With the help of our community, the Eliot continues to grow and thrive. Our students and teachers are working hard, and we are seeing their successes in the classroom every day. Our community has requested additional Eliot classrooms so that we can reach more of our neighbors and serve more of our community each year. You, our neighbors, have made all of this possible. As Boston moves toward a “home-based” school-assignment process, the Eliot is able to offer the best public school education in Boston to even more students here in the North End.
You supported us when we asked to become an Innovation School in 2012, and as a result, we have been entrusted with new autonomies and more flexibility. We have seen tremendous growth at the Eliot, both in number of students and in achievement. To continue on this strong path, the Eliot has spent the last year exploring the possibility of adding additional time to our school day, and is now putting forth a plan that adds 180 hours to our year by adding one hour each day for all students.
This is not just about adding time; it is about how we will use the time to help every child succeed academically, socially, and emotionally.
The additional hour will give students the necessary time to focus on core academics and to meet in small groups with their teachers as well as time for other activities with in-school specialists and community partners. Students will receive the individualized academic supports they need to succeed, while also having more time for art, theater, Italian, technology, physical education, and a variety of other activities.
Eliot families have had the opportunity to ask questions, and see a more detailed plan at the Eliot School Family Council meetings, but we want to make sure our whole community is aware of an impending change. Funding for Extended Learning Time is being offered through a state grant, for which the Eliot plans to apply.
This serves as both an official notice to our community of our intent to apply for state grant funding, but more importantly, as an opportunity to open dialogue. Please feel free to post any questions in the comments on this article, or to contact Julia Mayer, Manager of Development and External Relations at the Eliot at jmayer2@bostonpublicschools.org. As always, we appreciate the support of our community in our growth. We are so proud to have Boston’s BEST public school right here in the North End!
Julia – how long would the state grant support the extended day? Just for the 2014-15 year, or for longer? Are other parts of the schedule being amended, or just the extra small group sessions? Good luck!
Hi Mary,
Thank you for asking!
The grant would be renewable for an additional two years, so it could potentially provide three years worth of funding to the school. This is of course contingent on our receiving the grant the first year and on the state’s funding availability during the next two years.
The schedule will add 10 minutes to core academic subjects in addition to the time for extra enrichment activities and small group work. We came up with this schedule breakdown for the additional time based on specific needs our teachers expressed during conversations throughout the year.
Julia