Portsmouth schools are keeping February vacation

The calendar isn’t just our work day; the calendar is our life.”

Amanda Boswell, NEA Portsmouth president

PORTSMOUTH — Go ahead, book that family trip to Disney World for February 2018.

The School Committee Tuesday night voted unanimously to retain February vacation as part of its 2017-2018 school calendar on the recommendation of Superintendent Ana C. Riley.

The panel voted to accept Ms. Riley’s advice to push the start date back to Aug. 30. (School started Aug. 25 this year.)

“That would keep February vacation as is and we would have an end date of June 15.”

The committee was considering several options, including moving the start of school to the day after Labor Day on Tuesday, Sept. 5. That would have necessitated reducing or eliminating February break, which 66 percent of parents surveyed said they favored. About 75 percent said they wanted the start date pushed back to Aug. 30.

Most teachers, however, favor a full February vacation, according to Amanda Boswell, president of NEA Portsmouth.

“The calendar isn’t just our work day; the calendar is our life,” said Ms. Boswell, who asked for “narratives” on the school calendar from fellow teachers. While three or four said they’d be happy with starting after Labor Day and losing February vacation, the “vast majority” favored an Aug. 30 start and a full February break, she said.

During the public comment portion of the meeting earlier in the evening, Ashley D'Ellena, a kindergarten teacher at Melville School, said she opposed eliminating or reducing February vacation because the break gives both students and teachers a chance to “rest and re-charge.” 

Doing away with the vacation would mean no break for students and teachers from early January to mid-April, which she said would lead to higher absentee rates. Since February is the coldest month, dropping the break would also mean more snow days that would have to be made up at the end of the year, she said.

Illnesses are also typically higher in February, she said, adding the break is a good time to sanitize classrooms.

Children also need time to bond with their families, said Ms. D’Ellena, noting that many parents plan trips or special events with their kids during February break. No break would also create difficulties for teachers who don’t live in Portsmouth because they’d have to arrange for child care, which would lead to “additional costs and stress,” she said.

Ms. D’Ellena said her letter detailing concerns was signed by 34 of her colleagues at Melville alone.

Same leadership

Also Tuesday night, the committee took nominations for chair and vice-chair but made no changes to its organizational makeup.

The committee voted 6-0 to retain Terri Cortvriend as chairwoman, Emily Copeland as vice-chairwoman and Thomas Vadney as clerk. Committee member John Wojichowski was absent from the meeting.

Soccer team congratulated

The committee formally recognized the PHS girls’ soccer team, along with head coach James Blaess and his assistants, for winning the Division I state soccer championship last month.

Reading from a proclamation, Ms. Cortvriend said the team “brings pride and honor to Portsmouth High School and the Portsmouth community.”

Committee member Fred Faerber also recognized junior player Mary Kate McGuire, who was not present, for recently receiving All-American honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association.

The PHS football team, which won the Division I Super Bowl game earlier this month, will be recognized at an upcoming sports banquet, Ms. Cortvriend said.

Needs assessment presentation

The committee heard a presentation from the Portsmouth Prevention Coalition on its most recent district-wide needs assessment, which indicated — for the first time in years — a downward trend among students in the use of drugs and alcohol. 

A similar presentation was presented to the Town Council last month. The full report can be read here.