Dear colleagues,
Please follow this link to find the Master Schedule and grade level schedules for 19-20.
Kaight, Kaoru, Ellen, and Heikki quadruple-checked all the slots several times to find mistakes, double bookings, or missing lessons.
Naturally, there still may be some left, so if you notice something that doesn't make sense, please do not hesitate to let Heikki know so that we can fix any problems as soon as possible.
Please read the following guidance carefully in support of your thinking, planning and pacing teaching and learning with the new schedule.
First bell 8:25 (time to move to classrooms promptly)
Second bell 8:30 (school starts)
The first period starting at 8:30
- The first period is slightly longer allowing time for brief morning meetings, taking attendance, or transitions, and a minimum of 45 minutes of learning. The thinking behind moving away from the 8:40 start time is to effectively utilize the prime morning learning time. We want the days to start at 8:30 and transition promptly to actual learning. Currently, many students (and families) arrive late as in their minds the school starts at 8:40.
- There are 5 minutes between the periods so the transitions need to be swift and promptly on time.
- If the classroom teacher has both lessons there is no transition time and the first block would allow 105 minutes of continuous learning.
- Due to the later lunchtime, the snack is eaten after the outside play.
- Gr 1- 5 morning playtime supervision will be scheduled as a rotation so that we will have 3 supervisors outside like we have during the lunch break. This means that we would all have to pay careful attention to the outside play timings.
- There are 5 minutes of transition time between snack and the following lesson, so please make sure that students finish their snacks on time to be ready to transition to single subject teachers or start learning in class.
- Morning recess and snack time is mandatory.
- Please note that there are only 5 minutes between the lessons 3 and 4, so again transitions need to take place in a timely fashion.
- If the classroom teacher has both lessons there is no transition time and the first block would allow 95 minutes of continuous learning.
- Grade 1: 12:20 leaving the classrooms
- Grades 2 - 5 12:23 leaving the classrooms
Lunchtime 12:25 - 12:40 (This is also the cafeteria supervision time)
Playtime 12:40 - 13:20 (This will be scheduled as 2 x 20 minutes of supervision slots)
- Whistle 13:20
- Whistle 14:22
- Afternoon recess is mandatory.
Lesson 6 and homeroom time
- After the lesson 6, there are 15 minutes of homeroom time of which can be used for returning back to class from specialists and having a closure for the day with the classroom teacher, or for continuing learning in the homeroom for extra 15 minutes in class or for having an end-of-day class meeting to finish the day.
- The lesson 6 and afternoon recess will be omitted on Wednesdays.
- Dismissal 14:25
- Lesson 5 from 13:25 to 14:10 with specialist followed by homeroom closure from 14:10 to 14:25
- Lesson 5 from 13:25 to 14:25 with a classroom teacher
- Wednesday PD session from 14:40 - 16:30
- Each grade level classroom teaching pair must have a minimum of 3 collaborative planning meetings scheduled in every 9 days. In grades PreK/KA and KB these meetings are 45 minutes long and in Gr 1- 5, 90 - 95 minutes long. These meeting times and venues are shared with the Learning Leaders, EAL, Learning Support Teachers, LSAs, and the Principal.
- Specialists will schedule collaborative planning meetings with grade level teams when they are not teaching and the respective grade level team has a non-teaching time.
- All specialists can meet on day 7. One of the learning leaders will participate in the meetings.
- The longer lunch playtime can also be used for meetings if needed.
Unit Pacing & Length (18 cycles of 9 days + 5 days in June 2020, link to the calendar)
- Units of Inquiry: 2 - 3 cycles of 9 days/ unit (EY year-long units)
- This year's goal is to have 2 Units of Inquiry out of 6 that are completed within 2 cycles of 9 days each
- Math Units
- Unit 1 review: 1 cycle of 9 days
- Units 2 - 7: 3 cycles of 9 days
- Units of Study
- 4 units 4/5 cycles of 9 days
- 5 units 3/4 cycles of 9 days
- 6 units 3 cycles of 9 days
Classroom teacher lesson distribution (PreK/KA)
In the early years, the goal is to offer a sufficient amount of routines as well as some variety caused by the 9-day changing days. The PreK-KA days will be structured so that there is a balanced number of opportunities for developing social, emotional, and cognitive skills aligned with the CA Early Years Philosophy, IB PYP, and the CA curriculum.
Classroom teacher lesson distribution (K - 5)
- The lesson breakdown below is to help the teachers to follow the program integration guidelines and curriculum pacing within the 9-day rotations. The transdisciplinary nature of the IB PYP will allow further flexibility in time usage between the three main areas of learning.
- However, the classroom teacher is expected to pay attention to ensure that the subject area balance is maintained within the 2-3 cycles of 9 days.
- Shorter units of inquiry (e.g. 2 cycles of 9 days) may allow the additional time to be used for an inquiry into science concepts, or an additional focus on math or literacy to effectively meet the needs within the class.
- Additionally, Kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 2 teachers will design a learning schedule that is also aligned with the CA Early Years Philosophy.
- K-5 lesson distribution
- 10 math lessons/ 9 days
- 13 Balanced literacy lessons / 9 days
- 9 UoI lessons/ 9 days
- 9 x25 minutes for class meetings/ 9 days (including the homeroom time at the end of the day)
- 13:25 - 15:25 Extended learning (no afternoon recess during extended learning)
