CRESSKILL — As the Cresskill Jr./Sr. High School construction moves forward, school officials have begun to make arrangements for the arrival of sixth-graders in the fall.
The sixth-graders would no longer attend the Edward H. Bryan School or Merritt Memorial School — joining the ranks of grades seven-12 for the first time at the Cresskill Jr./Sr. High School.
To accommodate the students, school authorities plan to adopt a new school schedule that they said would not only reduce traffic during school drop-off, but also allow the sixth-graders to adjust to their new surroundings.
The schedule consists of an eight-day schedule rotation with six subjects a day. Two subjects would be dropped from each day’s schedule since the students take a total of eight subjects.
Middle School Principal Michael Burke outlined the plan in two separate presentations made to Board of Education members and parents.
Burke said that a staggered start of classes between the middle and high schools would minimize congestion at the school.
Dividing classes into 56-, 62- or 76-minute blocks would also allow for a three-wave lunch. The sixth-graders would have a separate lunch period followed by the seventh- and eighth-grade and then the high school, according to the middle school principal.
"We didn’t want the sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grades eating together based on developmental reasons," Burke told as many as 75 parents at a Jan. 16 meeting.
There may be slight reduction in time to lunch, said Burke, but "trust me they have plenty of time to eat."
School District Superintendent Charles Khoury said that the present schedule would not [have] supported a three-wave lunch.
The school’s administration decided to model the new schedule off of the current one after receiving positive feed back from the student body. Students at Cresskill Jr./Sr. High School have six 60-minute long classes split by a lunch period halfway into the day.
One parent asked whether the sixth-graders would have a recess during the day.
"Given the physical nature of the time [schedule], recess is something we’re not going to be able to offer," Burke told the parent.
The superintendent did, however, say that there are a few alternative solutions such as offering planned activities to the students.
Other parents were apprehensive about mixing the sixth-graders will the older children.
"I think when you see the rooms, you will be at ease because it’s a whole little world for them," said Khoury, promising a tour of the remodeled wing after the presentation.
In addition, the 140 sixth-graders would be the first to complete three years of a curriculum with an emphasis on global understanding and awareness theme. Students would have a choice between studying languages such as Spanish, French, Chinese and Latin. And higher-level math classes would challenge the upper echelons of students who often leave the district to attend the Bergen Academies.
While the administration compiles the final faculty list for the sixth-grade, Burke encouraged the parents to get involved in the planning.
The Homework Committee has a meeting set for Jan. 23 and a Student Affairs Committee meeting Jan. 29 starting at 3:30 p.m.
