Serving the Towns of Wawarsing, Crawford, Mamakating, Rochester and Shawangunk, and everything in between
(none)   
SJ FB page   
 

Gutter
Time To Get More Sleep...
RVSD Works Towards Less Time On The Bus

KYSERIKE – During the most recent Rondout Valley School District meeting, board of education member Nicole Parete presented phase two of the later start time process. Central was the ideal that no student should be on a school bus before 7 a.m.

"Shifting bus times is not about wanting more sleep," Parete said. "It is about how adolescents are different than us."

Currently, buses pick up students as early as 6:30 a.m.

Central to the presentation were several studies that illustrate the relationship between teens and sleep pointing out how hormones during puberty make it difficult for teens to fall asleep before 11 p.m. and early start times are a critical contributor to sleep deprivation "which has been linked to anxiety, depression and poor academic performance."

Parete presented three alternative schedules, including single bus runs and pushing bus pickups back 30 minutes. The committee recommended the "Flip and Shift" model, in which students K-3 would be picked up at 7:30 a.m., with classes beginning at 8 a.m. and ending at 2:05 p.m.; and students in grades four through 12 would be picked up at 8:35 a.m., begin classes at 8:55 a.m. and end school at 3:10 p.m.

Community members raised several issues during public comment, with some expressing concern that earlier bus times do not benefit younger students.

Parete admitted there are fewer studies on the relationship between younger students and sleep, but said teachers in the district spoke positively of the shift because younger students are generally more attentive in the morning.

Other community members expressed concerns for student athletes and how, under the "Flip and Shift" model, some might have to miss ninth period classes to attend away games. To this Parete replied that,"everyone would have to adjust to the new schedule" and cited a report where athletic departments worked together to accommodate later start times.

School districts in New Paltz, Onteora, and Kingston are also looking into similar changes.

Over the next couple of months, the superintendent and his team will continue to collect data and community responses and then present a final recommendation to the board for approval, expected between late February and early March.

At the close of the discussion, board member David O'Halloran reminded those in attendance that the "the hard work is done to improve academic achievement."

Also at the recent meeting: the superintendent presented the Rondout Valley High School mural project by alumni artist Eugene Stetz, set to decorate the school's Third Street entrance. For payment, Stetz will receive $950 from the school district, $500 from the Rondout Valley Education Foundation, and $250 from the Rondout Valley Federation of Teachers to cover art supplies. The work will be completed in spray paint and is expected to start in two weeks.

Stentz met with 75 middle school students and fielded design suggestions last Friday and then came up with a design that depicts a student with a crown and book bag riding a goose with a book between his hands. Behind him, the wings of the goose create a "space scene" that will be filled with student suggestions. The final work will cover 8 feet by 30 feet.

One board member questioned the longevity of the piece and was told it would be coated in polyurethane, then painted over when it eventually breaks down.



Gutter Gutter
 
 


Gutter