Calendar Advisory Committee
In response to a survey conducted in the spring of 2008, the Board of Education formed the Calendar Advisory Committee, which included parents, board members, teachers, and administrators. Since the results of the collaborative efforts of the members of the committee had the potential for impact on all families with school-age children in Simsbury, invitation for membership on the Calendar Advisory Committee was extended to all interested parents.
The committee grappled with many issues, with the interest of being fair to teachers, students, and Simsbury families always in mind. Practical considerations included that students must attend school for 180 days, state requirements that school not be scheduled on certain holidays, and past practice related to not scheduling school on days such as Presidents' Day or Memorial Day or certain religious holidays. Some of the questions that were debated included:
When should the first day of school be?
What holidays should school be (or not be) in session?
When should school vacations be?
When should the last day of school be?
Related issues that were addressed included:
Should school begin before or after Labor Day?
Should school be held on state-recognized holidays (e.g. Veteran's Day)?
Should there continue to be full-week vacations in February and April?
It is the Board's practice to adopt school calendars three years in advance. So after a thorough discussion that covered all of the above questions and concerns for the next three school years, the committee presented its recommendations to the Board of Education on January 27, 2009. On February 24, 2009, the board reviewed revised calendars for school years 2009-10 and 2010-2011 in accordance with the recommendations of the calendar committee. Based on the calendar committee's recommendations, the administration also drafted a proposed calendar for school year 2011-2012.
Because the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 calendars had already been adopted by the Board and posted on the district website, any changes required Board action.
No changes were made to the 2009-2010 calendar. The 2010-2011 calendar did require some changes, including:
Changing the first day of school from Wednesday, September 1 to Wednesday, August 25, 2010.
Holding school on Veteran's Day, November 10, 2010. Suitable, nonsectarian programs would be held in recognition of this day.
Changing the last day of school from Tuesday, June 14 to Monday, June 6, 2011 pending additional snow days.
The administration recommended that the Board adopt the 2011-2012 calendar as presented. Some highlights of that calendar are:
First day of school Wednesday, August 31, 2011.
Holding school on Veteran's Day, November 11, 2011. Suitable, nonsectarian programs would be held in recognition of this day.
Last day of school June 11, 2012 pending additional snow days.
For complete calendars available to print out or view online, go to our Calendars page.
