<\/p>\n
The Mancos school board considered shortening school breaks and changing graduation dates during a work session before its regular meeting Tuesday night.<\/p>\n
The debates came up while board members honed in on the starting and ending dates for the 2019-20 calendar, and the overall functioning of the four-day school week.<\/p>\n
Brian Hanson, superintendent of the Mancos School District RE-6A, said high school students \u2013 in particular, students taking classes at Fort Lewis College, Pueblo Community College or San Juan College in Farmington \u2013 want to end the first semester before the two-week winter break.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they\u2019re coming back to finish classes here \u2026 that is an issue,\u201d Hanson said. \u201cAnd we have a pretty good percentage of our high school kids, juniors and seniors going to concurrent enrollment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Directors agreed, and board secretary Pamela Coppinger added no one wants final exams hanging over their winter holiday.<\/p>\n
Hanson also was concerned that the district\u2019s early start in August would cut short teachers\u2019 summer break. He suggested shortening other breaks throughout the school year.<\/p>\n
This year, school kicked off on Aug. 13.<\/p>\n
Overall, board members stated that breaks during the school year were more important than a later start date.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we\u2019re talking about shaving stuff off Thanksgiving or Christmas, I think that most teachers would prefer to have the earlier start,\u201d said treasurer Ed Whritner.<\/p>\n
Coppinger added that historically, before Thanksgiving became a weeklong break, absenteeism increased because families took a longer break anyway.<\/p>\n
Board president Blake Mitchell argued for a later start because classes might conflict with late-summer events such as the Montezuma County Fair.<\/p>\n
Discussion about a graduation date centered on a possible scheduling conflict with the state track and field championships. Board members did not come up with a definite plan.<\/p>\n
Board members also asked for an update on how the district\u2019s four-day school week<\/a> worked last year, its inaugural year, and how it affected academics.<\/p>\n While he didn\u2019t have data on hand, Hanson said student achievement and student and staff attendance improved last year, but he couldn\u2019t conclude if that was due to the shorter week.<\/p>\n \u201cStaff members I\u2019ve talked to absolutely love it,\u201d board vice president Boe Hawkins said.<\/p>\n During the regular portion of Tuesday\u2019s meeting, fourth-grade teachers Staci Greenlee and Rachel Showalter presented some of their class activities, as part of the district\u2019s focus on project-based learning.<\/em>They focused on their recent \u201cSave the Bats\u201d project \u2013 inspired by a live bat discovered in the school \u2013 and an outer-space project. The space project includes a \u201crover drop\u201d this week that will test students\u2019 contraptions designed to house and protect space travelers, aka eggs.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need our kids to dive a little bit deeper,\u201d Showalter said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been teaching a long time, and the traditional way is not working in classes right now. The kids are different; they need to dive into it differently.\u201d<\/p>\n Representatives with the Montezuma County School to Farm Project<\/a> also presented. While the campuswide construction project has disrupted their outdoor gardening work, Hanson said, they nevertheless have continued operating within classrooms.<\/p>\n The group\u2019s executive director Gretchen Rank said that they are not in a rush to build out the gardens, and that 2019 would involve a lot of planning.<\/p>\n