Mohave Valley Jr. High will extend its school day for the new school year by 15 minutes, according to Academic Principal Christina Stahl. "In looking at our student data, it's become obvious that we need to incorporate a set period for remediation and enrichment much like the elementary schools have" noted Ms. Stahl. "Our experiment with quarter-long math and language arts support last year were successful, so we've decided to tweak the program a bit and roll the concept out on a permanent basis next year."
All students will begin their day in the ROCK Block, a time designated to provide additional support specific to student needs, much like the elementary school's Walk to Read period. Students will be placed in classes based on need, and will include enrichment classes for students who will benefit from that type of setting. "We are really focusing our efforts on literacy this year" continued Ms. Stahl. "To that end, all classes will have a literacy theme."
The school's start time will remain unchanged at 9am. To make time for the new period, the existing schedule was tightened up, and an additional 15 minutes will be added to the day, assigning the ROCK Block the same amount of time that regular periods will run. The last period of the day will now end at 4:15, with dismissal to immediately follow.