Virtual classes will be replaced by online extra help sessions for the next three Fridays at Morristown High School.
These “Flexible Fridays” also will give students time to seek support from counselors, catch up on the previous week’s work, and talk with club advisers and coaches, Principal Mark Manning said in a bi-lingual message to students last week.
“It is very important that you take advantage of these opportunities on Fridays so that you can end the year strong. If you are struggling academically or emotionally, please email your teachers or counselors to schedule time to meet with them,” Manning wrote.
Earlier this month, Morristown High students garnered 569 signatures on an online petition requesting pass-fail grades for the fourth marking period. The petition contended that students’ grades, and college admissions, would suffer from the switch to virtual classes when the coronavirus crisis prompted closure of school buildings in March.
Although school officials did not budge on that one, sophomore Michael Feldman gave Manning high marks for Flexible Fridays.
“He seems like he’s trying to get something good for us… I think this could help us. We’re already struggling…this will let us channel our energy and attempt to get our work done to the best of our abilities,” said Feldman, who supported the petition.
Feldman said his introductory computer science class is particularly challenging in a virtual setting. Teachers have grown more attentive, and are explaining assignments more clearly, since the petition, he asserted.
Flexible Fridays actually started in the Morris School District‘s elementary schools right after the spring break, said Superintendent Mackey Pendergrast.
As part of the school board’s new “Promoting Student Wellness” policy, he said, “we wanted to build in time during the school day for our clubs and athletic teams to meet so that our students could connect in ways beyond the academic world just like they do when we are in the brick and mortar buildings.
“Also, given the distress that some families are experiencing in this public health crisis it is an opportunity for some students to receive greater support through small group instructional sessions as well as time to meet with their counselors,” Pendergrast said via email.
Heightened awareness by staff also is a goal of a suicide prevention policy approved this month by the district board. Pendergrast told trustees that implementation would start immediately, to help students struggling with the isolation brought by the pandemic.
A bilingual message to students? Don’t they need to understand English to get through their courses?