At last night’s school board meeting, Whitmore School’s proposal to use the Balanced School Day Model was accepted.
Lesia Jensen, Whitmore School Principal, says the start and end of the school day will stay the same.
What the model will do is change how the school day works, instead of having two recesses and a lunch with a recess, there will be a morning nutrition break with a recess and an afternoon lunch break with a recess. There won’t be a change to the amount of teaching minutes per day, just fewer transition times and increased learning time.
Jensen says the rationale behind the balanced school day is that academic achievement will be improved by increasing time on task in the classroom.
Jensen anticipates the change to be positive for the students and families and hopes they’ll be able to continue with the model.
The Interlake School Division brought the Balanced School Day to Manitoba in 2006 and continues to use it. Whitmore School will be piloting it for the Mountain View School Division.
