Elmore City-Pernell Schools will implement Late Start Wednesdays (LSWs) beginning October 9th. Late Start Wednesdays will allow for collaboration time for teachers to work on curriculum alignment, discuss teaching strategies, share best practices, and develop interventions that will target specific needs of students. LSWs will help create a professional learning community among our teachers, whereby they learn from each other while focusing on the current needs of all students. As teachers shift their thinking from teaching to learning, they will focus on four critical questions:
- What do we want students to learn? What should each student know and be able to do and understand as a result of each unit, grade level, and or course?
- How will we know when they have learned? Are we monitoring each student’s learning on a timely basis?
- What will we do if they don’t learn? What systematic process is in place to provide additional time and support for students who are experiencing difficulty?
- What will we do if they already know it? What process is in place for those students who need and want to excel?
After having success with a modified Late Start Wednesday schedule at the high school and middle school last year, the administration and Board of Education felt it would be worthwhile to move to a district-wide initiative for the benefit of all students. Late Start Wednesdays will be held TWICE per month beginning October 9th through April 22nd. The 19-20 Calendar is posted on the school website at www.ecpbadgers.com with specific dates of for LSWs. Busses will run approximately one hour later on those days and will deliver students to schools by 8:15am. Any student who needs to be at school at the regular time of 7:30am will be supervised by support staff at all three campuses. Doors to the elementary cafeteria will open at 8:15am for breakfast and classes will begin at 8:35am. Middle School and High School students will eat breakfast at 8:35am and classes will begin at 8:45am. Students will go to each of their classes at both the middle school and high school on a shortened class schedule.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your school’s principal at 580-788-2565 for the middle school and high school or at 580-788-2869 for the elementary school.
We look forward to starting this process as we can continue to strive for educational excellence at ECP!