Monday Delayed Start
Dear Clark Elementary Parents/Guardians,
Uinta County School District #1 had a committee comprised of administrators and teachers studying the possibility of changing the district calendar in an effort to increase student learning. They discussed Parent Teacher Conferences, Professional Development (PD) for staff, and many other issues pertaining to the UCSD #1 calendar. One of the suggestions was to change from the nine 1/2 day PD days to an early morning PD model. After many discussions, the committee decided that we need to have as many full (five day) weeks as possible, without the interruptions of 1/2 day Fridays. UCSD#1 will no longer have 1/2 day Friday PDs but will still have 1/2 day teacher work days once a quarter.
Starting times for school on Monday would be delayed by one hour, bus routes would be delayed by one hour, and breakfast times delayed by one hour. Certified staff (teachers, nurses, counselors, etc) would be asked to come in thirty minutes before their current contract time to participate in PD. The idea was discussed with staff to identify pros and cons.
The proposed change was unanimously approved during the February 13, 2018 UCSD #1 School Board Meeting. We ensure that students who get dropped off at Clark on Mondays between 7:45am-9:30am will receive supervised activities including time in the computer lab, gym and reading.
One of the critical components to success and achievement for students is a well thought out master schedule. In order to improve the education in UCSD #1 we ought to review the district calendar on a yearly basis. For many years staff and parents have voiced their frustrations with 1/2 day PDs, especially because they are right before holidays.
Our hard work this year has made it clear that PDs need to be more meaningful, relevant, frequent, ongoing, and support the work that is being done in teacher Professional Learning Communities (PLCs).
This led us to a discussion around two options-- delayed start or early release professional development. After school PD on any day of the week is ineffective for elementary and secondary teachers. Many of our teachers are coaches and therefore unable to attend meetings and PD after school. Many of our teachers/staff also teach After- School Enrichment. We can’t have a successful After-School Enrichment Program while having well attended and meaningful PDs after school.
Administration has done extensive research around attendance. Wednesdays are the highest attended days of the week, therefore it is not a good day for students to miss time. Tuesdays are the next highest attended days followed by Thursdays. Mondays and Fridays have the worst attendance rates. Mondays also have the highest rate for tardies, so it seems like this would be a good day of the week to give kids some additional time to get to school.. Setting the tone for the week on a Monday while staff are fresh and planning for the upcoming week, allowing staff and teams to meet together to plan for targeted instruction, made it clear that Mondays were the better choice. All schools will be delayed by one hour.
Delayed Start Mondays (one hour delay)
- School starting times delayed by one hour every Monday
- Elementary Starting Time on Monday: 10:05 a.m.
- Middle School Starting Time on Monday: 8:50 a.m.
- EHS Starting Time on Monday: 9:10 a.m.
- HHS Starting Time on Monday: 9:00 a.m.
We understand that many Clark parents go to work before the school day begins. Early Birds will still be offered beginning at 7:45am Monday-Friday. Early Birds could include, but is not limited to, rotations of: interventions, enrichments, free time, computers, gym, homework, etc. This is not like After-School Enrichment where you have to sign-up in order to attend. We will accept students who show up anytime between 7:45-9:30am. Please note this is something we are offering to students who follow our school rules. If a problem arises we will contact home and make a plan for re-entry. At 9:30am all students will go to recess or to the cafeteria for breakfast.
Sincerely,
Kimber Fessler
Principal