Faculty districts in Mill Valley, San Rafael, Albany, West Contra Costa and Los Gatos all have one. San Francisco and Oakland do not. Many unbiased colleges across the Bay Space have it, however not parochial colleges.
We’re speaking about mid-winter breaks that some colleges placed on their calendars in February, buffered by Presidents’ Day. Colleges that shut for the week do not supply fewer complete college days; they only push out the top of the yr an additional week to squeeze in break day between the vacations and spring break.
It is also generally referred to in colloquial phrases as “ski week” as a result of the break falls in prime ski season — although many Bay Space mother and father say that moniker is elitist.
“Ski week for me has all the time = wealthy child privilege,” wrote Ellery Prepare dinner in a Fb submit on the subject. “As an SFUSD attendee and now SFUSD guardian it has all the time been one thing that stood out as antiquated and classist, that might by no means be thought-about for lowly public college college students whose households cannot afford the break day.”
Samantha Schoech of San Francisco concurs: “I hate the time period ‘ski week.’ It is so clueless. I keep in mind after they launched it at my public college within the early ’80s and my mother was like, ‘Solely in Marin.'”
A 1998 San Francisco Chronicle story confirms the scheduling quirk dates again about 40 years in Marin, however has since unfold to many different suburbs the place lecturers have been coping with sick calls from children being pulled out of faculty by their mother and father.
Even some critics of the identify say the schedule break has benefit. Schoech added she needs her San Francisco public college provided the Presidents’ Day respite, as she’d prefer to spend the time together with her children.
Many Bay Space personal colleges have a “ski week” break for college students to have enjoyable on the slopes or at house. However is the “ski week” elitist or not?
Ascent Xmedia/Getty PhotographsLisa Trottier of the East Bay says her children get the week off and he or she appreciates a break mid-year, and a shorter summer time.
“I keep in mind being appalled after I first heard about ski week—from my boss, who grew up in Palo Alto,” Trottier says. “Appeared so presumptuous. I imply, for a household to ski for every week, you are speaking large, large bucks. That stated, I am professional having break day that is not throughout the summer time crush. We’re in public college in West Contra Costa — positively not a flowery scenario — and now we have it.”
Elizabeth Leu of San Francisco, whose children get the week off, additionally prefers shorter breaks scattered all year long and does not get caught up in what it is known as.
“I’ve let go of no matter it’s or was known as, and eliminated the social stress to bodily go someplace,” stated Leu. “It offers me time with my children, and spreads that point out a bit. I would slightly have little breaks like this than an extended summer time.”
For different mother and father, the week off is a problem. It means they’ve to seek out childcare or take days off they would not in any other case.
“Generally, I would like to skip it and simply have summer time break begin somewhat earlier,” stated Wendy Thorpe Copley, whose children attend West Contra Costa colleges and get the week off. “We won’t afford a visit throughout each break so it is only a problem for us to handle break day work.”
Kim Inexperienced of S.F. factors out that as a result of the general public colleges do not have the week off and a few privates do, the children’ actions are disrupted.
“It irritates me when our children’ exercise and childcare distributors accommodate the personal colleges on this; it has a unfavorable affect on our households, who’re at school/work/not going anyplace, after they stop or reschedule companies,” Inexperienced shared on Fb.
So whereas the mother and father surveyed by SFGATE differed on their opinions of the mid-winter break, there was near-universal rejection for the identify “ski week.”
This text was initially revealed in February 2018.
