Four-Day Instructional Week

The Sheridan School District will have a four-day instructional week for students for the 2023-2024 school year.

2023/2024 Parent Calendar

2023/2024 District Calendar

1. What about the issue of childcare?
   The District is concerned about the lack of childcare in the community. One idea is to offer K-3 activities on Friday mornings, throughout the school year.
2. Concern about the loss of learning over a 3-day weekend.
   This is a valid concern! We will monitor student progress, and how the instructional day is used. Our goal is that with increasing how our staff responds to challenging student behaviors, we will increase student learning.
3. Concern about students being tired at the end of a longer day.
   The beginning of the school year, with the longer days, will be challenging. Teachers will need to schedule breaks for younger students, as they adjust to the new schedule.
4. Staff attendance on Fridays – a concern
   There will be required training on Fridays, and then time provided for planning and preparing for the next week of instruction.
5. It’s a longer day for my medically complex child.
   This is a concern for the District. If you are the parent of a child with medically complex conditions, please work closely with the staff to see that your child is getting the support they need for a longer instructional day.
6. No lunch for kids on Fridays.
   Unfortunately, the District cannot serve lunch on Fridays since it wouldn’t be a day we take attendance. (The state system will not allow this option.) 
7. Students having access to teachers for assistance on Fridays, sports schedules for high school students who leave early.
   There will be time for students (grades 6-12) to possibly meet with staff for additional academic support.

   The impact to sports is that practice would start later. The rest of the sports schedule is not impacted. We will still have Friday night games.

8. Are they going to learn everything they need to in a four day week?
   The proposed 4-day week for students increases our instructional time by 21 hours. We are well within our required instructional time for the school year.
9. Monday holidays – will we have school on Fridays during those weeks?
   The weeks we have a Monday holiday in the months of January, February, and May, we will have school on Fridays.
10. What staff will be required to work on Fridays?
    Administrators and teachers, custodians, and some classified positions will work Fridays.