No more homeroom/free period in FCPS HS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I went to high school here in the 90's there wasn't a free period. When did the county start requiring this? Was the day made longer or classes cut?

Our FCPS high school started with an eight-block schedule (7 class periods plus a study-block) in Fall 2015. Every school is different due to site-based management.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not "flying off the deep end" as it doesn't affect my child yet. But, I do find this one of those silly ideas in a school system full of them.

I'm using "homeroom" in the sense that it is the first place they go in the day. Sorry if my vocabulary as to what it's called was wrong. But, several parents told me that their kids are experiencing this change. So as far as I'm concerned it is a "fact."

The teacher above who stated that the period is used for meeting teachers with questions, etc. is what is being given up for this new concept (at least in western FFX Co.) I'm trying to figure out what it is. It was described as an "ivy league study" wherein kids are grouped by last name, alphabetically, and they talk about "emotional intelligence" (a lot of "how do you feel about XX" circle time.) Thus, the free time is given up (and the free time seems a much more useful way to spend that time).

My child is not in HS yet but soon will be.

There is usually one 20-30 minutes period in a day called “Mascot” time. Eg Saxon time- as a previous PP noted for Langley. It is not the first period of the day. It is in the middle of the day. Most schools, if not all, at on a black schedule so that they alternate between two different classes at the start of the day. For example, there are 7 period in a day 1-7. On day one, they will have 1,3,5 and 7 periods and on day two,then will have 2,4,6 and 7th periods. The 7th period meets every day for a shorter amount of time. Sometimes the period that meets every day is the 3rd period. Senior year, some student do not have a 1st period class, some don’t have a 2nd period class, others still take 7 classes.

I haven’t don’t know what you mean by”Emotional Intelligence” programming - talk to your friends and see if there is another name for it. It is definitely NOT called “circle time”. They are not grouped by alphabet- they meet in one of their classes- Mascot time takes turns between Mascots Time 1, Mascot TIme 2..... all correlating to the periods. Plus, they are in classes of 30-35 students not 15. It has never been “free time”. I also haven’t heard of the schools doing away with Mascot time, although it is probably within the Principal’s perview. When my oldest was a freshman, Mascot time was once a week on Wednesday first period of the day- and most kids just skipped it and came in late. So it was worthless. Then they switched it to the current daily 20-30minute class imbedded in the day. Maybe they are tweaking that.

[Anonymous]

Repeat after me: Every. School. Is different.

The county mandated that some sort of remediation time must occur during the school day. If you don't like how your school is implementing it, let them know. Some schools do 30 minutes a day, others do 90 minutes every other day, some do it 4 days a week. At some it's a free for all, at others it is highly structured with assigned remediation help. Some allow kids to go to other teachers, while others keep the kids in one block and use it as a study hall. There are a ton of different models. Everyone is still trying to figure out what is most successful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Repeat after me: Every. School. Is different.

The county mandated that some sort of remediation time must occur during the school day. If you don't like how your school is implementing it, let them know. Some schools do 30 minutes a day, others do 90 minutes every other day, some do it 4 days a week. At some it's a free for all, at others it is highly structured with assigned remediation help. Some allow kids to go to other teachers, while others keep the kids in one block and use it as a study hall. There are a ton of different models. Everyone is still trying to figure out what is most successful.

Lets hope our new superintendent reigns in some of the issues related to Every School is Different planning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Repeat after me: Every. School. Is different.

The county mandated that some sort of remediation time must occur during the school day. If you don't like how your school is implementing it, let them know. Some schools do 30 minutes a day, others do 90 minutes every other day, some do it 4 days a week. At some it's a free for all, at others it is highly structured with assigned remediation help. Some allow kids to go to other teachers, while others keep the kids in one block and use it as a study hall. There are a ton of different models. Everyone is still trying to figure out what is most successful.

Lets hope our new superintendent reigns in some of the issues related to Every School is Different planning.

Not.Gonna.Happen

[Anonymous]

My ds is an 11th grader at a HS that does this.

"Homeroom" was instituted this year as the first period of the day. Once a week, the homeroom teacher gives a guidance lesson on a topic related to emotional intelligence. He says the kids don't like it because 1) it's boring and 2) it takes away their ability to go see another teacher that day, which is what that period can be used for. He has never done so, and says most kids in his homeroom don't either. Most kids use this time to study or do homework or socialize with the other kids in their room.

I don't know if it has any value that the kids don't see or acknowledge, but I imagine it's an effort to provide emotional support and coping tools that some might not get at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Repeat after me: Every. School. Is different.

The county mandated that some sort of remediation time must occur during the school day. If you don't like how your school is implementing it, let them know. Some schools do 30 minutes a day, others do 90 minutes every other day, some do it 4 days a week. At some it's a free for all, at others it is highly structured with assigned remediation help. Some allow kids to go to other teachers, while others keep the kids in one block and use it as a study hall. There are a ton of different models. Everyone is still trying to figure out what is most successful.

