By Daniel Rothberg

The 2011-2012 school year will begin on the Tuesday after Labor Day, Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts said.

The start date falls on a Tuesday rather than a Wednesday, as is typically the case, to account for a day lost during a planned three-day weekend in October.

The long weekend in October, which was first created for the current school year, is intended to be a time for teachers to work on college recommendations and for seniors to visit colleges, Huybrechts said.

“It’s just a busy time of the year so to have a three-day weekend was a great gift to everyone,” Huybrechts said.

The start date of this current school year was Aug. 31 due to an unusually large number of holidays falling at the beginning of this year.

In most years, the first day of school falls after the Labor Day holiday in September.

“If we don’t have to start before Labor Day, we really don’t want to start school before Labor Day,” Huybrechts said.

Apart from the start date, all other elements of the schedule will remain the same next year, including a five-day Thanksgiving break, Huybrechts said.