Weston High’s New Schedule
Katarina Todorovich
On February 23rd, Principal Lisa Wolak sent out an email to students and their families regarding upcoming schedule changes. This email contained specific plans for both the upcoming week and plans after our April Break. As we plan to return on March 15th, with both cohorts in school every day, the schedule will see some changes but share some of the same things we had in our Hybrid Schedule. Starting March 15th, classes will run every day from 7:45 to 12:20. For students that are VDL, they will be zooming into class during the school day like before. The goal is to allow more face-to-face learning between students and teachers, allowing for less screen time. There will still be ELH running from 1:30 to 2:30 based on feedback from students and teachers, finding it helpful to catch up on work and meet with teachers for extra help. Students can still come in for ELH or zoom in. As for bus transportation, there will be rides offered back from school at both 12:20 and 2:30.
If this new schedule change proves effective, the administration hopes to extend the day to 2:30 instead of 12:20 after April break. This day will include lunch. Returning to an all-in full day after April break allows more teachers and staff to be vaccinated and allows more generous use of outdoor spaces as it begins to get warmer. More information will come after we start full in person and when students return from break, as there may be a higher percentage of students quarantined because of travel. In Ms.Wolak’s email, she explains that “This plan was designed with feedback from parent, student, and staff surveys, as well as the Weston Westport Health District”. All these decisions were based on student input from the survey sent out by Student Government and opinions from parents and teachers.
Although it is difficult to satisfy everyone, based on statistics and feedback, the administration has tried its best to include everyone’s voice in their final decisions with the schedule. Jane Smith, a sophomore at Weston High School, says, “Overall, I am excited to be in in-person classes with my friends in the blue cohort, who I haven’t been in a school with since last March. Although it will be a little bit of an adjustment staying at school until 2:30 after April break, I have missed aspects of normalcy, such as the awesome lunches in the cafeteria with my friends, and I can’t wait for them to come back!” Elena Negri, a freshman at Weston High school, says, “I’m glad things are returning to normal, and I can’t wait to see all my friends again. I’m happy that I don’t have to sit on my computer all day and learn from home”. Although many students are excited to see their friends and attend school like it used to be, some are concerned about moving this fast. One student says, “I understand that schools are all opening up, but I’m very nervous” the student explains, “What I mean is that we are going to be so close to each other, allowing the virus to spread” He ends off by saying, “Bottom line is, if it is far too crowded in school, and if we start lunch, I will consider switching to VDL”.
The administration is working with local health officials to ensure that this change is safe, as keeping students safe is the utmost priority. Any shift in schooling scenarios is dependent on current COVID-19 data and the advice of local health officials. It is essential that we all continue to practice mask-wearing and social distancing and follow protocols related to travel and quarantine. Please reach out to your assistant principal, counselor, or teacher if you have any questions. Your student government representatives are always happy to address your concerns and answer any questions you may have.