Instructional Materials Committee

Calendar Committee Notes

10/1/25

Attendees:

Attendees: Kristin Nieland (PSE), Allyson Carter (NKEA), Ted Jez (NKEA) - absent, Lisa Gray-Friz (NKEA), Beth Lahaie (NKSAA) - absent, Jenn Markaryan (DSC), Craig Barry (DSC)

Agenda

1. 2026-27 calendar review, Pre Labor Day start, link

   1. Need PD dates for half days

      1. Last Thur/Fri of Feb

      2. First Thur/Fri of March, we agreed to this option

   2. Add Indigenous Peoples day as a non Student day

      1. Will shift calendar end date

      2. Does it change quarter dates?

      3. Committee could not come to consensus - deferred decision to District Service Council

   3. Set quarter and semester dates for grading purposes

      1. Q1 = 9/1-11/6 (44)

      2. Q2 = 11/9-1/28 (45)

      3. Q3 = 2/1-4/1 (42)

      4. Q4 = 4/12-6/21 (49)

2. FAQ Doc started, link

3. Interests around 27-28

   1. Pre labor day start?

   2. Last day of school June 18

   3. Embed snow days if possible

   4. How might waivers be used?

      1. Need 180 days and district-wide hours of 1027

   5. Will come with specifics in Nov

4. Drafts to be developed and reviewed at next meeting, will share as soon as available

   1. Draft - Before Labor Day Start - T/W/Th, Friday non-student

   2. Draft - Before Labor Day Start - M/T/W/Th, Friday non-student

   3. Draft - After Labor Day Start - Tuesday

5. Prep for next meeting 11/12/25

12/4/24

Attendees: Allyson Carter (NKEA), Beth Lahaie (NKSAA), Ted Jez (NKEA), Jenn Markaryan (DSC), Craig Barry (DSC)

• Review survey - added comment section

• Reviewed BI calendar

• PD committee will recommend where half days go

  • Beth - Oct. 1 and 2

  • Beth - early March

• HS feedback from Lisa GF - From the high school perspective:

  • 1. Calendar A is the best choice for high school students. 

Our student-athletes start back on August 25, so this maximizes their summer break. (Football goes back August 20.)

A post-Labor Day start goes too late into June. We could push it earlier by starting on August 26 and build in some snow days and have more of a cushion before June 18. :) But I don't think we want to start any later.

• 2. It looks like we can have graduation on June 10 & 11. Maybe both high schools would need to practice on Friday to be a short enough gap between the seniors' last day and the last day for everyone else. That would be much kinder to the classified staff that runs graduation and all of the end-of-year check-outs.

11/20/24

Attendees: Kristin Nieland (PSE), Allyson Carter (NKEA), Beth Lahaie (NKSAA), Craig Barry (DSC)

• Indigenous Peoples/Columbus Day

  • We have contacted both Tribes to get guidance on observing the day as a non-student day

  • Could Day be a ½ day with teacher PD in the afternoon? - Beth

• Review drafts

  • Beth - likes 3/4/5 day start on the before Labor Day start

    • Spring Break aligns with CKSD

    • Conferences look good

  • Should we build a pre-labor day with snow days?

  • PD dates for ½ days

    • Beth - better to have it in October because the learning would be able to impact learning for the year, 10/1 and 10/2

    • Could all Elementary ½ days be the same schedule dismissal time?

      • Not when Secondary is running an early release day which happened during conferences b/c transportation needs to pick up Secondary.

• Prep staff survey

  • Determine dates to run staff survey

  • After Winter Break - Jan 9 till Jan 21 at 4pm?

  • Schedule Team to meet Wed Jan 29

  • Board Report due Feb 6

• FAQ Doc - please add as you are asked questions

10/2/24

Attendees: Kristin Nieland (PSE), Allyson Carter (NKEA), Ted Jez (NKEA), Lisa Gray-Friz (NKEA), Beth Lahaie (NKSAA), Jenn Markaryan (DSC), Craig Barry (DSC)

• Questions around 24-25

  • End of 3rd quarter - resolved

  • Graduation date - confirmed

• Review approved 25-26

  • After labor day start

  • No errors discovered

• Attendance rate before/during/after October Indigenous Peoples Day - Craig will gather and share

• Review previous guidelines done prior the June 19th holiday

• FAQ Doc started

• Interests around 26-27

  • Pre labor day start?

  • Will come with specifics in Nov

• Drafts to be developed and reviewed at next meeting

  • Draft - Before Labor Day Start - T/W/Th, Friday non-student

  • Draft - After Labor Day Start - Tuesday

  • Draft - After Labor Day Start - Wednesday

• Prep for next meeting 11/6/24

5/1/24

*2024-25

Board ask committee to revisit 2024-25 calendar to look at alignment of Spring Break with CK/BI or BR/SK/PSD and alter Kindergarten based on new MOU

Attendees: Jenn Markarian (DSC), Craig Barry (DSC), Josh Emmons (NKSAA), Ted Jez (NKEA), Lisa Grey Fritz (NKEA), Allyson Carter (NKEA), Haley Warr (PSE) 

Discussion: 

• Kinder start on Sept 3, 3 days after 1-12, Jenn will update 25-26 to reflect changes

Spring Break:

• Committee reviewed adopted '24 calendar

• proposed moving Spring Break to April 7-11, conferences to April 2-4

• Increase teacher communication around change and end of 3rd quarter

• In favor of same break as CK

• 3rd quarter ends March 28 

• All are in favor of moving Spring Break to April 7-11

• School Board agenda May 23, 2024

Recommendation: yes

2/7/24

Attendees: Jenn Markarian (DSC), Craig Barry (DSC), Josh Emmons (NKSAA), Ted Jez (NKEA), Lisa Grey Fritz (NKEA), Allyson Carter (NKEA), Haley Warr (PSE)

Reviewed survey results

229 responses

• Most positive responses - Draft 2, 73.3%

• Least positive responses - Draft 3, 15.2%

• Draft 1, 24% positive responses

Determined which 2 will be presented to school board

• Draft 2

• Draft 1

Determine which calendar will be recommended by committee = Draft #2

Ted has requested waiver days, but did not provide a plan or details.

Considerations for next year - longer window, overlapped end of semester dates, comment section - feedback for future year, and creating of an FAQ regarding Calendar

1/24/24

Attendees: Jenn Markarian (DSC), Craig Barry (DSC), Josh Emmons (NKSAA), Ted Jez (NKEA), Lisa Grey Fritz (NKEA), Allyson Carter (NKEA), Haley Warr (PSE)

• Reviewed drafts, made adjustments

  • 3 drafts for survey

    • Review survey

    • Run it from Jan 29 to Feb. 2

    • Question around Indigenous People’s Day

1/10/24

Attendees: Jenn Markarian (DSC), Craig Barry (DSC), Josh Emmons (NKSAA), Ted Jez (NKEA), Lisa Grey Fritz (NKEA), Allyson Carter (NKEA), Haley Warr (PSE)

• Review of 2024-25 to determine if adopted calendar reflects most recent changes to CBA, 24-25 Calendar

• Agreed to indicator for weather make-up day on June 17 and 18

• Interests for 2025-26:

  1. Ted asked about waiver days

  2. Indigenous vs Columbus Day, we are going to ponder this, how many were absent?

• Drafts to be developed and reviewed at next meeting

Draft - Before Labor Day Start - T/W/Th, Friday non-student

Draft - After Labor Day Start - Tuesday

Draft - After Labor Day Start - Wednesday

Action Items: Prep of rough drafts for next meeting