Reply to APS Families--Pls email county and school boards by Tues. 5/24!!

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Zero period is a class scheduled before first period sonstudents taking zero period classes start around 7:30 and are finished earlier in the day some days  due to block scheduling than the student with a typical schedule. One of my sons had his AP English class zero period at WL five years ago and hated it. He ended up with a zero period class after having to rearrange his schedule three weeks into the school year.[/quote]

Thanks!  So it sounds like due to overcrowding they offer some classes before school generally starts and then they may leave before the school day typically ends.  This way they have less people occupying the space during regular school hours.

Hasn't Fairfax county moved high school start times back due to the studies and here we're asking teenagers to use them before the typical school day even begins?  DoYorktown and Wakefield do this?  Or is it just W-L?

[/quote]

HB also has a zero period, but it starts later than those at other high schools, because HB's regular start time is later. IOW, zero period at HB starts closer to 8 than to 7:30. It is most popular with kids who do need to leave school before the regular end of day in HB (e.g., students who play sports at their home high schools, etc.).

My DS goes to W-L, and we've been happy with his experience there. But there is no question that the school is bursting at the seams, and they seem happy whenever students have any excuse to be off campus. My DS has an independent study class this year (because a desired class did not fit into his schedule), so he has the afternoon "off" every other day. This hasn't been a problem for my responsible 18-year-old, but I can easily imagine this situation being a pretty bad idea for a different kid. I also think being away from school so much has contributed to my DS's relative lack of engagement in school activities, etc. this year (yes, some of that could be senioritis, but there isn't a lot of additional evidence supporting the senioritis theory, since his grades remain good). I think a sense of connection and "belonging" to a group is a really important component of adolescent mental health, and the idea of encouraging our teens to be less present/involved in their schools really troubles me (unless something else is filling that void).[/quote]

It would be a tremendous service if the W-L PTA could field a survey about the practical effects of all of these changes (zero periods, hoteling for teachers, etc.) on the kids, esp. since similar changes are being planned for the other two high schools. Are there best practices, things parents should know, things kids should know, things administrators should know...? APS surveys are usually too high level to get at these kinds of issues. [/quote]

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