Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Update: Thank you to the commenter who pointed out that Thanksgiving was wrong on my calendar. Who knew it was on Thursday this year!? 
The files have been fixed and should be correct now.
For the last couple years our school calendar has been mostly six weeks on, then one week off. We've found this to be a good fit for our family.
I've also found it useful to have a printed calendar showing our school terms so that my kids can see at a glance when the next break is.
This year we're having to adjust our terms a little from our usual six-and-one rotation because the kids are taking some classes through Potter's School. But it's still six weeks on and one week off for the most part.
Now I say that, but if you look at the calendar below, you'll notice that we do have an extra-long second term planned. But I have a feeling during that 10-week term we'll take a few days off, except that the kids will still be doing their Potter's School classes during that time. Thankfully our planned school year is 38 weeks, so we do have some leeway for taking days off as needed.
Here's what our calendar looks like this year. Click the image to view full size.
If you'd like to print out your own school calendar for 2011-2012, you can download this printable 2011-2012 school calendar. Then customize it after you print it out by color coding it to your own liking (highlighters or colored pencils would work well for this). You can preview the printable calendar by clicking the image below.
Joy is the wife of 
I know this is silly, but I can't figure out how to color code our calendar. Could you help? Thank you so much!
[Reply]
Joy Reply:
August 11th, 2011 at 8:17 am
@Kate, My intention was for it to be printed out then colored by hand. You could even just X out the non-school days.
Unfortunately I can't figure out yet how I'd be able to create something that people could color on the computer (that is, unless you have InDesign which is what I designed it in).
[Reply]
I love the calendar! Once I download it, is there a way to add the color blocks on the computer? I tried pulling it into Paint, but I can't figure out how to select each day and colorize it. I'd like to avoid manually brushing the color into each block. Any suggestions?
[Reply]
Joy Reply:
August 11th, 2011 at 8:21 am
@Jody, I don't know of any way to make that work since you have different software from me. I designed it in InDesign, and if you happened to have that program, then yes, you could add color blocks if I gave you the original file.
But I just haven't figured out how to make it possible for readers to color it on the computer when we don't have the same software. Coloring the blocks is a completely different animal from filling in fields as I've done with other customizable downloads. So sorry
[Reply]
Joy Reply:
August 12th, 2011 at 7:35 am
@Jody, Just saw someone on Twitter who used highlighters to color the blocks. It turned out great! http://instagr.am/p/KAC81/
[Reply]
Just an FYI, Thanksgiving is on Thursday, Nov 24, not Fri the 25th.
[Reply]
Joy Reply:
August 11th, 2011 at 8:14 am
@Brandee, Good grief, it's on THURSDAY this year?! (Just kidding).
Thank you SO much for pointing that out. I've fixed the files. And made a note to myself NOT to do stuff like this in the wee hours of the morning.
[Reply]
Same as Jody! If I try to do it manually the ink from the numbers are going to run. I'd love to be able to do it on my Mac.
[Reply]
Joy Reply:
August 11th, 2011 at 8:24 am
@KIM, I haven't figured out how to make it possible for readers to color in the blocks on the computer when we don't have the same software (I created it in InDesign on my Mac). Creating a document where users can color in the blocks is totally different from allowing them to fill in fields with text like I've done with other customizable downloads.
Can you use colored pencils? Or just cross out the days you do NOT have school?
[Reply]
Joy Reply:
August 12th, 2011 at 7:35 am
@KIM, Just saw someone on Twitter who used highlighters to color the blocks. It turned out great! http://instagr.am/p/KAC81/
[Reply]
How do you customize the color in the document? This is a great tool, but I am not sure how to easily use it the same way you do without just using it as a sample and creating one for us from scratch.
[Reply]
Amy Z. Reply:
August 11th, 2011 at 8:34 am
@Amy Z., oops, I now see the comments above saying the same thing. (The comments didn't show up for me before I wrote my own.)
[Reply]
Joy Reply:
August 12th, 2011 at 7:36 am
@Amy Z., Just saw someone on Twitter who used highlighters to color the blocks. It turned out great! http://instagr.am/p/KAC81/
[Reply]
Thank you
[Reply]
@Joy,
Love your free printables, Joy.
PS Check spelling in your blog post title. Hey, we're all human!
[Reply]
Joy Reply:
August 11th, 2011 at 2:34 pm
@Jimmie, Thank you! But good grief! Maybe I should just stop working altogether late at night. I'm striking out a LOT this week!
[Reply]
When I click on the link, it still has Friday, November 25th highlighted. Am I doing something wrong?
[Reply]
Joy Reply:
August 11th, 2011 at 8:25 pm
It's probably cached in your browser. If you clear your cache and refresh the page, it'll probably be right.
[Reply]
The highlighter idea is great – so simple! Thank you!
[Reply]
I have a question. If one of your children is sick during the week your supposed to have school. Do you have them make up the work during there break week?
[Reply]
Joy Reply:
August 16th, 2011 at 7:54 am
Well, first of all, my children are rarely sick, so I've not had to do this much. But on the occasion that they are sick, I usually just push back the work to another day since there's a lot of wiggle room with our calendar. They don't necessarily have to make it up. That being said, we're going to be doing some online classes this year, so yes, they'd need to make up the work to stay on track with the classes.
[Reply]
Joy (love your name…it is my sister's name as well!),
Thanks so much for this awesome resource! It is beautiful, simple and so appealing to the better- organized- inner- me
Blessings!
Jennifer
[Reply]
I have enjoyed using this calendar, Joy! Thank you, immensely, for creating and sharing such a slick-looking, useful printable.
I'm itching to plan our schedule for 2012-2013. Do you intend to update this calendar for next school year?
Thanks!
[Reply]
Joy @ Five J's Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 11:07 am
@heather in michigan, I just posted the 2012-2013 calendar here.
[Reply]
heather in michigan Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 12:42 pm
@Joy @ Five J's, Terrific! I'm grateful, Joy!
[Reply]
would LOVE a calendar for 2012 – 2013!!!!
[Reply]
@Kim in Texas, Just post it here: 2012-2013 School Calendar
[Reply]
I L-O-V-E your website. I have to wait until EVERYONE goes to bed until I can visit your site & spend as much time as I can soaking up all of the wonderful & HONEST information you share. Now, this coming from a confessed technology-klutz…half the time I can't even remember my password to any of my accounts or get through the 3,ooo plus emails in my inbox
Anywho…have you posted your school calendar for the 2012-2013 school year yet?
[Reply]