Samo's New Potential Schedule

Since last school year, there has been discussion about a new schedule at Samo. This could change the graduation requirements and remove flextime and AM classes. There are four new schedules under consideration by the School Board and a committee of district staff, teachers, admin, students and parents. Marae Cruce the principal at Samo goes over the process of the new schedules.

“ In order to get it to pass, the staff has to have a lot of discussions around it. We have to do a lot of looking at what's in the best interest of students (...) So we have to go through a process we have to have time as a staff to have some of those conversations we have to have time in order to survey our students and find out their true need. We also have to have time to then look at what kind of if we are moving down this path. What kind of classes do we need to add in? What is that like? What would be your passion to have there? Are you wanting to take ceramics and you haven't been able to? Well, then we need to look at expanding that program. So we would need to also look at those offerings. Which would take a little bit of time.” Cruce said.

The current schedule at Samo includes six periods of classes, not including AM. Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays are all period days with 55-minute classes. Wednesday and Thursday are block days with 83-minute classes, including flex time before lunch for an hour. Currently, the weekly instructional minutes at Samo are 1651, not including AM. Shannon Cox, a freshman seminar teacher with an AM period, provides her opinion on the potential schedule changes. 

“I would love a seven-period day, We would hire more teachers and that would cause class sizes to be smaller, more students would take all academic classes on campus and I really love block scheduling.” Cox said. 

Flex time is a big resource for Samo students. They can choose a class they need extra support in and can receive help from teachers, do homework and do test corrections. 

“I would like to have seven class periods instead of Am, so I can still take two electives but I don't have to wake up as early. Block periods are very long so it would be annoying to have those every day,” Scannell said.

         “So, I mean, if it has passed, right, if we move to that, one of the biggest impacts is it will provide more opportunities in your schedule and open up for more electives, more interests. So you can be involved in multiple programs, particularly your very strained your freshman year. The other thing is athletics it's really really hard with athletics because in order to do a seventh period, now, when you go to compete if it's not a day that you have athletics, you are missing more content, potentially not just one class, possibly two” Cruce said.