Will the committee revisit the schedule to see if a regular secondary recess – i.e. a period of unstructured, outdoor activity – can be reinstated on a daily basis, not solely at the teacher’s discretion?
The District will require a 15-minute outdoor recess daily, weather permitting, by class beginning October 20th. The time for the daily recess is to be determined by the teacher. The District will investigate the possibilities of returning to a full grade level recess during the 2009-2010 school year.
Are there other options for increasing instructional time? What other options were considered (or can be considered) other than reducing recess time?
Several options for the use of instructional time were developed and considered during the Elementary Blueprint discussions. We will continue to examine the schedule over the course of the year to determine if there are other options regarding the use of instructional time and recess.
The length of the school day was increased this year. Is it possible to lengthen the day incrementally further to accommodate a full secondary recess?
The Transportation Department is investigating the possibility of an earlier bus arrival time or a later bus departure time. When the report is available, we will analyze the possibility of modifying the use of instructional time and recess within the parameters of the current contract.
If the District chooses to maintain an indoor recess break, can this period be changed to a time for healthy, physical, less structured activities – physical games, stretching, dancing, etc.?
At this time, the District is requiring a return to outdoor recess.
Could children be encouraged to eat healthy snacks, either by bringing from home or by limiting morning cafeteria choices to those with the highest nutritional value?
We continue to permit and encourage families to provide snacks from home. We have asked the Food and Nutrition Supervisor to review the food offerings at the elementary level. We will also examine the practices pertaining to food products at recess.