not be missing our February trip. I'm betting a lot of kids will be missing school that week. Sometimes I feel that people just don't think. It really was a dumb move.

I don't understand why they just didn't take the Thurs for Feb. break and put that on Dec. 23 rather then opening a district for one day. Also, why 4 half days the week before Thanksgiving? If you're giving the Wed. before Thanksgiving as a half day, why not give that whole week half days as most districts do. Have your conferences then and have a week of FULL days the week prior to Thanksgiving.

Why doesn't the new super use his vacation days to align his schedule with his
children's Freehold schedule? Leave the February break alone.

Cathi - I'm sure he didn't cite that as his reason. But I am also sure that our elected school board members did not properly represent us. The high school instituted block scheduling because studies have shown that longer periods of instructional time were more beneficial and resulted in better grades. Now someone explain how these half days will be more beneficial to the students. After all, isn't the school board and superintendent supposed to make decisions based on what is best for the students?

I heard whispers back when Simon first came on board that his plan was to eliminate Feb break. So our Stupid BOE, Who we all need to Vote Out went along and agreed with him without any Parent Input or Vote. Very Sad.

I will miss the February break as well. I personally enjoy the time off with my children and we do go away that week and enjoy a ski trip. It is nice to spend time with your kids outside enjoying the fresh air, and I will probably still pull my children out. I think spreading the days across the calendar is silly and would much rather see the kids get out of school earlier in the summer time. The comment about Simon, is a bit uncalled for. He truly has been a gift to our district and has been widely visible in our grammar schools and quite available to answer any and all questions. When was the last time that you saw a superintendent walking the halls of your school, carving turkey or play in a charity basketball game with our Wall kids? I look forward to all of the really great changes he will bring to our district - although not everyone will agree.