PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. (August 10, 2011)—Calvert County Public Schools is changing the times that the school day will begin and/or end at eleven schools, starting with the 2011-12 school year. School officials say the changes will provide more time and opportunity for student learning.
The schools impacted by the schedule changes are: Appeal, Barstow, Calvert, Dowell, Mutual, Patuxent, Plum Point, and St. Leonard elementary schools, Plum Point and Southern middle schools, and Calvert High.
At Calvert High School, the student day will be aligned with the day at the Career and Technology Academy. The two schools share the same campus. Starting school fifteen minutes later than it started last year at Calvert High will give the students who attend classes in both schools a seamless transition between classes. These students will now be able to take one additional course during the school year and can earn more credits toward graduation. Starting on August 24, 2011, the student day will run from 7:40 a.m. until 2:35 p.m.
Susan Johnson, Calvert High principal, said, “Aligning the bell times between the two adjacent schools will provide optimal learning possibilities for the students enrolled in career and technology courses. It will also be a benefit to the overall operation of our campus.”
The school system will also be piloting a program to create additional instructional time at almost every elementary school from Plum Point Road south. Approximately ten minutes is being added to the instructional day at most elementary schools in the pilot program. At these schools, students will be dismissed about 10 minutes later than in previous years.
“The instructional time we are aiming to create, while it may only be 10 minutes a day, adds up to a huge increase,” said Ed Cassidy, Director of Transportation. “Ten minutes per day is nearly one hour per week. Over the course of a school year, we can add about 30 hours of classroom instruction. That is equivalent to about five additional school days.” Cassidy noted that the principals and teachers he has spoken with about the pilot program are enthusiastic about the teaching and learning possibilities that will be available.
Bus schedules for Calvert High and the pilot schools will be changed to accommodate the new school schedules. After August 12, 2011, the bus schedules for all schools for the 2011-12 school year will be posted on the school system’s website at: http://www.calvertnet.k12.md.us/departments/transport/bus/schedule.asp.
Each school’s beginning and ending time is available on the school system website at http://www.calvertnet.k12.md.us/info/schools/schoollist.asp.