Ridgefield High School students will start the new semester with a minor change to their schedules. Each class will be five minutes shorter to allow for a longer fifth period class. Students will use the extra time, known as Spud Time, to meet with teachers, do make-up assignments from missed class days, attend labs, or study and complete homework.
“We realized our students aren’t able to access their teachers before or after school due to transportation constraints such as riding buses,” said Principal Christen Palmer. “It’s also challenging during lunch because we have two lunches this year due to growth, so not all teachers have the same lunch as students. We wanted to carve out time during the school day for students to meet with teachers, catch up on work, or do labs to get the help they need.”
The new program gives students a specific time to address any academic needs directly with their teachers. All students will receive an academic planner, and teachers will use the planners to approve student visits during Spud Time. Teachers can also use the planners to request a student visit if they feel that a student needs extra time or help with a subject.
“Spud Time is being created to ensure students get what they need academically,” Palmer said. “We want students to use their self-advocacy skills to determine which class/teacher they need to go to during Spud Time for extra help or to make up work.”
The school day will still start and end at the same times, so there will be no change in dropoff or pickup times. But four days a week (on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays), students will end each class period five minutes early. Students will attend their usual fifth period class, then remain in that class for thirty minutes of Spud Time. If they need to visit another classroom, they will have to get permission to do so.
“This is something the staff felt was needed,” Palmer said. “We hope it becomes a way for students to advocate for themselves to catch up on anything they have missed. We want it to be a built-in time to provide the supports they need and to make sure they stay connected