VWL Groupies & Lovers Thread (Special Collectors Edition 2.0) updated 21 June 2023

I start back to school tomorrow(officially), but I've been there almost everyday for two weeks now. Cheerleading practice and moving and decorating a new classroom this summer have taken way more time than usual. Kids come back the 14th. I'll be back at VWL in February for the half marathon. I'm too tired to even count the days right now...
 
Erin...hope your first day back went well. August 8 seems awfully early to start a new school year.

The governor of Missouri just signed a bill that will not allow public schools to start before August 24 next year (they are starting on August 12th or 13th this year). This was to help the tourism industry. Not being well received by the education sector.
 
Here in Ohio, Local School Districts usually don't begin until after the end of August County Fairs, generally into September. Too many participate in 4-H, raising animals, and participating in other Fair activities. We tried one year to begin before the end of the County Fairs, but so many were absent that teachers were reluctant to start serious curriculum until they had their full classrooms. It was tried to help in Snow Day allowances.

Even though we still use the "Planting 'till Harvest" summer break schedule, it is such a deep ingrained part of our culture that the type schedules other parts of the world use would just not go well here.
 
Erin...hope your first day back went well. August 8 seems awfully early to start a new school year.

The governor of Missouri just signed a bill that will not allow public schools to start before August 24 next year (they are starting on August 12th or 13th this year). This was to help the tourism industry. Not being well received by the education sector.


They did that exact same thing in Texas when my girls were in elementary and middle school. This year they are starting early again (next Monday 12th), and getting out before Memorial Day. My oldest is now a teacher and went back this week for training and such. Personally I like it when they start early and get out earlier. When mine were young I was ready for them to go back. LOL And at the end of the year - we were ready to be finished. It also allowed us to get our WDW time in before points went up on June 10th.
 


Here in Ohio, Local School Districts usually don't begin until after the end of August County Fairs, generally into September. Too many participate in 4-H, raising animals, and participating in other Fair activities. We tried one year to begin before the end of the County Fairs, but so many were absent that teachers were reluctant to start serious curriculum until they had their full classrooms. It was tried to help in Snow Day allowances.

Even though we still use the "Planting 'till Harvest" summer break schedule, it is such a deep ingrained part of our culture that the type schedules other parts of the world use would just not go well here.


What part of Ohio? I grew up in Mercer County.
 
They did that exact same thing in Texas when my girls were in elementary and middle school. This year they are starting early again (next Monday 12th), and getting out before Memorial Day. My oldest is now a teacher and went back this week for training and such. Personally I like it when they start early and get out earlier. When mine were young I was ready for them to go back. LOL And at the end of the year - we were ready to be finished. It also allowed us to get our WDW time in before points went up on June 10th.
We start early (next week) and end late (29 May), but we always have at least a week's worth of snow days so never get out until the first and sometimes the second week of June. Short summer. On the flip side, we have four major breaks: last two weeks of Oct, holidays, last week of Feb/first week of Mar, and then spring break. Those breaks sure come in handy. . .
 


Erin...hope your first day back went well. August 8 seems awfully early to start a new school year.

The governor of Missouri just signed a bill that will not allow public schools to start before August 24 next year (they are starting on August 12th or 13th this year). This was to help the tourism industry. Not being well received by the education sector.

Granny, we are actually starting with kids a week later this year. We constructed a new elementary building in the last several months. We knew when we made the calendar in the spring that we would need a little more time. Sure enough, we just passed inspections today. Elementary teachers will have about 72 hours to ready their rooms for meet the teacher on Monday evening. Kids start school on Wednesday! It's a beautiful building though, and I'm super excited for those teachers. It was a pretty big task for a small private school to pull off. We will be out in late May. The last two years we started with kids on the 8th.
A couple of years ago Alabama decided we weren't going to start until later in August because of tourism, especially in the Gulf Shores area. That lasted a year, and then we went right back to early August the next year. We rarely have bad weather, so we don't build any days in. If we have a hurricane or rare snow, the governor declares a state of emergency and then those days do not have to be made up.
 
Lakegirl...looks like you're leading the way. Have an awesome trip and stay at OKW! :)


My countdown currently says 75 days until our 9 night SSR visit. :yay:

SSR Refurbishment Underway

Looks like SSR will be undergoing refurbishing for many months. It took 18 months to refurb OKW, so I'm guessing SSR will take even longer! Fortunately, the sight of construction walls and scaffolding has been so common the past few years that it doesn't phase me.

