By Daniel Rothberg

Due to a number of holidays falling on school days next year and a late Labor Day, the administration decided to begin the 2010-2011 school year before Labor Day, on Aug. 31.

The start date of this current school year was Sept. 9. While the 2010-2011 school year will still end on June 8, there will be only two more school days next year than there were this year.

“Were we to stick with the traditional calendar, we’d have a substandard number of school days next year,” Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts said.

Additionally, Rosh Hashanah, a school holiday, falls on the Thursday after Labor Day this year. Therefore, if the school year were to begin after Labor Day, the first week of school would consist of two days.

“This situation has occurred before, most recently [in the] 2004-2005 [school year],” Huybrechts said. “That year, we began school the week before Labor Day and conducted the rest of the school year as usual.”

The school calendar that was decided upon by the administration in December will include a new three-day weekend in October for teachers to work on college recommendations, for seniors to work on college applications and to give underclassmen a break from school.

The school will be sending a copy of the 2010-2011 school calendar to students’ homes sometime in February or March.

“Had we not made the change, it would have been the shortest school year on record,” Huybrechts said. “And while that may sound appealing to students, a too-short school year ends up being hectic and stressful.

Excluding exams, and the PSAT day, there will be about 158 days of school next year, Huybrechts said.