Yes, LOVE the idea of having all of December off!! Just soaking in the reason for the season 
Baking, Christmas movies & songs, local activities, serving the community, etc.! Truly hoping this sabbath schedule will work for us too
1 Like
How do you set up the grading periods for 6 weeks on and 1 week off? With traditional 4-9week quarters, you have 9 week grades and semester grades, how do I think outside of this box I have lived in for so long?
Hi @Fawn Iām not quite sure I understand the question. Is this related to state requirements? I donāt have any āformalā way of keeping grades. I currently use Abeka for language and I use the grading sheets provided for that. I just write down grades as we finish a quiz/test. We use CLE for Math and I just write the grades on their books and put all the tests with their grades in a folder. If this isnāt helping to answer your question please let me know. I would love to help.
It is very hard to get out of the box, hence the reason why it took me so long to switch to a non traditional curriculum and this non traditional schedule.
ETA- We are also a year round homeschool family and so we have never really done traditional quarters other than our first year.
I think what I would do is combine 2 6-week sessions into 1 grading period. It would make for a 12-week ātermā, but I think youād end up with only 3-4 terms per year. Either that or just make each 6-week session into its own mini-term. But personally, I like the idea of a 12-week grading period.
Hope this helps.
1 Like
Our state standards do not require grades. It is more for me. I remember as a child getting my report card, and showing my parents. It was all my hard work summed up into this neat little package. Sometimes it just takes me a moment to wrap my mind around a new concept. I have to say, the 6 week on and 1 week off idea is getting a lot of positive feedback in our home. My 7 year old daughter and husband are onboard for next year! We will still keep June/July open for summer break, but at this point it is all about baby steps in ādeprogrammingā myself from the public school schedule! Thank you so much for your kind words.
1 Like
Thank you, I can work with that!
1 Like
Lol once again I understand. My children threw a curveball at me yesterday and now I have to rearrange what I had neatly planned in my head. Funnily enough I am in agreement as is my DH but that still doesnāt make it any easier.
I had my two oldest children in the same grade as they were less than a year apart and could keep up with each other. Yesterday they decided to let me know quite plainly that why would prefer to be separate in most subjects including the core they are doing (which is new to me as it is). I think in life there is no such thing as a neat package. Things change, people change, methods change etcā¦. Enjoy the journey I kinda like curveballs 
3 Likes
We are just finishing up our first year homeschooling, and we pretty much followed the traditional school schedule this year. But after reading the 6 week on, 1 week off idea on here, Iāve decided thatās what weāre doing next year. The curriculum we use follows 9 week quarters. So Iāll answer your question with what I plan to do to follow the 6 week on with 9 week quarters. I just plan to teach the first six weeks, take a week off for fun, and then finish up the 3 weeks left in the quarter when we start back up. I figure one week wonāt make that much of a difference in forgetting things. Plus theyāll have a couple of weeks back before they need to do the curriculumās quarter tests. In my kidsā school they previously attended, spring break was in the middle of one of the quarters, so I donāt think this is much different than that.
Iām very excited to start this schedule! Weāve decided to do year-round schooling as well, starting in late July and taking around a month off in December for Christmas (our second quarter will end right before that break) and then taking a month off in June because we are busy with sports that month (our school year will end before that break).
2 Likes
I do like your idea of keeping the quarters, just halving the grading period of the next 6-week period. I have terrible tunnel vision at times, so it is so good to hear other parents ideas. Thanks so much @Christy.
1 Like