Anonymous
Post 02/26/2022 22:30     Subject: APS Bell schedule review
Elementary school earlier would eliminate the need for extended day in the morning.
Anonymous
Post 02/26/2022 22:06     Subject: APS Bell schedule review
It would be great if elementary started earlier. Yes, many parents work, but “the vast majority” aren’t in aftercare. Many are picked up by a parent with a flexible schedule, or ride with a friend to an after school activity, or stay at school for an enrichment activity, etc etc.

Starting at 9 means you can’t really do anything (eg, an extracurricular) before school, and then you don’t get out until almost 4 pm.
Anonymous
Post 02/26/2022 21:23     Subject: APS Bell schedule review
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Actually, flipping elementary school and middle school would be great. If you look at the rhythms of sleep for kids, as they start to go with puberty in middle school it’s important for them to have more sleep. So if you had elementary start at 7:40, middle at nine, it would work better. especially since middle school kids don’t have to work after school like high school kids.

I'd love this as a morning person and Pre-K teacher. My students are so tired by 3, late start schools are rough for some little kids!

I’m not sure how this would be beneficial though— most parents with kids work and so the vast majority of kids would be in aftercare. I can’t imagine the kids getting out at 2:30 on normal days, and 11 on early release. They would be in aftercare until 5 for most kids, that’s a really long day. Middle and highschool come home more or less independently. Also they say that elementary school has to be the latest because of an adult isn’t there to meet a child, they have to take them back to school. Can’t do that if there’s another route after.


It’s no different than elementary kids getting dropped off for morning extended Day by 730 and picked up just before six when they close. Part of this discussion is eliminating morning extended day.

For parents who work a traditional 9-5 schedule the 9:00-3:41 is the worst, you’d typically have to use extended day in the morning and afternoon.
Anonymous
Post 02/26/2022 21:20     Subject: APS Bell schedule review
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Actually, flipping elementary school and middle school would be great. If you look at the rhythms of sleep for kids, as they start to go with puberty in middle school it’s important for them to have more sleep. So if you had elementary start at 7:40, middle at nine, it would work better. especially since middle school kids don’t have to work after school like high school kids.

I'd love this as a morning person and Pre-K teacher. My students are so tired by 3, late start schools are rough for some little kids!

I’m not sure how this would be beneficial though— most parents with kids work and so the vast majority of kids would be in aftercare. I can’t imagine the kids getting out at 2:30 on normal days, and 11 on early release. They would be in aftercare until 5 for most kids, that’s a really long day. Middle and highschool come home more or less independently. Also they say that elementary school has to be the latest because of an adult isn’t there to meet a child, they have to take them back to school. Can’t do that if there’s another route after.

We already have 3 elementary schools that start at 8 am (early release 12:26) My son went to one and it was great because we didn’t need extended day in the morning.
Anonymous
Post 02/26/2022 21:00     Subject: APS Bell schedule review
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Actually, flipping elementary school and middle school would be great. If you look at the rhythms of sleep for kids, as they start to go with puberty in middle school it’s important for them to have more sleep. So if you had elementary start at 7:40, middle at nine, it would work better. especially since middle school kids don’t have to work after school like high school kids.

I'd love this as a morning person and Pre-K teacher. My students are so tired by 3, late start schools are rough for some little kids!

I’m not sure how this would be beneficial though— most parents with kids work and so the vast majority of kids would be in aftercare. I can’t imagine the kids getting out at 2:30 on normal days, and 11 on early release. They would be in aftercare until 5 for most kids, that’s a really long day. Middle and highschool come home more or less independently. Also they say that elementary school has to be the latest because of an adult isn’t there to meet a child, they have to take them back to school. Can’t do that if there’s another route after.


Prior to this year our school started at 8am so the kids were out at 241pm. I miss it. My kids did not go to aftercare but I LOVED them being able to come home and relax before heading to activities. Now they walk in the door, I hand them a snack and we head right back out. It is tiring.

Also, when we were the earlier start if a parent was not there to meet a kid the kid just stayed on the bus to go to the next school and then they rode along until they could be dropped back off at their home school.
Anonymous
Post 02/26/2022 20:59     Subject: APS Bell schedule review
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Actually, flipping elementary school and middle school would be great. If you look at the rhythms of sleep for kids, as they start to go with puberty in middle school it’s important for them to have more sleep. So if you had elementary start at 7:40, middle at nine, it would work better. especially since middle school kids don’t have to work after school like high school kids.

