Parents Experience designing a modified school schedule?

[Bug's mom]

Wondering if anyone would have experience working with their school districts or boards to establish modified school schedules for high performance athletes at the elementary school level? Our Board doesn't have an existing model at all, although neighboring jurisdictions have some high school programs. Last year we had to work with school staff to accommodate daytime training and expect to have to do it again this year as training hours (especially school day hours) increase. I'm not to the point of full home schooling but suspect we'll get there in another year or two. In the meantime, I need to go to her school armed with plan for missing up to 2 days a week without penalization.

Does anyone have modified school schedules that have worked successfully that they're willing to share? Greatly appreciated.

 

[thefellowsmom]

We have had modified school schedules for the last four years. It started with leaving a half hour early every day and increased to leaving before second recess everyday in elementary school. We also miss between 15 and 20 days a year for travel. In elementary school we just worked directly with the teacher, who were generally skeptical at first but by mid year were usually in awe of how well she was doing. The teacher would usually discuss with the principal but I never had to deal with more than her teacher. But, she was in a self contained gifted program so I am sure that helped.

Now in junior high she does her core classes at school and we work with the district to modify and home school the rest. They have been very cooperative and great about the whole thing. She misses a ton of school but still keeps her grades high so they are more willing to work with us.

 

[gymmomx2]

I sent you a PM.

 

[nycgymmom]

Great question! I plan to request modified schedule for elementary. Most my district will do right now is delay entry and early release.

 

[Jswatosh]

My daughter was on a modified schedule last year and will be again this next school year. It was based on the coach and I took it to the principal and teacher who both approved it.

It was:
Tue and Thur she left at 12:45
Mon and fri she left at 3:00

She was in 2nd grade last year and will be 3rd grade next year.

Her schedule next year will be the same.

 

[sce]

My daughter was on a modified schedule last year and will be again this next school year. It was based on the coach and I took it to the principal and teacher who both approved it.

It was:
Tue and Thur she left at 12:45
Mon and fri she left at 3:00

She was in 2nd grade last year and will be 3rd grade next year.

Her schedule next year will be the same.

So, does the teacher give her all the work that she misses in class? Do you then need to teach her things that were explained in class time. I know it is just elementary school, I am just trying to wrap my mind around how they get the content missed during the day.

 

[Bug's mom]

That would be my question too, sce. If they miss an entire subject, seems it would be easier teach it like one homeschooled class. But I'm trying to figure out how we manage missing a little bit of each subject, and ensure she can fit those missed bits and pieces back together.

Do those who've modified school schedules have a communication strategy with teachers aside from regular parent/teacher interviews? A way of ensuring you keep up to date (daily, weekly, monthly) with missed class work and assignments?

 

[Jswatosh]

Her teacher this past year was amazing. She never sent her home with "busy" work. Rarely she would send homework home and when she did she was flexible with getting it back to her.

She also designed her schedule so all of math, language arts and reading was covered in the morning so my daughter didn't miss the most important subjects.

My daughter is strong academically so that helped.

Also, I would pick my daughter up at 12:50 and the teachers lunch was at 12:30 so the 2 early days she worked with her from 12:30-12:50....like I said, her teacher was amazing.

 

[FutureGirls]

can you do half days instead of missing 2/5 of the week? Say, go to gym 9-12 everyday, then 1230-330 school? Homeschool the subjects missed in the morning? It may help going to the board if the schedule is consistent and she's missing the same content everyday. So maybe her class does math/science in the morning and you homeschool that, but she's there for language arts and social studies everyday. May be easier for you too.

 

[3girlsmom]

Wow! This is pretty amazing your schools consider a modified schedule. For those of you who posted, what states are you from? We live in Oklahoma and this just hasn't been an option for us. Wish it were!

 

[Jswatosh]

We are in MI

 

[vbdb]

We're in Ontario, you're Canadian as well right?
My DD has been out of school two days a week at lunchtime for three years now and it has not been a problem. She's in French immersion and we we're lucky this year that she only missed English, music and gym on those days. The year before she missed math and science which was a little bit harder for her.
The work she misses is put in a folder each day and she's responsible for completing it when she's at school. She can go to the teacher for help and her most wonderful Grade 6 teacher this year ran homework club at lunch once a week when she was there so she could catch up.
She's managed it without any extra homework or the need for me to teach her anything (thank goodness because we don't work well together!)
Keeping up with her school work and taking initiative to get help when she needs it have been our family conditions for the privilege of missing school for gym and she's always lived up to it.
I have fairly regular contact with her main teacher to make sure all is going well. I wouldn't expect anything special from a teacher to keep your child up to speed though. And different teachers have different opinions of missing school for sport. We have a music teacher who is particularly hard on my daughter for missing her class but if she gets a B- in music I'm not going to get too fussed about it. And she always gets A's in gym even though she misses it frequently.
Feel free to ask away with any other questions you may have. My DD missed more than 30 days of school last year including days off for competition season.

