Updates in School’s Schedule Changes Students
By Ariela Cohen (‘21)
A sea of San Diego Jewish Academy students smiled from ear to ear as soon as they received the news of the permanent late start. “This past year I got so much homework and had so many activities outside of school,” Alex Waiss (‘21) states, “however, now with school starting at 8:20 a.m. instead of 8:00 a.m. it helped me have a better experience at school.” This year SDJA implemented various changes which have created a better, fresher, and easier environment to successfully progress through the Maimonides Upper School. Mrs. Hansen, a humanities teacher, is enjoying the new schedule, saying “I just want my students to be happy.”
Samantha Veinbergs (‘21) also likes the new schedule. “I feel refreshed and more awake during my classes,” she said. “I know that it’s only twenty minutes, but it’s more than you think!” The additional time is helping students focus in their classes as well as be better organized. Ana Gerson (‘21) added, “I don’t understand how the seniors and juniors went through sophomore year without this extra time.”
Students aren’t the only ones that enjoy the later starts. Mrs. Hansen states, “It has enabled a calmer start to the day and it also seems like the days are less frantic.”
Another change the school made was taking a few minutes off of Minyan. Maiya Hirshhorn (‘20) explained, “Last year I felt like it was too long. As it would come close to the end of Minyan, I could tell students were dozing off. It’s a change the school certainly needed and I’m glad they made it.”
SDJA SCHEDULES OLD AND NEW
Photo: Nicole Dondisch (‘21) Photo: Ariela Cohen (‘21)
However, not all these changes left every student feeling happier to be at school. To accommodate for the late start, there are now three POD periods a week rather than four. This upset many students, who complained about not having enough time to meet with teachers or get work done. “Most students are complaining about the new POD schedule,” Kelsey Grolman (‘21) commented. “At the beginning, I didn’t like it either,” she says. “However, now I think that this year, with these POD limitations, I have learned how to manage my time better.” Parker Goodman (‘21) agrees. He doesn’t like the schedule because, “If you have a test on Tuesday, you have to ask teachers questions on Thursday the previous week.”
Overall, the changes to the daily routine have helped students have a better school experience. Shaye Youngleson (‘20) comments that it has been “a new school year, and a new me.”
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