Oct. 12 started off as a rainy day, yet it was anything but gloomy inside College Park Elementary, where students and staff kicked off their day with something called Flex Time.
In her office, long-term substitute Rachel Shawhan led a speech intervention exercise with a small group of students; the activity involved having students fill in the blanks of sentences on the SmartBoard.
One sentence read “I feel…” followed by a few words students could pick from, like “cold” or “happy.”
One student took a turn picking a feeling. Using a pointer, he read the first two words aloud, and went with, “I feel loved.” He backed this up by giving Shawhan a big hug, resulting in a chorus of aww from all the visiting adults in the room – one of them being school principal, Dr. Kim Murray.
“That made my heart happy,” she said upon leaving Shawhan’s office.
Flex Time at College Park Elementary allows the whole school to start the day on the right foot; it is the first 30 minutes of every school day, and it serves as an intervention and enrichment period for all students and staff (Kindergarten has its own Flex Time about an hour later than the rest of the school).
The school implemented Flex Time in September, and it is new to the school this year. Teachers have taken the time to look at data and then select students for small group exercises that take place during Flex Time – this is the intervention part of it, as teachers will work with the students to figure out what gaps need to be filled in order for them to reach the next level of learning.
For students who do not need to be pulled for small groups, it is a time for them to do a classroom activity that challenges them – this is the enrichment part.
Murray is in her first year leading College Park Elementary. She was previously at Bowen’s Corner Elementary, which did an intervention and enrichment period as well. She believes so strongly in the concept that she has introduced it to her staff and students at College Park Elementary.
Murray said the school is supporting students in where they are at in their education and helping them get to the next level.
“During that time, do you need an extra dose of phonemic awareness? Do you need an extra dose of phonics? Do you need an extra dose of algebraic thinking? Do you need an extra dose of enrichment?” she said. “It’s what every student needs.”
During a recent visit to the school, different small group exercises were going on throughout the classrooms. One teacher did a vocabulary flashcard activity with students. Another teacher was utilizing her SmartBoard to go over sentences with her group. One small group of multilingual learners worked on National Geographic curriculum .
There were also students who were able to use the time for enrichment activities; one group of third graders went to a Gifted and Talented teacher to do an assignment involving puzzles.
Doing this Flex Time first thing in the morning is strategic; Murray sees it as a way of starting off the school day on a high note.
“I feel like that’s what school is about,” Murray said. “I love seeing us meet students where they are so that they can get to that next level. I feel like when students feel successful at something first thing in the morning…the rest of their day goes better.”
The school is progress-monitoring every week or so, and in another month or so the school will look at the data and see who is ready to either move onto another small group, or participate in a different type of instruction within their small group. The school will also see if there was any sort of method that proved ineffective and make changes as needed.
Since implementing Flex Time at College Park Elementary, Murray said she has noticed better attendance at school, particularly in terms of students arriving late to class.
Murray added the small group system is great because it allows for more focused attention on individual students, helping them feel more confidant and supported in their learning.
“It shows them that: we’re focused (on) you…we care about learning, we care about your progress,” she said.
Having a school-wide approach to classroom support has also proven to create a sense of camaraderie among the teachers and staff.
“Now it is not just ‘my class’…these are our kids,” Murray said. “It’s everyone working to move our kids to the next level.”