New Year, New Calendar?

You might not be aware the Acalanes Calendar Task Force is proposing a change to Las Lomas (as well as other schools in the districts) 2018-2019 school schedule. One of the most notable features of the schedule Las Lomas currently has places finals after winter break. The schedule that is being proposed for the 2018-2019 school year is already used by many nearby schools and places finals before winter break. I believe this change is unnecessary and is only being put in place conform to the schedules that surrounding schools have.

The proposed 2018-2019 calendar includes lots of changes, including the school year starting a day earlier and ending two days earlier than Las Lomas’ 2017-2018 schedule. There are also differences in the breaks that students receive throughout the year. The biggest difference is winter break starting with a half day on December 21st and ending on January 4th. This won’t be a definite change, however meetings are still ongoing and the final vote will be on March 7th. ” The proposed calendar is that there will be an unequal semester by three days and finals will be before we leave for winter break,” says Ms. Fisher who believes this change to the calendar is beneficial to the students and supports it.

After reading to this point, you might have the question: Will this proposed change have an affect on school sports or summer vacation? On the Task Force’s FAQ page under the question, “Would an adjustment to the calendar result in summers being shorter?” It is stated that it depends on the school calendar. It could be modified to start earlier or later in order to maintain a 10 week summer. Some schools shorten their summers by up to three weeks to scatter more breaks throughout the school year, but it is unlikely that will be the case for Las Lomas. Football and volleyball is scheduled to start on July 30th and other sports on August 13th.

Overall, Las Lomas’ new schedule allows students to finish up their finals earlier so they can have a truly relaxing winter break. However, I personally prefer the schedule Las Lomas currently has because winter break provides a time I can designate to study for finals when school comes back into session.

Here is the link to the Calendar Task Force FAQ page: https://www.acalanes.k12.ca.us/Page/2874. The Task Force is open to suggestions, so be sure to send your ideas and opinions to the Acalanes High School District at 925-280-3900.