WAG Houston School schedule

[stillhoping]

The Houston Chronicle recently posted an article stating that Houston schools would be switching to a standard schedule next school year. The end time for middle school and up is going to be 3:50 pm. Even with a PE waiver, that means that a high school kid wouldn’t get out until 2:50 PM.

If you are in the Houston area, have your gyms discussed how they will address this?

I’m curious because my kid really wants to stay in regular school. We recently looked for gyms. Finding a program for upper level optionals that starts workout later in the afternoon was tough. I’m wondering if there will be more options next year when more schools get out later, or if more kids will be required to homeschool.

 

[reluctant]

The Houston Chronicle recently posted an article stating that Houston schools would be switching to a standard schedule next school year. The end time for middle school and up is going to be 3:50 pm. Even with a PE waiver, that means that a high school kid wouldn’t get out until 2:50 PM.

What time do you currently get out of school?

 

[stillhoping]

What time do you currently get out of school?

3:00, and it would stay that way next year.

 

[Texasmomof3]

We are not in Houston, but we are in Texas. Are you aware that under Texas law (TEA off-campus PE regulations), if your child participates in a qualified off-campus sport, she can receive school credit for her sport and be dismissed from school one period early? Mine is now in 9th grade, and she has gotten out of school early since 6th grade to accommodate gym.

To be a qualified program, she must train at least 15 hours per week of high-level, intensive physical training under professional coaches (not student peers) and she can only miss PE but no other core classes. We submit an annual letter from her gym (which I drafted) setting forth her training schedule and identifying by name and background her coaches. And then she must submit a log every 9 weeks with her practice times and a grade that is given by her coach. It takes me about 30 minutes every nine weeks to fill it all out.

My dd is in regular public school, and even though our high schools end at 3 and her practice starts at 3:30, she still does early release and leaves at 2, so she has some time for homework before practice.

 

[stillhoping]

Sadly, 3:00 is with the PE waiver. The regular release time is 4:00.

 

[stillhoping]

When I looked earlier this year, most afternoon programs in my area for training level 9+ started around 2:30, a couple at 3:30, the latest start times at 5:00. With DD getting out at 3:00 and not wanting to be late every day, any program that started before 3:00 was obviously out, and many that started at 3:30 were also out because Houston commuting would have made her late.

 

[reluctant]

How do you guarantee that you get PE last period? We don't even have that option.

 

[Texasmomof3]

Mine has never actually had a last period PE class. We just tell them to schedule no class for last period, and she doesn't take PE at school. Then the district gives credit for off campus PE.

Our gym's afternoon team program technically runs from 3:30 to 7:30 every day. But, for girls who cannot get there by 3:30, we also have a 4:00 start option. The first hour of practice is conditioning. So the late arrivals start practice at 4 with the rest of the team and then do their first half conditioning after practice ends, from 7:30 to 8. Maybe other gyms have something like that once you talk to them?

 

[stillhoping]

How do you guarantee that you get PE last period? We don't even have that option.

At our school, if they are granted a PE waiver, the counselor makes sure that they are scheduled for last period PE. I guess we are lucky to have that.

I asked her school about taking classes over the summer so that she could get out even earlier. For example, having a kid take a history class through Texas Tech ISD over the summer, and test out before school starts. Then, I thought, she could get out two class periods early. That would have opened up so many gym options. I was told that it would not work, because the kids are required to be in school for the 6 core classes until they are in high school, so there is no flexibility for them to take an additional class off campus. It seems like Dallas area schools have more flexibility in their schedules, so I am a bit confused.

 

[stillhoping]

Mine has never actually had a last period PE class. We just tell them to schedule no class for last period, and she doesn't take PE at school. Then the district gives credit for off campus PE.

Our gym's afternoon team program technically runs from 3:30 to 7:30 every day. But, for girls who cannot get there by 3:30, we also have a 4:00 start option. The first hour of practice is conditioning. So the late arrivals start practice at 4 with the rest of the team and then do their first half conditioning after practice ends, from 7:30 to 8. Maybe other gyms have something like that once you talk to them?

Most gyms that she would be late for did say that they would modify the schedule for her, and her last gym also modified the schedule for her. For a variety of reasons based on her experiences with her previous gym, she was reluctant to be the one who was different. I think that she would do it now, but when we were considering the switch, she wanted to fit in with the new gym as much as possible.

 

[Aussie_coach]

Just curious? Does this mean that in your schools kids have the same subjects in the same period every day? So they might have PE last period every day?

Don't know how our teachers would feel about that. Our schools have the kids do their lessons in a different order every day of the week. Kids do better at different times of the day, seems unfair for which ever teachers have the kids at a difficult time of day.

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

So you guys are in HISD? I would imagine if there are enough girls from that school district, the gym would shift. I know at our old gym, girls filter in at a steady trickle for the first 45 minutes to an hour of practice, as they can get there.

 

[Texasmomof3]

Just curious? Does this mean that in your schools kids have the same subjects in the same period every day? So they might have PE last period every day?

Don't know how our teachers would feel about that. Our schools have the kids do their lessons in a different order every day of the week. Kids do better at different times of the day, seems unfair for which ever teachers have the kids at a difficult time of day.

