New Schedule at Nipmuc

Good afternoon,

I hope everyone has enjoyed the beautiful weather this summer. It’s hard to believe that we are nearly ready to begin another school year.  As we prepare for next week and the first day of school, I want to update you on a schedule change that will go into effect for the 2012-2013 school year.

The change in the schedule comes following two years of discussion on the scheduling model our school uses. Through the work of a committee of teachers, as well as feedback from students and parents, a new schedule has been developed. The implementation of this new schedule will help to lower class size and provide additional opportunities for our students to take elective courses.

Through the schedule change, students will now take seven classes rather than the six that they took last year. These classes will rotate over the course of a seven-day cycle (see below).

Some of the features of the new schedule include the following:

·         Classes meet five times during each seven-day cycle

·         Students have the opportunity to take an additional class.

·         Each class meeting period lasts either 64 or 80 minutes. (Classes at Nipmuc were formerly 81 or 90 minutes in length.)

·         A morning break will continue to be part of the schedule.  During this break time, students will be able to purchase a full breakfast from our cafeteria instead of `a la carte items.

·         Three lunches (rather than four) will run each day. The length of the lunch time has been increased to 25 minutes.

In preparation for the schedule change, we asked our upperclassmen to select a seventh course that they would be interested in taking. Students chose from the current choices of electives in music, art, business, and physical education. They also could select from our twelve Advanced Placement offerings and new courses such as Spanish Culture and Business and Decades of Change.

Students in the ninth and tenth grades will take a series of half-year courses that are intended to strengthen the skills they need to succeed in high school and beyond while reinforcing and supplementing their learning in English, math, and biology.

During freshman year, students will take two new half-year courses: Communications and Literacy and 21^st Century Skills. In the Communications and Literacy class students will develop skills for effective communication, conduct an examination of literary genres and skills, and investigate and analyze media. The 21^st Century Skills class will help students transition to high school by introducing them to the academic, intellectual, and interpersonal skills that are the foundation for success in high school, college, and beyond.   

All sophomore students will take two different half-year courses: Ecology and Populations and The Fundamentals of Mathematics. The Ecology and Populations class will provide students with a further investigation into topics in macro-biology while providing supplemental learning opportunities to support their study of biology and their success on the biology MCAS test. Fundamentals of Mathematics is aligned with the national Common Core and will help students develop the foundational mathematical skills needed in algebra, geometry, and the advanced study of math.

These changes present some exciting opportunities for our students. Over the next few days we will finalize the schedule and prepare student schedules to be distributed on the first day of school. I am thankful for the work of the teachers, students, and parents who provided input during the process of developing the new Nipmuc schedule.

I hope you enjoy the final days of the summer vacation. I look forward to welcoming our students on Tuesday, August 28.

Sincerely,

John K. Clements

Principal