With Rosh Chodesh Elul next school year falling on August 6 and Rosh Hashana on September 5, some are pushing to have the current school year end weeks earlier and have a unified earlier start-day for the 2013 school year – a change which could have a ripple-effect on camps, busing and more.
The issue at hand is the fact that Rosh Hashana next year falls out just days after the official boys’ school start-day of August 21. Girls usually begin several days later.
So Askonim in Lakewood are pushing to have the current school year pushed back to early June, and have the new school year start early August, close to Rosh Chodesh Elul.
The ramifications to such a move however, would be that all Rabbeim, Teachers and Morahs who run August Summer camps, will have to lose out the month of August to adhere to their school’s new schedule. Additionally, it could have a ripple affect on the dozens of New York camps as well.
It would also mean, that busing – which begins Labor Day, would not be available for several weeks into the new school year.
In addition to letters sent out requesting that parents agree to the huge change, a conference call was held yesterday with approximately one hundred Principals in participation in an attempt to come up with a unified decision on the 2013 school year start-date.
No decision was reached as of yet. TLS.
Ridiculous. Leave the rebbeim to make the summer money – they need it. The kids need the break, and they learn in camp. This is probably because the schools can’t bill the extra month if they don’t open.
Might I may suggest since this is being considered please reconsider moving girls schools starting and ending times back by as little as an hour. This move would enable buses do a second run both in the morning and afternoon with a possible savings of close to 2 million dollars for the district. Another point to make have less buses on the road at any giving time would alleviate the mass traffic that exists in Lakewood today. This one move could be a win win situation for all of lakewood and it’s residents.
it’s not worth the hassel. This happens every 3-4 years and we did just fine till now. This year maybe a few days earlier than it usually is but its not woth the headache it will cause so many people.
there is no day camp for the boys from rosh chodesh elul until school starts
They wanna keep this forever. And have yeshiva schedule and camp schedule in sync. This would help camps who always have a tough time when the bocheim leave Tosh chodesh elul. And would instill in our children a more chshivos for elul. ( instead of riding rollercoasters and screaming color war Breakout in elul GEVALT)
So next year will have more school days after yum tov to make up for the fewer days before yum tov
I am 100% behind this change. It is the right thing to do for all of us that understand the meaning of the Yamim Nora’im and the important values we must live by and impart to our children.
During the season of scales, we need to do all we can to tip them in our favor. We mustn’t allow inconveniences to stop us from doing what is truly right. This has always been, and will forever remain, the trademark our ancestors taught us to live by!
If my son finds out he will have to start school in the beginning of August, he will be so unhappy and I will send him to the ASKONIMS homes while he throws a tantrum there.
Isn’t there a requirement of 180 school days each year, or something to that effect? Being that my kids had a week off due to Hurricane Sandy, I would think they might be missing some days, and need to finish later, not earlier!
No busing for several weeks is no picnic!
Hey! That’s TURX!
this is the opportunity to make away with the ridicilous 10 week vacation that everyone complains about. way to long, unproductive and stressful on all fronts. Make it 6 or 7 perfect, great weeks for kids, families, teachers etc and everyone comes back happy and refreshed! End school regular and start earlier. YAY
This makes no sense. What is everyone going to do with their children for June. People work and who says day camps can accomodate such a change. Leave well enough alone. Let the girls start on the same day the boys do.
why can’t camp go according the jewish months and rosh chodesh elul be the start of learning and school? why do the rebbeim have to lose out on camps? why can’t they make camp for the month of Av instead of the month of August? It is a fantastic idea and much needed to hasten the coming of Moshiach!
Girls finishing School an hour earlier (even if they start an hour earlier) is a sakanah in todays day and age. Unfortunatly this is the reality.
The issue is that the Yesiva’s only give off 3-4 weeks.
Other than Torah Vadas that R’ Pam ZT”L encouraged that the bochrim are counselors in Camp there is only 3 or 4 weeks the Yeshivos give off.
This is ridiculous. The home is where the kids need to feel Yomim NoRaim . All the schooling in the world can`t help this. Let them be kids
Why don’t they first figure out that there is a school for every child before they take up new thing.
The cries of the children who don’t have school is heart breaking.
Let us go into Elul knowing that each child has a place in school. That would be a way bigger zchus then starting school earlier.
Teach about Elul and the Yomim Naronim in day camp or send material to the parents to their children at home.
Don’t worry. School will end earlier, camps will start earlier, and you’ll still get your 180 days of school.
We may even end up with less vacation time to boot. Which would mean less kids on the streets. I think the girls would also be on board and to the working people, since camps are earlier you wont have any issues.
the only people who may suffer are those who want to go on vacation and they teach in public school or a modern school who may not be on board. Also the Bungalo crowd may get affected. But Toirah comes first.
