September 28, 2017

Dear Arleta Families,

Two days ago we made a minor change to our K-5 Lunch/Recess schedule and did not send any communication to families because these changes did not create major changes for your students. This letter is intended to clarify what changes occurred and why.

Here is the Issue:

At the start of this school year we increased the time that K-5 students had for recess by seven minutes, from 10:50-11:28 to 10:50-11:35. This was done because last year the hot lunch line moved very slowly and some students were just getting their lunches at the of the lunch period. This year we have a new staff member as our Cafeteria Lead and students are making it through the line much quicker. This is really good news! It ended up that we did not need those additional seven minutes for K-5 lunch after all.

How First Lunch Works:

At 10:45 our two Kinder classes arrive in the cafeteria

At 10:50 our three First grade classes arrive in the cafeteria

At 10:50 two of our four Second/Third grade classes arrive in the cafeteria.

These students begin to be dismissed at 11:08 and are at recess until 11:28.

What changed?

These students had recess from 11:08-11:35- which is 27 minutes. That is too much unstructured time and their Lunch Recess is now from 11:08-11:28.

How Second Lunch Works:

At 10:50 our four Fourth/Fifth grade classes go onto the playground for Recess

at 10:50 two of our Second/Third grade classes go onto the playground for Recess

At 11:08 a whistle is blown and these students line up for lunch and head into the cafeteria

*At the start of the Second Semester (half-way point of the school year) we'll rotate which Second/Third grade classes are in the First and Second lunch.

What Changed?

These studetns were being met by their teachers at 11:30 and taken back to their classrooms by 11:35. Now their teachers arrive in the cafeteria at 11:28 and walk them back to class after a few minutes.

Other K-5 Lunch Changes Made at the Start of the School Year:

In years past, the Fourth/Fifth and Second/Third graders in Second Lunch were allowed back on the playground for the last five minutes of the lunch period. This caused lots of problems and created supervision challenges on the playground. Now students in First Lunch are picked up on the playground and students in Second Lunch are picked up in the cafeteria. This is a much more efficient system, although it may not be as much fun for our Fourth/Fifth grade students.

Student Protests on Thursday 9/27:

During Lunch Recess on Thursday, a number of Fourth/Fifth graders protested their perceived loss of recess time. After lunch concluded, I went around to all of the Fourth/Fifth classrooms and asked students what specific change they were protesting. After some wait time, I called on a few students from each classroom and learned that most students were under the impression that they had lost four to ten minutes of recess time. I'm not sure where the misunderstanding originated but made sure to clarify that they were not losing any recess time at all. I talked about how important the act of protesting is in our democracy and how essential it is to double check information before considering an action as significant as a protest. We talked about how their classroom teachers, our counselor, and school administrators are all people that could have helped ensure that their information was accurate.

I also told them that I made a mistake by not sending home a letter explaining these changes and that this is a learning opportunity for me as well. That being said, there may be other minor adjustments made to recess schedules and other structures at our school. When you hear about changes or things that sound troubling, please assume that the school has positive intent and ask us questions directly. Email is the easiest way to reach me and I'm happy to set up a time for us to meet in person or have a phone conversation. You can also call our main office or stop in and speak with Theresa about scheduling a time to meet with me.

Thanks very much for all of your support,

Seth Jones

503-916-6330

sjones3@pps.net