PORT TOWNSEND — A private elementary school is experimenting with a year-round curriculum this year.
Swan School’s administrators feel the new plan will benefit student learning.
The school’s academic year will begin today and operate year-round, offering eight weeks of instruction followed by a break.
“We think this will benefit the kids because they won’t forget as much when they come back from a break,” said Head of School Ted Yates.
“And teachers will benefit, too, because they will be going full throttle and will then have time to reflect,” he said.
The schedule calls for two two-week breaks in the spring, one two-week break in the fall, three weeks around the holiday season and four weeks in the summer.
The schedule was bult with families in mind, Yates said
They can still take summer vacations but will be restricted to one month instead of two.
Having a three-week hiatus around the holiday also will be a benefit for families, he said.
The time in the classroom and on vacation is the same as in the standard school year but is distributed differently, Yates said.
The balanced schedule is an experiment and will be evaluated after one year, Yates said.
The school has 55 students in kindergarten through sixth grades as well as a day care center.
The process was tested in the day care center for the 2011-2012 school year and was a success, according to teacher Loida Robles.
“The kids saw the difference,” she said.
“They weren’t as restless when they came back from a break.”
Robles said that kids usually forget a lot of what they have learned when they return from summer vacation and some material needs to be retaught.
This is frustrating for both the teacher and the students, she said.
Yates said the students voted in favor of the change, and teachers used the initiative process as a teaching tool.
He said the parents unanimously support the change, although some needed to be convinced.
As a small private school, Swan is better able to navigate the schedule change than a larger private school or a public school, Yates said.
“We are a lot more flexible when it comes to changing our programs,” he said.
Full tuition for kindergarten through sixth grade was $6,825 for the 2011-12 school year, according to the school’s website at http://swanschool.net/.
Port Townsend School Superintendent David Engle understands the benefit of a balanced calendar and has taught in schools that use such a schedule, but notes many obstacles in implementing it in a larger district.
“A district changing to this kind of schedule would force the community to get used to a whole different calendar,” he said.
“There is also the endorsement issue, where many teachers use the summer to improve their certification and get the credits they need to continue their own education.
“But I will be interested to see how this turns out.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.