Summer Is Over Today at 23 Area Schools That Now Are Year-Round

By SAM ENRIQUEZ

July 6, 1990 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Langdon Avenue School Principal Daniel Balderrama warned his teachers to expect “a little bit of confusion” at their school today when it becomes one of 23 in the San Fernando Valley to begin year-round classes for the first time.

About 17,000 Valley kindergarten-through-sixth-grade students are expected to cut short their summer vacation after only two weeks and return to classes at the year-round schools.

But district officials fear that some families may try to keep their children home over the summer by mistake, making class scheduling more difficult for teachers and administrators.

Teachers--most of whom are used to having nearly three months to rest--were back in their classrooms Thursday, sprucing up bulletin boards and writing lesson plans.

“I’m going to have my students do some handwriting, reading, some geography and math,” said Irene Brandies, a fifth-grade teacher who has taught for 22 years at Langdon. “I want them to get used to working on the first day.”

After a teachers’ meeting Thursday, Brandies and her colleagues at the Sepulveda school expressed mixed views on the year-round schedules, a plan adopted by the Los Angeles Unified School District this winter to make more classroom seats available in the rapidly growing district of 610,000 students.

“Without air-conditioning, what is going on is just glorified baby-sitting,” said Elaine Chapman, a sixth-grade teacher at Langdon who has one of the few air-conditioned classrooms at the school. “It’s just too hot.”

First-grade teacher Carol Strumpf said, however, that students are likely to remember more that they have learned when they have shorter vacations.

Ivan and Javier Trinidad and their sister, Leticia, of Sepulveda said they are not unhappy that their summer was cut short by year-round scheduling.

Javier, 7, who is entering the second grade today, said, “I like playing with my friends.”

Opposition to year-round scheduling, which will begin at all district schools starting next year, reached a fever pitch this winter with marches and protests against the elimination of summer vacation.

Much of the opposition came from Valley parents who argued that classroom temperatures during the summer months would make learning next to impossible.

But district officials said the prospect of running out of space at elementary schools this summer gave them little choice but to convert to year-round schedules.

After a board vote in February to adopt a year-round calendar, much of the opposition disappeared.

In all, 64 schools throughout the city begin the year-round schedules for the first time today, joining more than 100 other schools already operating on a year-round schedule.

Students in the 23 Valley schools beginning year-round schedules are divided into four groups, with each group receiving two six-week vacations over a school year.

All students will be given the traditional winter break over the Christmas holidays.

Children in track A will remain on vacation until Aug. 16 and have another six-week break plus their Christmas break from Dec. 21 to March 19, which includes the two-week holiday break.

The remaining tracks start today.

Those in track B have six-week vacations from Oct. 1 to Nov. 9 and from April 1 to May 10.

Track C students have a six-week break from Aug. 16 to Sept. 28 and from Feb. 19 to March 29.

Track D students have vacation from Nov. 13 to Dec. 31 and from May 13 to June 28.

YEAR-ROUND SCHOOLS

Twenty-three San Fernando Valley schools begin year-round scheduling today.

Apperson Street School, Sunland.

Arminta Street School, North Hollywood.

Bassett Street School, Van Nuys.

Beachy Avenue School, Pacoima.

Broadous School, Pacoima.

Burbank Boulevard School, North Hollywood.