One of the things that you have heard me talk about and write about all year is the idea of constantly improving. Any organization not working to improve is in decline. When everything around you is changing there is no such thing as simply maintaining the status quo and holding your spot on top. Others will pass you by and the success that you were having quickly becomes a thing of the past. If you want positive results and continuous improvement you need to get creative, continue to evolve, and try different things.
So in an effort to improve the educational program that we offer our students, we have been exploring different ways to provide more support for all of our students. Our high school has used the practice of Interaction Time (IT) for many years now, and it has proven itself to be an effective way to give our students more time with teachers. Essentially, IT is a 30 minute period at the end of the day where students can meet with teachers for a variety of purposes. This time could be used for students to connect with a teacher for a class that they missed due to an absence or music lesson, to make up a quiz or test, to complete a lab, or for an extension of the classroom experience. In addition, it would provide an opportunity for our students to access our computer labs and library. This is much more than working on homework or making up work, this is about improving how we support ALL of our students in a time of tremendous change in education. After working closely with the Director of Transportation on the logistics and presenting this information to the Board of Education last week, we are happy to tell you that we are ready to implement IT at the start of the 2013-14 school year. Below is a series of FAQs on that will help you understand IT. Please keep in mind that the times are approximate until we solidify transportation schedules.
What will the middle school hours be next year?
The day will begin at 7:35 a.m. and end at 2:10 p.m. Interaction Time will occur from 2:15-2:50 p.m. There will be two bus runs, at 2:10 and 2:50 p.m.
Will my children have to get up much earlier with the new start time?
Most students will have to be out and ready for the bus approximately 5-13 minutes earlier than this year.
Will some middle school students be riding buses with high school students?
Yes, depending on the bus route some Middle School students will be riding with High School students on both bus runs. There is often a perception that the behavior of older students will have a negative influence on the younger students on the bus and some parents have expressed an initial concern with having them ride together. First and foremost we have terrific high school students and generally have few issues on our High School bus runs. In addition, we currently have our parochial students (over 300) in grades K-12 ride the buses with High School students each day and we have not had any behavior or other problems with younger students riding with older students since combining those bus runs in 2008. The other piece to this that Elementary and Middle School parents are typically not aware of is how few High School students actually ride our buses. On average we have 17 or fewer students riding any of our High School buses to or from school and our buses hold at least 55 students. The majority of our bus runs for next school year will be primarily Middle School students.
Will Interaction Time occur Monday-Friday?
Students will have IT on Tuesday-Friday. On Mondays, IT will be used for staff development and faculty meeting purposes. Students who participate in modified sports, clubs, school musical, etc. will stay on Mondays and attend a supervised study hall until 2:50 p.m. at which time their practice or club will start.
How much instructional time was lost as a result of creating Interaction Time at the end of the day?
None. With careful planning and looking at scheduling and transportation in a different way we were able to maintain the current amount of teacher-student instructional time and make better use of some time that existed on the front end and during the school day.
We are excited about Interaction Time at the Middle School and all of the opportunities that come with it to better support and challenge our students. Please feel free to call or email me should you have any questions.
Continued Success,
Steve Dunham
@Sdunhamwgms
487-4615
