Calendar Conundrum

But then there are the stickier parts of the job, like creating the school calendar. Uch. Figuring out when to schedule all the school functions in a way that fits into everyone and their grandmother’s schedule requires a math genius with a PhD in the Hebrew/English calendar.

The biggest dilemma is deciding when to end school and begin the next year.

There are basically three models that boys’ elementary schools follow:

1. There are yeshivos that give ten weeks off from the end of June until after Labor day, similar to the local public school system. This is the model followed by most yeshivos in the Tristate area outside of Lakewood.
2. In Lakewood (and some other places, including Toronto and some schools in Monsey…) the boys have still have school (albeit usually without general studies) in July. These yeshivos typically give off five weeks or so from mid-July to late August.
3. A majority of out-of-town schools follow their local public-school schedule, and end school in the middle of June and start again at the end of August.

(This article isn’t intended to discuss the length of summer vacation, an often-debated topic, just how to schedule it. For the record, this writer is not at all a proponent of shrinking summer vacation, but every school should discuss this with their Vaad Hachinuch.)