Lets hope our new superintendent reigns in some of the issues related to Every School is Different planning.

I don't think it's a one size fits all. The sort of program that works at Langley vs. Lee is going to look very different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Repeat after me: Every. School. Is different.

The county mandated that some sort of remediation time must occur during the school day. If you don't like how your school is implementing it, let them know. Some schools do 30 minutes a day, others do 90 minutes every other day, some do it 4 days a week. At some it's a free for all, at others it is highly structured with assigned remediation help. Some allow kids to go to other teachers, while others keep the kids in one block and use it as a study hall. There are a ton of different models. Everyone is still trying to figure out what is most successful.

Lets hope our new superintendent reigns in some of the issues related to Every School is Different planning.

I don't think it's a one size fits all. The sort of program that works at Langley vs. Lee is going to look very different.

Isn't that a self fulfilling prophecy then? Why not have a class that allows for extra help verses having an entirely different required study hall period?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My ds is an 11th grader at a HS that does this.

"Homeroom" was instituted this year as the first period of the day. Once a week, the homeroom teacher gives a guidance lesson on a topic related to emotional intelligence. He says the kids don't like it because 1) it's boring and 2) it takes away their ability to go see another teacher that day, which is what that period can be used for. He has never done so, and says most kids in his homeroom don't either. Most kids use this time to study or do homework or socialize with the other kids in their room.

I don't know if it has any value that the kids don't see or acknowledge, but I imagine it's an effort to provide emotional support and coping tools that some might not get at home.

The bolded is exactly right. This is what this "free" period is supposed to be used for. I know my own kids have greatly benefitted from having a time during the day in which they can go work with the teachers in whose classes they're having difficulty. Otherwise, they'd have to stay after school.

The "guidance lessons" are a HUGE waste of time. No one takes them seriously, and they just cause more stress because the kids are thinking of how they're going to catch up in their classes if they can't use that time to work with teachers. It's ridiculous. If kids want to relax and just chill out during that period, that should be allowed. But other kids, who *want* and *need* to get extra help should be allowed to do so, and not have to sit through some stupid "emotional support" session.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Repeat after me: Every. School. Is different.

The county mandated that some sort of remediation time must occur during the school day. If you don't like how your school is implementing it, let them know. Some schools do 30 minutes a day, others do 90 minutes every other day, some do it 4 days a week. At some it's a free for all, at others it is highly structured with assigned remediation help. Some allow kids to go to other teachers, while others keep the kids in one block and use it as a study hall. There are a ton of different models. Everyone is still trying to figure out what is most successful.

Lets hope our new superintendent reigns in some of the issues related to Every School is Different planning.

I don't think it's a one size fits all. The sort of program that works at Langley vs. Lee is going to look very different.

Isn't that a self fulfilling prophecy then? Why not have a class that allows for extra help verses having an entirely different required study hall period?

Im don't understand what you're saying.

I just meant that where I teach, we place a lot more structure during the "free" period. Kids aren't allowed to go to any teacher whenever, because it ended up being a chaotic free for all with more fights/drugs/etc going on than any other time of day. Thus, kids at my school are assigned to extra help by their teachers, where they receive additional instruction on skills that are lacking (often prior grade backfilling). Some students are in intensive SOL review instead, because they are at risk of not graduating. The block is not intended to be homework time, that was just a bonus for kids who dont need intensive help.

When I taught at the other side of the county, it was much more "do what you need to do", because parents paid for tutors to get the extra support outside of school, so admin didn't require teachers to do additional lessons.

[Anonymous]

Why should one school have 30 minutes and another 90?

[Anonymous]

OP can you name the school?

Could this possibly be something special in the suicide cluster school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Repeat after me: Every. School. Is different.

The county mandated that some sort of remediation time must occur during the school day. If you don't like how your school is implementing it, let them know. Some schools do 30 minutes a day, others do 90 minutes every other day, some do it 4 days a week. At some it's a free for all, at others it is highly structured with assigned remediation help. Some allow kids to go to other teachers, while others keep the kids in one block and use it as a study hall. There are a ton of different models. Everyone is still trying to figure out what is most successful.

Lets hope our new superintendent reigns in some of the issues related to Every School is Different planning.

Let's hope he does not.

Site based management works best.

Or would you like them to run Carson like they do the schools in Hybla Valley?

[Anonymous]

Is the OP talking about Chantilly HS?

https://chantillyhs.fcps.edu/student-life-activities/positivity-project

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is the OP talking about Chantilly HS?

https://chantillyhs.fcps.edu/student-life-activities/positivity-project

Nice find!