If we leave everything status quo, then
A. school will start2-3 days after camp.
B.Elul the kids will be camping
C.its hard on the rabbiim to have school for a few days and then go into rosh hashona
are we having summer fever already
dont underestimate the real value kids get from sleep away camp
1.any hidden talents have a chance to develop
2.boys at a young age will learn to clean up and take care of themselves
3.kids need to be able to learn and daven like a mentch in other settings besides in yeshiva camp gives them that
4.THE BEST AND MOST GESHMAKA REBEIM ALL WENT TO CAMP
5.speak to any mechnech 60% of being a rebbe or teacher is knowing, understanding and controlling the group being a counsler is valuable training learning how to give over info you can learn when you get to bmg
just to list a few dont unerestimate camp
I work in a yeshiva, its not just busing its all public funds.
Who is going fund the buses?
Who will fund the contained classes?
Who will fund the lunches?
Who will make up the financial difference to Rabbeim AND MORROS!
MOST OF ALL WHO LET THE CHILDREN BE CHILDREN NOT 10 YEAR OLD BAIS MEDRASH BOCHURIM AND SEMINARY GIRLS!!!
Lman Hashem ask American Michanchim what to do in America they have the best understanding of what is needed!
spoke to some camp guys if all yeshivas and all schools were uniform start and end dates then it would be no problem but you have lakewood monsey flatbush far rockaway etc on diff shed yhats were the problem lies
COORDINATE WITH BROOKLYN MONSEY AND FAR ROCKAWAY ETC CAMPS WILL COOPERATE
Another example of the few trying to impose their will on the many. This is not a very good idea for all the reasons posted above and should be stopped in its tracks NOW!
Great! Lets take away peoples summer camp Parnassah! This is in line with the Presidents “Change”!
What is the point in this either way? I just dont get it!
To Bruce @ 17 –
Can you please explain to everyone why you send your kids (if you have any) to receive a Jewish education in school??
Can someone please explain why school never goes until June 30 until now. We pay for the full 10 months of school (Sept thrugh June), but school ends June 15th or 20th. WHY??????? Camp shouldn’t start until July1st.
THAT is the real problem that needs to be discussed.
Maybe the hurricane was a punishment for having color war during elul. Just saying.
So someone please explain how this is going to work. Almost all mesivta’s and ALL bais medresh’s start on rosh chodesh ellul.
How is a camp suppose to run with no staff?
Who will be color war general?
Who will dress up in plays?
Who will create the geshmake cheer songs?
Who will tell the scary stories at curfew?
Who will guard our yidishe nishomos at the pool?
Who I ask?
I went to scholl too. A week before Rosh Hashono is plenty of time to prepare the school kids for yomim noraim. We’re talking elementary school kids not bais medrash.
to number 30, you evidently never went to camp. Who do you think takes care of the kids? The ONE director or head counsler? It is the staff and they all have yeshiva. Look at number 29.
Chill people. Kids will have their outlet sleepaway camp, just earlier.Morose Rebbes Directors will have their summer jobs just earlier.
Mountains, Far Rockaway, Brooklyn Monsey, colonies will follow suit, as welll as the sleepaways.
And Sholom and Kedusha will reign in Elul.
Just those who work in public schools or Modern schools wont have family vacations at the end of August.
Nisht gefaerlach.
why cant they just leave it the way it is. the kids dont learn much the first few days of school anyways. let the kids enjoy their summer!! everyone needs a break!!!
In the Midwest and western parts of the country, all schools are on this “new” schedule. Even the public schools end in May and start in August. Time for us to catch up with the rest of the country!
Some of us actually have lives outside of Lakewood. (Work, camps, bungalow colonies…) Can’t we just be normal? Mothers teach your kids about the Yomim Noraim at home, be a parent for once instead of leaving it to the chools.
I think if they lengthen the school year THEY MUST PAY THE REBAIM MORE MONEY. I’m sure the askanim who care so much about torah and kavod hatorah will discuss this and make sure it happens
Although the discussion here pertains strictly to elementary school – and I concur with # 34 that as a kid growing up in the Midwest we ALWAYS stated the school-year much earlier than the “Northeast Vacationers” – I also want to point out that beginning from 9th grade and up, the Yeshiva went into session TEN days before rosh chodesh Elul. This date was overwhelmingly embraced by both talmidim and the hanhala, as they fully appreciated the very positive resulting impact.
So, perhaps when this parsha is over, it may be a good suggestion for the other yeshiva gedola’s to also re-examine their starting dates as well.
