With the second semester of the school year beginning, JCPS has released the school calendar for the 2023-24 school year. The newly finalized schedule has a few changes from this past year, such as a brand new starting date. 

The school year will begin on Aug. 9, which is one day earlier than this year. 

One of the main changes to the calendar is the extended fall break that will take place at the beginning of October due to parent/teacher conferences and a PD flex day. Many students are looking forward to this change to the calendar, as they now get extra time off to rest and pursue other endeavors. 

However, other students have concerns regarding how this will affect their other breaks, as well as the timing of the extra days taken off.

“I like the longer break, but I hope that it doesn’t mean that we’ll have less days off during the rest of the year,” Suwaibah Talpur (11, MST) said. 

Most students like the idea of a longer fall break, but some students wish the timing was a bit different. 

‘’I like that we have an extended fall break normally around that time, I wish it was later in the month though,’’ Delilah Beckman (10, HSU) said.

Although there are a few concerns with how the changes to the fall break, most students see it as a positive change.  

Another change to the school calendar that has caught the attention of students is the delayed winter break. While there is still a two week winter break, it starts a week later than many students have experienced. Concerns of winter travel plans and vacations overlaying with the change in the calendar are also arising.

“I feel like this is such a bad idea, we deserve to keep the break the same due to long term plans and traveling for most students within JCPS,” Kae Schmidt (11, YPAS) said.

Some students believe that this adjustment will create consequences that weren’t present in past years, and that these may be caused by the extended fall break. 

“I feel like this may be too close to Christmas so there’s probably gonna be more skipping school for vacation, but I guess it makes sense since they extended fall break,” Ruth Kouokam (MST, 11) said.

Not all students find this change negative, as some find it to be a better way to schedule the break. Some believe it will allow students more time to destress before having to return to school. 

“I prefer it actually. I like when we start out right before Christmas because then after New Years we still have a week to wind down from family and stressful situations,” Siena Huckvale (JC, 10) said.