Are you confused by the new schedule? If so, this article is for you. This article compares the new schedule to the one we had last year. It also includes some interviews from students, and administrators telling us what they think of the new schedule.
The first change is right at the beginning of the day. Instead of going straight to homeroom, every grade now goes to their assigned area by grade, such as the auditorium for the sixth grade, the new gym for the seventh grade, and the old gym for the eighth grade. Also, the classes are now 60 minutes instead of 80 minutes, which allows students to have six classes a day instead of four like last year.
Also, with the new schedule, students don’t get pulled out of class for lunch. Now there is a class called Flex, which is a study hall period where students can get help from teachers. Another change that was made this year was getting rid of house three, which caused kids in all three houses to get put in a different one this year.
New this year, there are science and social studies elective classes. Some examples are Humanities in Action and Diversity of Life. Also, new this year, is that everyone has their math class every day instead of every other day.
As part of the process, some student and staff interviews were conducted for feedback. Check out their thoughts below!
Student Interviews
What is your favorite change made in the new schedule?
6th grader Ellie Gallerstein: “Compared to elementary school, if you have a teacher you don’t like, you only have to be with them a short amount of time each day.”
7th grader Victoria Gil-Beltran: “My favorite change in the new schedule is probably flex, because you can go to a teacher for extra help, and you can get homework done.”
8th grader Yazariah Dawson: “Having different classes every day.”
What is your least favorite change made in the new schedule?
6th grader Ellie Gallerstein: “We only have three minutes to change classes, it’s not a lot of time if you have classes that are far away from each other.”
7th grader Victoria Gil-Beltran: “My least favorite change is having to have math homework every day, but luckily flex comes in to help with that.”
8th grader Yazariah Dawson: “Math every day.”
Teacher Interviews
What is your favorite change made in the new schedule?
Mrs. Varughese: ”Flex, I love Flex. It’s so helpful for the students to have time to get extra help from teachers and complete their assignments.”
Mrs. Dos Santos: My favorite change is that Quest is now its own class, and no longer a pull-out from ELA classes. This ensures consistency and helps with attendance as well 🙂
What is your least favorite change made in the new schedule?
Mrs. Varughese: ”It’s definitely an adjustment moving to 60-minute blocks, but I think they are more beneficial for students’ attention spans.”
Mrs. Dos Santos: “My least favorite change is missing homeroom. I liked to use homeroom time as a way to meet with any students who were absent or needed more time on a project. We now have the FLEX time, which is helpful, but it makes it a little more challenging since everyone has a different FLEX time.”
Principal Interview
What is your favorite change made in the new schedule?
Mr. Marchese: “My favorite change is the move from 80 to 60-minute blocks. I think 60 minutes for middle school really is the sweet spot. It is much more manageable for students to stay engaged and focused for 60 minutes, and that time still allows for such great things to happen in our classrooms.”
What is your least favorite change made in the new schedule?
Mr. Marchese: I wouldn’t say it is my least favorite change, but I think moving from an AB to an ABCD schedule has been a transition and will definitely take some time getting used to.
Are there any other changes you would like to make?
Mr. Marchese: At this time, I would not make any changes to our bell schedule. I think consistency is incredibly important as we move forward, especially for our students and staff.
Overall, the new schedule is different and will take some getting used to. But the new schedule is very helpful, and based on the interviews, it is an improvement. It’s noticeable that we are starting to get used to the new schedule now. The AB schedule might have been easier but ABCD is definitely going to be a challenge, but you can do it!