I'd love this as a morning person and Pre-K teacher. My students are so tired by 3, late start schools are rough for some little kids!

I’m not sure how this would be beneficial though— most parents with kids work and so the vast majority of kids would be in aftercare. I can’t imagine the kids getting out at 2:30 on normal days, and 11 on early release. They would be in aftercare until 5 for most kids, that’s a really long day. Middle and highschool come home more or less independently. Also they say that elementary school has to be the latest because of an adult isn’t there to meet a child, they have to take them back to school. Can’t do that if there’s another route after.


It’s no different than elementary kids getting dropped off for morning extended Day by 730 and picked up just before six when they close. Part of this discussion is eliminating morning extended day.
Anonymous
Post 02/26/2022 20:54     Subject: APS Bell schedule review
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Actually, flipping elementary school and middle school would be great. If you look at the rhythms of sleep for kids, as they start to go with puberty in middle school it’s important for them to have more sleep. So if you had elementary start at 7:40, middle at nine, it would work better. especially since middle school kids don’t have to work after school like high school kids.

I'd love this as a morning person and Pre-K teacher. My students are so tired by 3, late start schools are rough for some little kids!

I’m not sure how this would be beneficial though— most parents with kids work and so the vast majority of kids would be in aftercare. I can’t imagine the kids getting out at 2:30 on normal days, and 11 on early release. They would be in aftercare until 5 for most kids, that’s a really long day. Middle and highschool come home more or less independently. Also they say that elementary school has to be the latest because of an adult isn’t there to meet a child, they have to take them back to school. Can’t do that if there’s another route after.
Anonymous
Post 02/26/2022 19:56     Subject: APS Bell schedule review
Anonymous wrote:Actually, flipping elementary school and middle school would be great. If you look at the rhythms of sleep for kids, as they start to go with puberty in middle school it’s important for them to have more sleep. So if you had elementary start at 7:40, middle at nine, it would work better. especially since middle school kids don’t have to work after school like high school kids.

I'd love this as a morning person and Pre-K teacher. My students are so tired by 3, late start schools are rough for some little kids!
Anonymous
Post 02/26/2022 19:24     Subject: Re:APS Bell schedule review
Anonymous wrote:Can someone explain this? I'm not really understanding what they're doing or what the implications are.


APS has begun a project to review our school bell schedules, and start and end times, across schools, and to compare instructional minutes across school divisions. The goal is to ensure we are maximizing instruction and reducing the variations in start/end times to operate more efficiently.

Currently, there are 8 different start/end times; the goal is to reduce them to 3 (or no more than 4) for the 2022-23 School Year. By reducing the number of start/end times, APS aims to optimize transportation services and identify efficiencies that will improve APS operations, streamline school bus routes and schedules, and reduce costs.
Anonymous
Post 02/26/2022 19:15     Subject: Re:APS Bell schedule review
Can someone explain this? I'm not really understanding what they're doing or what the implications are.
Anonymous
Post 02/26/2022 19:15     Subject: APS Bell schedule review
Actually, flipping elementary school and middle school would be great. If you look at the rhythms of sleep for kids, as they start to go with puberty in middle school it’s important for them to have more sleep. So if you had elementary start at 7:40, middle at nine, it would work better. especially since middle school kids don’t have to work after school like high school kids.
Anonymous
Post 02/26/2022 18:53     Subject: APS Bell schedule review
Middle school is very early. Aren’t those years rough enough already?
Anonymous
Post 02/26/2022 18:29     Subject: APS Bell schedule review
Honestly, I don’t care. So many other important issues and this one would be simply an inconvenience at best.
Anonymous
Post 02/26/2022 16:46     Subject: Re:APS Bell schedule review
I don’t think much will change. High schools and HB are all arranged to allow students to take the early morning class at the career center. It would be hard to change that. I wish middle schools and some elementaries would change but that would be a big shift and I’m not sure it’s feasible.
Anonymous
Post 02/26/2022 16:04     Subject: APS Bell schedule review
Very curious where people stand on this. Has the potential to seriously impact staff and parents. I think they may follow Loudon and move high school to the 8:45 start and elementary to the 7:40 start. And either way, I think HB’s schedule may be altered. Very little focus on this. But big potential impact!