GUSD Calendars: Shorter Summers, More AP losses
The GUSD school board votes on the next two proposed calendars on Tuesday, Dec. 12. Unless people speak up, our summer recess will shorten to nine full weeks with partial days on either end and AP students and teachers will lose four more days of instruction.
It is so ironic that, in 2009, the board convinced parents and teachers to end our long tradition of starting school after Labor Day so that AP students and teachers would have 10 extra days of instruction before they took their AP exams in May. However, the board approved the addition of new holidays and that decision hurt AP. Instead of 10 extra days, AP will get only four extra days in 2018-19 and only three extra days in 2019-20.
Eliminating three or more holidays would help both situations, making 10 full weeks of summer and seven extra AP days. Also, starting Monday instead of Wednesday would bring the AP total to nine.
Let your school board know that you expect them to keep the promise to the AP students and parents and to also honor the recent community vote by increasing the length of our summer.
You can email the superintendent or any board member by simply putting their first initial followed by their entire last name @gusd.net. Do it right away!
Thank you!
Marilyn Bayles
La Crescenta
Applauds Harvest Market
I have no idea what it takes to create such a thing as the Harvest Market, but I love the street shopping experience on Honolulu Avenue in the heart of the village, and I have never missed going since I first discovered it nine months ago. Shopping there every Sunday, I have learned so much from the merchants and farmers, the artisans, and other displayers of a delightfully wide choice of foods and wares! For instance, a farming family of men from The Backyard Organic Farm have taught me how to prepare and eat prickly pear cactus pads – marvelous for digestion. There I fell in love with baby bok choi. And every, every week I buy 20 eggs from these folks – eggs of a wide range in sizes and in color, and always delicious.
My quality of life has been so enhanced by that one produce stand alone!
But just a few stalls down the way, Pedro’s Organic Avocados provides me endlessly glorious organic avocados, which are very carefully not picked until an exact state of readiness is reached. They also introduced me to dragon fruit, guavas, lychee fruit and more.
I could go on and on, but space is limited, I know. So just be sure you are all treating yourselves to this marvelous shopping opportunity!
Judith Duckhorn
La Crescenta