The following was emailed to Columbia High School families from South Orange – Maplewood School District Supt. Dr. John Ramos on Friday afternoon. For more information on potential scheduling changes ahead for CHS, read article here.
March 18, 2016
Dear CHS Families:
The CHS administration and staff are working on building a 2016-2017 schedule, which includes exploring how to:
- Eliminate a 7:30 start time at the high school.
- Where appropriate, support a 9-period student day to accommodate expanded student course selection where ever staffing, budgeting, and facilities allow.
Among the possibilities being considered is a 9 period rotating drop schedule, in which one class may rotate out of the schedule each day. In general, schools with a dropped period/rotation schedule find a reduction in student and staff stressors as well as increased time for student academic supports and time for teachers to collaborate and work on professional development during the course of the school day.
If any changes are made to the CHS bell schedule for the 2016-2017 school year, they will be in alignment with building goals, as well as those goals and priorities identified in our district’s Education Summit and strategic planning to date.
As a reminder, the new Access and Equity Policy and the revised Academic Placement Policy ensure that students have choice in their academic placement. For more information about these policies, please click here. Students who would like to exercise that choice should discuss their preferred placement with their counselor.
Sincerely,
John. J. Ramos, Sr., Ed.D.
Superintendent
