Common Planning
The BMCCHS faculty and staff are in the business of learning to do things better and better for our students. We believe that our students deserve a program of study that is fully coordinated from the beginning of school through graduation, and is current enough to meet their needs as they enter a rapidly changing world. Never before has it been more important that schools - which have remained relatively unchanged for decades- make improvements to meet the demands of life in a technological age. It is estimated, for example, that today's graduates will make at least six career changes in their adult lives because of the rapid changes in the work place. Our graduates must be confident, lifelong learners able to do more than memorize bits of information; they must be thinkers, problem solvers, citizens who can apply the knowledge.
Why?
Improving teaching methods and fully coordinating our instructional program requires that the full faculty be brought together on a regular and consistent basis for study and planning In the past, teachers and administrators have tried to coordinate our program of study and make instructional changes during after school meetings, and over the summer without the participation of the entire faculty. This "shot gun" of "hit and miss" approach to school-wide improvements, while it has resulted in some benefits for students, can never be completely effective. Real results require a commitment of time and participation by the whole faculty. Like many businesses today, we see a need to dedicate part of each week to planning and improving - a quality team approach to making this business of education ever more effective through continuous improvement. A plan for coordinating the educational programs and improving teaching methods has been created for our school. The students will be dismissed each Friday at 1:40 pm and will allow our teachers to meet for over one and a half hours. Sometimes the faculty will meet as an entire staff but more often as grade level or department teams. Their work will be fully coordinated and planned. Parents and student members will be invited to observe and share in this work. Because the work we will be doing is so important, a strict set of guidelines and ground rules will govern how this Common Planning time may be used to maintain the integrity of the project. The effectiveness of our work will be measured by the research measurements of effective school indicators along with surveys of faculty, parents, and students for accountability of this time use.
Student's Schedule
Each Friday afternoon, students will end their academic school day at 1:40 p.m. Students that must remain on campus will have a study hall, tutorial or research period supervised by support staff and teacher aides. All BMCCHS classes will meet on an alternating block schedule each Friday in order to use better utilize the college labs for science instruction. The school day has been extended for our students to exceed both state and regional accreditation requirements. While we are concerned about the amount of instructional time students receive each week, we are also concerned about the quality of learning while in the classrooms.
Community Forum
While many students will benefit from the extra time each Friday afternoon to study and complete research, to schedule doctor’s appointments, participate in enrichment activities, take advantage of peer tutoring, and read, we realize that this program may be an inconvenience to some because of transportation or supervision concerns. If you have suggestions or concerns, please contact the school administration for more information.