115 days for us! Cannot WAIT!!!!!!!!!!
 
Slow past few days. On my end, finished first paint coat on the deck. Not putting second coat on railings except the most exposed handrails on top. I finished all the between the boards trim painting today--that's tedious work. So "all" I have to do is roller on the second coat.

Tomorrow? Taking the day off and either hiking or biking with Luv. . .have a good second day of your weekend, Groupies!
 
65 and Counting for us!!! It cant get here soon enough. We were going to avoid getting APs this trip since we will only be there 3 days before the cruise, but Kenny G and 38 Special will be at F&W and now that Star Wars will be opening up at 6am for resort guests(cant really see me up that early on vacation)we may pop over there to check it out one morning.

Like Sleepy says, happy 2nd half of the weekend folks!! Enjoy::yes::
 
Here in Michigan, state law mandates all public schools can’t go back before Labor Day, since 2006. Funny thing is- the law allows individual school districts to apply for waivers and the state has never denied a request for a waiver. As of last school year, 178 public school districts had a gotten waivers to start earlier. Kinda makes the law a farce. :P
 
We start early (next week) and end late (29 May), but we always have at least a week's worth of snow days so never get out until the first and sometimes the second week of June. Short summer. On the flip side, we have four major breaks: last two weeks of Oct, holidays, last week of Feb/first week of Mar, and then spring break. Those breaks sure come in handy. . .
Wow that’s a lot of long breaks!!!
 
Wow that’s a lot of long breaks!!!
There is a caveat on the breaks. The first week we call intersession (or intercession) where we've identified students who have fallen behind or are struggling, and these students have to come to school in the morning. Afternoons are filled with enrichment classes, everything from archery, to theater, to outdoor studies, etc. Thus, teachers have to come, regardless. I do a theater workshop as enrichment since I don't teach a core class such as math, science, or English. The second week, however, everyone has off. During the holiday break, everyone is off the entire time. It's been a good system for us. We started about 4-5 years ago, and we've since been visited by several other school districts throughout the state who have initiated similar schedules.
 
School at two nearby districts began today. We start 15 August. Our reservation at VWL begins 20 Dec--135 days. . .
63 for BCV and 123 for VWL - can’t wait! Especially since we’ve had to cancel our last 2 trips due to Jerry’s shoulder!!
 
Jen - We are about 53 miles east of Wooster. We love the small town rural living that places like Wooster provide.

90 days out from our big Family blowout in The World!
 
So, there is new concept art out for the Reflections resort lobby area. I know it's just concept art, and I also know the final product won't look exactly this way. Still. . .well, I won't say anymore--go see for yourself. Just google "new concept art at reflections lodge." But, don't say I didn't warn you. . .
 
So, there is new concept art out for the Reflections resort lobby area. I know it's just concept art, and I also know the final product won't look exactly this way. Still. . .well, I won't say anymore--go see for yourself. Just google "new concept art at reflections lodge." But, don't say I didn't warn you. . .
Saw it. Like the ceiling, the glass looking over the lake, the artwork of wind whipping around, even the placement of the store and... is that a bar on the side?
I do not like the stick domes nor the Pocahontas action figure standing up front.

Revealing that I was not crazy for the artwork of Kidani's lobby with the giant weird "candles" but in person they've grown on me, and the fact that they're crafted from glass made them beautiful. The same may apply here.
 
So, there is new concept art out for the Reflections resort lobby area. I know it's just concept art, and I also know the final product won't look exactly this way. Still. . .well, I won't say anymore--go see for yourself. Just google "new concept art at reflections lodge." But, don't say I didn't warn you. . .
Cmon Sleepy, its not that bad(if you were in a super modern airport)
What are these people thinking, oh wait, they aren't thinking. Now I think its beginning to make sense :rotfl2:

But I have to say, I will reserve judgment as I wasn't keen on staying at BLT and absolutely love it. And it has somewhat the same vibe, maybe-ish :confused3

I still feel its maybe a bit out of place with the whole vibe of Ft Wilderness, but maybe, and again, giving way here, just maybe they have some thoughts of incorporating into the backdrop of the Fort. I sure hope so.
 

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