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Later Start for SLHS on Wednesdays?
Plan would schedule teacher work sessions, with classes beginning at 8:05 a.m.
South Lakes High School is considering a later start time on Wednesdays in order to give teachers collaborative planning time.
Assistant principal Chad Lehman outlined the proposal to parents at the school's PTSA meeting on Tuesday. He says a survey of of South Lakes teachers said they were satisfied with the amount of time they had to work with fellow teachers - however, that number is below the FCPS average.
Lehman said that finding more time for professional learning community groups to share best instructional practices has been a challenge and that the administration has been looking for more time for groups to work together on a regular basis throughout the year.
Principal Bruce Butler, who is retiring in June, says SLHS' Instructional Leadership team (department chairs and administrators) will make the final decision.
"The potential change will provide additional time for our curriculum teams to address the complex work of organizing the instructional program/assessments/ intervention for their subjects," Butler said in an email to Patch.
School currently begins at 7:20 a.m. Under the proposal, teachers would have planning time on Wednesdays from 7:05 a.m. to 8 a.m. Classes would begin at 8:05 a.m.
But that doesn't mean students will get an exta hour to sleep. Buses will still run at the same time, and students would likely be in the common area or in study groups. Dismissal time would remain at 2:10 p.m.
Nearby schools Chantilly, Oakton and Thomas Jefferson already have a late start day in their schedule, Lehman said.
The proposal has been met with positive reaction from school team leaders and staff. PTSA president Susan Sather said parents at the meeting were strongly in favor of the initiative.
Sather said the new principal will have some say on this, but it is very likely to be implemented for next year.
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Michael
9:14 am on Wednesday, May 16, 2012
If all the teachers are in meetings every Wednesday morning, who supervises the 2000+ students in common areas/study groups for 45 minutes? I assume there's a plan, if Chantilly and Oakton are doing it - but what is that plan? I would be very concerned about security and supervision for that many students.
The Convict
9:48 am on Wednesday, May 16, 2012
What, pray tell, are they doing with the special needs students during this period of time?
At least they're not proposing the Elementary School solution: send'em home a couple of hours early one day a week.
Don M. Boileau
8:21 am on Thursday, May 17, 2012
I am not sure I understand this plan which is to reduce instructional time to give teachers more meeting time, when the teachers did not see this need as a priority. The schools still face the major challenge of the demonstrated need to let this age group sleep longer in the morning. This proposal does not address this problem but seems to create other problems. Does this mean that those students who drive do not have to be there until 8:05? Will students check in for these study groups? Will this allow a student to come and just sleep at a table for the 40 minutes? I am aware that these questions may reflect only a lack of information on the proposal, but they do need to be asked.