The school is beginning to consider ways they can refine the daily schedule to improve student time efficiency and limit academic overcommitment, according to Head of Upper School Beth Slattery.Slattery said anew committee led by Assistant Head of School for Community and Belonging Janine Jones was made to discuss and brainstorm possible adjustments to the schedule.
These proposed changes — not yet approved — include moving the Community Time block earlier in the day, planning more community-focused , limiting the number of classes sophomores can enroll in and adding a junior advisory to the schedule.
Slattery said the committee is considering changing the Community Time block to rotate with the rest of the seven class blocks in the schedule so students feel that they are not being deprived of leaving school early on certain days.
“There are two days out of the cycle where the day ends with stuff that doesn’t feel like an obligation, community time and directed study,” Slattery said. “I wish that we could incentivize people wanting to be on campus and do things during the day. So we are thinking of having Community Time sometimes meet earlier in the day.”
Slattery said the administration is looking to use the hour-long period to plan more activities that promote community connection and bonding.
“We also don’t necessarily use Community Time to do things that build community,” Slattery said. “So my argument is, for things like the Multicultural Fair, the Activities Fair and field days, because those are things that help to build community, I’d like to figure out how we can do more things that bring people together, as opposed to having people resentful that they have to be done.”
Slattery said while she understands why students want to leave school once their scheduled classes are over, it negatively affects teacher schedules since they are forced to meet primarily during lunch blocks.
“A lot of people, especially juniors and seniors, want to leave after their last obligation of the day,” Slattery said. “And so they’re telling their teachers that the only time they can meet is during lunch, even though they really could meet later in the day, they just don’t want to, which I totally get. But now I have teachers who don’t get to eat lunch and people not necessarily using time wisely or people monopolizing teachers’ time.”
Hannah Fong ’26 said she doesn’t think changing the school schedule will necessarily balance students’ time-consuming schedules.
“I think people generally make use of Community Time when they need to,” Fong said. “Even though there may be people that aren’t being efficient about managing work and teacher meetings, I don’t know if rotating the Community Time block would cause people to be more productive.”
Although not recommended, current school policy allows sophomores to take seven blocks and a directed study. Slattery said the administration is considering prohibiting this full schedule in hopes of alleviating academic pressure and preventing overcommitment.
“Sophomores are the ones who have the most demands on their time,” Slattery said. “They have both Sophomore Advisory and Sophomore Seminar, most of them are trying to get their art requirement done and they’re also adjusting to the Upper School. They’re also part of the group of people telling their teachers the only time they can meet is during lunch, because all their time is taken up. And so a big question is, how do we save people from themselves and from taking on too much?”
Mira Goldman ’27 said she supports restricting the number of classes sophomores can take since she appreciates the flexibility in her current schedule.
“As a current sophomore, I like the idea of a policy that wouldn’t allow us to fill up our schedules with seven classes and a directed study,” Goldman said. “The switch to the Upper School can be difficult, especially with balancing extracurriculars and school work. This policy would support us by helping us to manage our time better and preventing overcommitment as we are still figuring things out. Personally, I love using my free block to do homework. Having this time during the school day helps me to feel less stressed out.”
Slattery said her overarching concern and priority is creating a schedule that promotes a manageable and balanced school environment.
“We need to find ways to free up teachers time so that they have more bandwidth, and I need to find ways to free up kids time so that they have more bandwidth, because right now, everybody’s doing too much and it’s causing stress and anxiety,” Slattery said.