Why can’t the school dates be the same like NY, including the BOYS yeshivas. Children go to camps and familys go to the country and every yesr it causes problems for the lakewood families.
Change over to the british school year… no huge summer vacation – just 4 weeks according to yom tov schedule and other vacation days sprad out over the year. Students retain their learning better this way..
I find it amazing that so many people from Lakewood go to bungalows and send their kids to camp . When at the same time about 75 to 80 per cent of Lakewoods families get tuition breaks and pay way less than the cost to educate their kids . How can somebody pay less than cost and force the school to ” schnorr ” for him and then turn around and spend on bungalows and camps ?
rabosi,
we live in the air hatorah lakewood. our children don’t need camp. 2 weeks of summer vacation is more then enough. our rabbeim would be happy to forgo their own vacations to teach our little heligah neshomas. we are not like the other places…we are Lakewood! enough of the gashmios all ruchnias for our children.
the Bulka
Let things run like they always have in the past. I grew up just fine with a regular summer vacation. And if the kids only have a few days of school before yom tov- big deal! Wow this town makes me nervous!
In the southern hemisphere (Australia, South Africa…), we go to camp Chanukah time. We don’t have the 9 days, and we don’t give Chanukah gelt to our children’s Rebbeim,Morahs,teachers, secretaries, bus drivers,and babysitters. Come to the land down under where Elul is Elul and we’ll put
a shrimp on the barbie for you.
Which lakewood do you live in? The average lakewood family sends their kids to DAYcamp.
Maybe if the yungelait of Lakewood would display a greater Chashivus for Elul the kids would be inspired for the Yemei Rachamim.
In the mean time lets look forward to the great nes of chanukah & be inspired & believe that Hashem will make a miracle in our time of great confusion & helplessness.
Another very important school item to implement per R’ Moshe Feinstein & Yaakov Kamentzky, Z”L. Sundays & legal holidays schedule must be exactly the same as every other day of the week. They said, It’s actually ossur to make the schedule different.
Camping brings out the best of campers. The opportunity to gain b’ruchniyous and b’gashmiyous is much better off in camp than being in school for eleven months a year. Many school staff have summer jobs to supplement their income and to relax themselves from a hectic school year. Keep the schedule the same and everyone will be happy. There is no mitzvah in making your younger aged children sit in a classroom more than they have to. Even on the camp scene, “time for learning never ends”, activities begin now.
I am not sure what you are talking about both MTJ and Torah Vadas (even when r Yakov ztl was there) had a different schedule on sunday
Sorry butit is with attitudes like yours that we have so many kids “at risk
” yes even in the ir hatorah
I know lets put our heads in the sand and not do anything. Let’s not try something that might work and save tax dollars and reduce bus traffic! I mean it is a lot more fun to complain and do nothing. Leave it alone I like complaining…….
All of the reasons enumerated above may or may not be valid. However, the real question is: Who decides these things? Did smart people work out how a school year should be set up? Or did they just follow the secular system? We have to think for ourselves and not allow any outside ideas to permeate our values. Then we can have an honest discussion when to end and start the school year.
And please, don’t allow the money cheshbonos to decide everything for us. I know administrators are bothered about money the whole time. But that still should not become the main focus of the school.
How are my kids going to know the meaning of Shiva Asar B’Tamuz if Yeshiva ends in early June?
If the schedules are changed, now is the time to seize the moment and adjust the starting times of our schools. Districts all over NJ have found significant savings by opening and closing schools in tiers, most preferably, four tiers, so that each bus goes on four routes in the morning and four in the afternoon.
District that tier their school opening times so that the buses stay in the same geographic area will see significant reductions in cost. In a four-tiered system, each route costs about $18,750 rather than the $30,000 or so that we are paying under the current opening times that allow at most two routes per bus.
In public school, everyone knows that school’s out for summer.
Its not really possible to do Tiers, the bus companies are now runnig 2 shifts for each school (yes some kids are dropped of 30 minutes before school) so the bus companies can make more $$$$
I agree with mon. We just had hurricaine sandy and they missed school. So they are going to charge us for June tuition and then I have to find a sitter when I go to work. Some people work full time and cant always find someone to watch their kids. This is ridiculous.
Hey anonymous chill out. If school ends early, camps will start early, and school with start earlier. You wont need extra daycare. Plus they may even shorten the summer which also will benefit you.
they should make up the days they missed or give me my money for the week of tuition my kids missed.Why are we always an exception.Public schools have to make up days..Honestly are kids have more days off between yom tov, winter breaks, Chanukah breaks,bad weather and whatever else. The kids have enough time off. I can tell you I do not want to have to bring my kids to school everyday Let them start when we can have transportation and make the next school year a little longer or cut amount of days they have off.