Middle School Schedule Change
Research shows that later school start times for Middle and Upper School students improve school attendance and performance, decrease tardiness and instances of students falling asleep in class, and reduce student irritability and disciplinary issues. We have found that shifting the Upper School to a later start time has been a welcome shift and recognize that the time is right to do the same for the Middle School.
For the last 10 months, Clare Wagstaff-Brown and the MS team researched and evaluated the structure of the Middle School day to ensure that we create the most positive, holistic experience for all MS students. After much conversation with teachers, students, and community members, and after conversations with similarly-sized middle schools across the country, the following changes will be implemented for next year:
- The Middle School day will begin at 8:30 am. Students who arrive by bus or with a Lower School sibling earlier than 8:30 am will be able to attend the normal Morning ED program free of charge; it now will be extended to 8:30 am to accommodate MS students.
- The school day will end at 3:20 pm, which is ten minutes later than this year. The end-of-day activities will remain as they have this year, with Office Hours, Clubs, and/or Athletics. Any student who takes the bus home will still be able to leave on time at 3:10 pm. They will not miss out on any core academics. Pick-up remains at 3:20 pm, as it has been all this year, so carline families should see no change.
- Class periods will be extended from 45 minutes to 50 or 70 minutes in length, depending on the subject, allowing for deeper inquiry to occur. In addition to allowing students to delve more deeply into course material, the change in lesson length also ensures students have fewer transitions throughout the day. The minutes gained from fewer transitions are turned back into academic time, which is how the later start is achieved without losing academic contact time in general.
Should you have questions about the new Middle School schedule, please feel free to contact Clare Wagstaff-Brown. She will be happy to talk with you.
