Winter holidays will start earlier. Moscow, St. Petersburg and other regions are extending their holidays
Very soon the long winter holidays, which all children usually look forward to. This year in some regions they will be longer: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Leningrad region, Stavropol region and some other regions are extending holidays to help reduce the incidence of Covid.
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The Moscow Department of Education has now almost traditionally recommended that schools go on long winter holidays earlier, already from December 27, that is, in essence, add a week to the basic holidays. Previously, the recommended general holiday departure date was December 29th.
The decision was made in connection with the epidemiological situation - a similar measure in the fall, according to the department, helped reduce the number of classes going into quarantine and “break the chain of spread” of the virus. “This measure is aimed at strengthening the trend towards reducing the incidence in the city,” the department said. Since the beginning of December, according to official statistics, the incidence rate in the city has been decreasing and from a threshold of more than 3,000 cases per day dropped below 2,000.
What does “department recommended” mean? So the final decision is passed on to the school - it must be made by the directors, taking into account the opinion of the governing council, setting specific deadlines. Let us note that in many schools, parents have already been informed that children will begin to rest on December 27, even before the official recommendation of the department. Similarly, in MES several days ago the period was colored red (non-working), and there was no schedule.
What about kindergartens? And matinees?
This recommendation does not apply to kindergartens and colleges, but duty groups will have to open for primary school children. Matinees and other festive events that always take place in gardens in the second half of December are not cancelled, but they will take place (also traditionally) without parents. “Ensuring the safety of children during the spread of coronavirus infection is one of the main tasks facing every school. Therefore, matinees, performances, as well as theatrical performances for students and preschoolers are organized without the presence of parents. They will be provided with a video recording of the event or provided with the possibility of conducting an online broadcast,” the Department of Education told Mel.
This also applies to third-party Santa Clauses and Snow Maidens: “In accordance with the temporary requirements for organizing the work of schools in conditions of the continued risk of the spread of a new coronavirus infection, which were approved by order of the Department of Education and Science of the city of Moscow, it is prohibited to attract persons from other organizations when holding mass events. In the capital's schools, theater studios, various workshops and clubs are opened, where qualified additional education teachers work. They are the ones responsible for organizing the holidays. Therefore, the role of Father Frost and the Snow Maiden at New Year’s matinees is usually performed by school employees or students of theater studios from among high school students or kindergarten students from older groups.”
What about other cities and regions?
Previously, a similar decision regarding schoolchildren was made in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region. “Officially, winter holidays begin on December 29th. By the end of next week, all grades will be posted and all school Christmas parties will be held. In principle, we could go on vacation. But most parents work; their holidays have not yet begun. And a non-functional school will create unnecessary difficulties for them. Therefore, after consulting with colleagues, we decided: for the last two days of the quarter—December 27 and 28—schools will operate on a flexible schedule. This means that children will be able to come there as usual. But each educational organization will make its own decision: whether classes will be held on these days, clubs will work, or some other classes will be held. If parents are ready to leave the children at home, go to the country or on vacation, they can start the holidays as early as December 25,” Potekhina wrote on her official VK account.
Let us remind you that each region can make independent decisions on regulating holidays, taking into account the epidemiological situation. For example, in Bashkiria, children will go on vacation on the initially announced dates, that is, from December 31, but in the republic they will last until January 16. In the Stavropol region, against the backdrop of a worsening situation with the incidence of Covid (in the region in October and November, the number of registered cases constantly increased), children will go on vacation earlier than anyone else - on December 22.
How to find out what holidays will be in your region or city? The easiest way is to contact school leaders, look at the information on the websites of the ministries of education and other official pages.
Cover image: shutterstock / Maria Sbytova
