New Bell Schedule Coming Soon
By: Kim Tran
Novato students and staff will be working with a new schedule next school year. The new bell schedule, approved by Novato High teachers, includes office hours two times a week.
In the new schedule, Monday, Thursday and Friday, are 50-minute class periods. Tuesday and Wednesday are 90-minute block periods, and include a 40-minute office hour period. The start time remains the same.
Office hours will be a period where students are able to spend their time doing homework or receiving help from teachers. If they do not have anything to do, it can be treated as a long break. However, students must remain on campus if even if they are not working.
English teacher Kathryn Korff described how office hours would work next year.
“There’s nothing mandatory you have to do, so students can choose to take advantage of it or not, but we’re hoping that students there should have lots of things that they can be working on, whether it is homework, getting help, working with other students on projects or making up work when they are absent,” Korff said.
To clarify, office hours, advisory, tutorial and study hall all refer to the same thing.
“We have been throwing around a lot of different terms, but the one we are using is for this schedule is a called office hours,” Korff said. “So it kind of mimics what you’ll experience in college, talking to your professors when they have availability.”
Korff also explained the many positives to having office hours.
“The students will be able to use the office hours for academic support but also activities to support strong mental health,” Korff wrote in an email. “We hope that students can have club meetings, have rooms set aside for meditation and yoga, and have time to drop in to chat with their counselor.”
Having office hours might be beneficial for AP classes, where the curriculum is taught at an accelerated pace. AP Biology teacher Jon Dick described both the benefits and drawbacks to having office hours.
“I think that tutorial is good. It allows students an opportunity, let’s say, especially with science to have a chance to make up a lab, which is great,” Dick said. “Or let’s say if they didn’t finish a lab, they can come in and finish it. It gives them an opportunity, not only in science, but in all classes to be able to make up tests and things. It gives them an opportunity to come in, rather than at lunch time or during break to have a little more time to be able to ask questions about something they don’t understand with an assignment or getting more clarity.”
Dick also explained the potential issues with tutorial.
“It does take time away from the normal schedule so instead of having how much time we have now, we would have less time because the amount of time you have in a day, type of thing,” Dick said.
As to why the bell schedule had to be revised the first time, Korff stated that the schedule had inconsistent lunch times and many teachers wanted to implement office hours for students.
Novato High junior Andy Peterson commented on next year’s schedule.
“I’m not a big fan about how fifth period is after lunch, but I do like that we get out at the same time every day, and I do like the study hall. I think that’s really cool,” Peterson said.
When asked if office hours is a good use of time, she said it was.
“Personally, for me, but I know that people will take advantage of it and kind of mess around.”
Junior Estaban Bernabe also likes the new schedule with office hours.
“I honestly think they are a good idea,” Bernabe said. “For people who need that extra help or extra time, I think, you know, it’s a really good idea. Especially for me because I always procrastinate...getting the extra time to do the work I didn’t do the night before, it’s kind of nice.”
Conversations about changing the school schedule have been going on for the last two years. In 2016, the Later Start committee pushed for later start times. The committee proposed many different schedules, including office hours and full blocks. Korff, who was a part of the committee, ultimately found that it wasn’t possible to change both the start time and the schedule at once. The schedule was revised using teacher feedback and approved by a majority of teachers last semester.
For students and staff alike, the new bell schedule next year will hopefully prove to be beneficial and give them the extra support they need.
Novato students and staff will be working with a new schedule next school year. The new bell schedule, approved by Novato High teachers, includes office hours two times a week.
In the new schedule, Monday, Thursday and Friday, are 50-minute class periods. Tuesday and Wednesday are 90-minute block periods, and include a 40-minute office hour period. The start time remains the same.
Office hours will be a period where students are able to spend their time doing homework or receiving help from teachers. If they do not have anything to do, it can be treated as a long break. However, students must remain on campus if even if they are not working.
English teacher Kathryn Korff described how office hours would work next year.
“There’s nothing mandatory you have to do, so students can choose to take advantage of it or not, but we’re hoping that students there should have lots of things that they can be working on, whether it is homework, getting help, working with other students on projects or making up work when they are absent,” Korff said.
To clarify, office hours, advisory, tutorial and study hall all refer to the same thing.
“We have been throwing around a lot of different terms, but the one we are using is for this schedule is a called office hours,” Korff said. “So it kind of mimics what you’ll experience in college, talking to your professors when they have availability.”
Korff also explained the many positives to having office hours.
“The students will be able to use the office hours for academic support but also activities to support strong mental health,” Korff wrote in an email. “We hope that students can have club meetings, have rooms set aside for meditation and yoga, and have time to drop in to chat with their counselor.”
Having office hours might be beneficial for AP classes, where the curriculum is taught at an accelerated pace. AP Biology teacher Jon Dick described both the benefits and drawbacks to having office hours.
“I think that tutorial is good. It allows students an opportunity, let’s say, especially with science to have a chance to make up a lab, which is great,” Dick said. “Or let’s say if they didn’t finish a lab, they can come in and finish it. It gives them an opportunity, not only in science, but in all classes to be able to make up tests and things. It gives them an opportunity to come in, rather than at lunch time or during break to have a little more time to be able to ask questions about something they don’t understand with an assignment or getting more clarity.”
Dick also explained the potential issues with tutorial.
“It does take time away from the normal schedule so instead of having how much time we have now, we would have less time because the amount of time you have in a day, type of thing,” Dick said.
As to why the bell schedule had to be revised the first time, Korff stated that the schedule had inconsistent lunch times and many teachers wanted to implement office hours for students.
Novato High junior Andy Peterson commented on next year’s schedule.
“I’m not a big fan about how fifth period is after lunch, but I do like that we get out at the same time every day, and I do like the study hall. I think that’s really cool,” Peterson said.
When asked if office hours is a good use of time, she said it was.
“Personally, for me, but I know that people will take advantage of it and kind of mess around.”
Junior Estaban Bernabe also likes the new schedule with office hours.
“I honestly think they are a good idea,” Bernabe said. “For people who need that extra help or extra time, I think, you know, it’s a really good idea. Especially for me because I always procrastinate...getting the extra time to do the work I didn’t do the night before, it’s kind of nice.”
Conversations about changing the school schedule have been going on for the last two years. In 2016, the Later Start committee pushed for later start times. The committee proposed many different schedules, including office hours and full blocks. Korff, who was a part of the committee, ultimately found that it wasn’t possible to change both the start time and the schedule at once. The schedule was revised using teacher feedback and approved by a majority of teachers last semester.
For students and staff alike, the new bell schedule next year will hopefully prove to be beneficial and give them the extra support they need.