In elementary school, they usually have the same teacher all day and she can teach in whatever order she likes. (Except they usually have specials — like art, music, PE, Spanish — at the same time every day since those are different teachers.

For the upper grades, there are many different models for how schools work, but I’m unaware of any that change class times on a regular basis.

This is how it works in our district:

In middle school (grades 6-8), they have the same schedule every day in the same order. They change classes for each subject, because each subject is taught by a specialist teacher who teaches only that class. They have seven subjects per day, which are generally math, science, social studies, English, Spanish, and two electives of their choice (PE, art, band, journalism, theatre, health, computers, etc.)

In 8th grade, my dd’s schedule was English I, Geometry, Spanish II, Texas History, Science, Theatre Arts, and off campus PE. Same schedule every day, same order, same time. They had a lunch break between the third and fourth class.

In high school, it gets weird. They take 8 courses, but only have five classes per day. First period and last period are one hour each, and they have that class every day. The middle three periods are two hours long, and they rotate which classes they have. Some classes are assigned to A days and others to B days, so you have the classes every other day, but in the same order.

So with my dd, who is in 9th grade, she has Principles of Business first period every day. She leaves early and has no class for last period every day, and gets credit for Gymnastics as PE for that time slot. Her other courses vary by days.

A days: Principles of Business, Biology, entrepreneurship, World Geography, off campus PE

B days: Principles of Business, Algebra II, English II, Art, off campus PE

They get a lunch break in the miss of their third class, so one hour of class, then lunch, then a second hour of that same class. It is a bit complicated the first week or so, but except for first period, they get two days to complete any homework assignments, so that really helps.

 

[jenjean70]

The Houston Chronicle recently posted an article stating that Houston schools would be switching to a standard schedule next school year. The end time for middle school and up is going to be 3:50 pm. Even with a PE waiver, that means that a high school kid wouldn’t get out until 2:50 PM.

If you are in the Houston area, have your gyms discussed how they will address this?

I’m curious because my kid really wants to stay in regular school. We recently looked for gyms. Finding a program for upper level optionals that starts workout later in the afternoon was tough. I’m wondering if there will be more options next year when more schools get out later, or if more kids will be required to homeschool.

We are Fort Bend and our middle schoolers get out at 4:15- 3:15 with the waiver but the first semester of 7th grade the district won't let them waive health (our district is the only one that requires health in 7th grade) so he will be late to gym for a semester. His coaches REALLY want him to home school but he doesn't want to AT ALL.

 

[jenjean70]

We are not in Houston, but we are in Texas. Are you aware that under Texas law (TEA off-campus PE regulations), if your child participates in a qualified off-campus sport, she can receive school credit for her sport and be dismissed from school one period early? Mine is now in 9th grade, and she has gotten out of school early since 6th grade to accommodate gym.

To be a qualified program, she must train at least 15 hours per week of high-level, intensive physical training under professional coaches (not student peers) and she can only miss PE but no other core classes. We submit an annual letter from her gym (which I drafted) setting forth her training schedule and identifying by name and background her coaches. And then she must submit a log every 9 weeks with her practice times and a grade that is given by her coach. It takes me about 30 minutes every nine weeks to fill it all out.

My dd is in regular public school, and even though our high schools end at 3 and her practice starts at 3:30, she still does early release and leaves at 2, so she has some time for homework before practice.

Does the school give you the paper work to fill out for grades? My son just finished his first semester of 6th grade and the only thing I turned in was a link to the results when he missed a day of school for a meet to prove that he was there.

 

[Texasmomof3]

In middle school, we just did one set of papers at the beginning of the year and they didn’t care about an actual grade. For high school, since it counts towards graduation credits, the school’s gives us official TEA papers to use to get an actual grade assigned.

Dd’s Friend one district over had to have grade assignedfron sixth grade up. It varies by district.

 

[stillhoping]

7th grade the district won't let them waive health (our district is the only one that requires health in 7th grade).

I wonder if he could take the Texas Tech ISD health class online and take the exam for it the summer before 7th grade, so that he would already have credit for health?

https://enroll.ttuisd.ttu.edu/catal...a=HIGH&course_number=HLTHED&course_subtitle=2

 

[Aussie_coach]

So is it normal for your schools only to give middle and High school students one break per day?

That is different. All our students from Prep right through to 12th Grade get 2 lunch breaks each day. Usually Morning Tea/recess in the morning around 10:30 and Lunch/recess around 12;30ish.

How are your students not starving with only 1 food break each day!

 

[Texasmomof3]

There is no recess after elementary school.

Maybe we just have a different approach to food here, as even in elementary school, there is only one meal break per day.

 

[FlippinPrincess]

So is it normal for your schools only to give middle and High school students one break per day?

That is different. All our students from Prep right through to 12th Grade get 2 lunch breaks each day. Usually Morning Tea/recess in the morning around 10:30 and Lunch/recess around 12;30ish.

How are your students not starving with only 1 food break each day!

My son would ABSOLUTELY do better in your schools. He only gets one break now and he’s only in 6th grade. He complains about it almost daily. Kids need to move! I also love the idea of switching the schedule around every day so that each subject gets in at peak learning time.