 

[Bug's mom]

We are in Ontario Canada as well. She had a modified schedule last year but to a lesser extent. DDs teacher last year was awesome and much like a previous comment, adjusted teaching schedule around DD. Will be dealing with a new teacher and more time out of school this year so wanted to go into the year with a proposal for the year...and all of your feedback has been so helpful!!

 

[skschlag]

So, we have had no issues with Elem/Middle school. DS is heading to high school and I started the process in the spring to get him an off period. He had 2 in middle school, and they allowed him to get his homework done and go to school late since practice was late. Heading to high school, is different, and they do not like to do off periods or PE credits for out side sports.

Our state just started a gifted designation for "psychomotor skills." We jumped through all of the hoops to get that done in the spring and now they will have to give some accommodations. Not sure what they will be yet. I will start working with them in the fall. (nothing like last minute). Hoping to get out early at least 2 days a week.

 

[profmom]

If you are in the US, please keep in mind that education is one of the most strongly federal policy areas. Different states have wildly variable rules about how to manage such things, and some states allow districts to call way more of the shots than others. What works for someone in Minnesota may not work in Illinois, and the rules in Rochester and Buffalo (not to mention their suburbs) may also be quite different.

 

[amiandjim]

Yes we are having a bit of trouble in our state because apparently funding is partially determined by attendance, and AM attendance is the only number that counts. In the fall, DD will have Progressive (like TOPs) from 7-9 AM and we are having a hard time getting it approved.

 

[raenndrops]

Yes we are having a bit of trouble in our state because apparently funding is partially determined by attendance, and AM attendance is the only number that counts. In the fall, DD will have Progressive (like TOPs) from 7-9 AM and we are having a hard time getting it approved.

Lol, at our local school, I have determined that they MUST teach 1/3 of the entire day in the first minute of school and 1/3 in the last minute... based on 3 tardies = 1 full day absence if they happen in the same grading quarter. Missing 30 minutes is a 1/2 day absence. It is crazy. Leaving early is the same as coming in late, so someone needing to be 10 minutes late (or leave 10 minutes early) every day would mean missing 30 hours over the course of the entire year, but being counted absent 60 days. Sounds even worse if it is only 5 minutes (when they aren't actually doing anything educational) 15 hours but still 60 days absent. School is 7 hours a day (7*180=1260 hours, so 30 hours is 1/42 of the year... Or a little over 4-2/7 days - but they get dinged for 60)!!!!!

 

[wallinbl]

Does anyone have modified school schedules that have worked successfully that they're willing to share? Greatly appreciated.

In middle school, which gets out really late here, DD was on campus for 4 class periods, and did the remaining classes through the county's virtual school. They would also have accepted the state's virtual school, but there were transcript reasons why the county was a better option in our case.

I know they fought some other kids on it, but I think it helps that DD has never had a grade other than an A, so it's easy to argue that it isn't harming her education.

 

[profmom]

It really depends. We had a terrible time when my daughter (also an outstanding student) was in elementary school. She was in twice-weekly PT at the end of fourth grade, and we scheduled the appointments for first thing in the morning. She'd usually arrive just as or just after homeroom was ending. She was marked tardy every time and we had to go round and round with the administration about it. It would have been easier for them in terms of complying with state attendance standards if we had pulled her out of class for a doctor's appointment in the middle of the day, and the principal was really not good about trying to help us work with the reality that it was better for her, for the teachers, and for her working parents if she started her day at worst a few minutes into her first class.

Our local high school is set up with a roving period during the day, so there's no way to take off early at the end of the day unless they eschew art and music, which I would not support. While I know this sport can be all consuming and higher levels demand a lot of hours, I've always believed that they have to be something other than gymnasts. Thus my daughter will be in advanced art this year heading toward a portfolio her senior year, and my son will be in the high school's audition-only wind ensemble next year. My daughter has also managed to stick with violin all the way through and will get to be a member of the symphony orchestra this year. It has been hard for sure, but on the whole, I think it's been a healthy choice for both of them.

 

[KipNurse]

How interesting you posted this as we JUST met with my daughter's future middle school administrator last week. She'll be heading into a level 8 season with 23 hours training and an upcoming 6th grader.
No luck with modifying. Were told pretty much to try and stay under the radar with too many tardies/absences. I don't like playing games with that...elementary school was easy, but things are only going to get harder.
Was told we cannot modify a schedule to accommodate this club sport. And I understand...just a little frustrating.
Have ZERO clue what to do.
Education to us must always take priority over this crazy sport...however, I don't know what that "Looks" like for us.
Praying a lot for the right direction. So, I have no advice/guidance other than to say, our family is wondering what to do as well.