The Board of Education approved the 2015-2016 school calendar on February 24, 2015. The calendar, with 184 days, has one more day of school than the current school year. Classes will begin for students before Labor Day, on Wednesday, September 2, to accommodate the 184 day calendar. Other nearby school districts, including Manhasset and Great Neck, will also start before Labor Day this September. The last day of school for students will be Friday, June 24, 2016.
Because Christmas falls on a Friday, the winter break will be shorter than the two week vacation during the current school year. It will run from December 24 through January 4. The April break will also be shorter, from Saturday, April 23 through Sunday, May 1.
In planning the calendar, the District typically follows the BOCES calendar, and confers with the Port Washington Teachers Association to ensure that there are no conflicts, according to the Office of the Superintendent. During the past two years, as part of an agreement with the PWTA, there were 183 days in attendance.
However, because the recent snowstorms necessitated school closings, Kathleen Mooney, Superintendent of Schools, sent a letter to parents and staff informing them that a decision has been made that all staff must report on an additional day this June for a Superintendent’s Conference Day. “The decision to have staff return for a Superintendent’s Conference day on June 29 was made after careful consideration of a number of factors and presents a unique opportunity to address topics, such as ELA/literacy and the new social studies curriculum,” Mooney stated in her March 12 letter. The last day of school for students this year will remain the same, Friday, June 26, as planned.
To avoid the potential for having to add additional days to the calendar again next year, the district will return to a 184 day calendar, with 4 possible snow days built in. There will be 30 vacation days next year, compared to 32 vacation years in 2014-2015.
Copies of the approved 2015-2016 calendar are available online at http://www.portnet.k12.ny.us/domain/12.
