Lately, Colonia High School has been testing a lot of schedule options to maximize learning. Some have gotten good reviews and others have not.
Personally, I’m not in favor of having my schedule changed and others feel the same. Other people think that having a change of scenery is nice. Here are some of the tested schedules of Colonia High School.
Smart Lunch
The ‘Smart’ lunch schedule, changing to 3rd block, most recently from January.
One of the first tested schedules this year was ‘Smart Lunch.’ This schedule still consists of 4 blocks during the school day except instead of having the normal A, B and C lunch schedule it changes into something smarter. With this schedule, students get a lunch period and a study hall, both consisting of 25 minutes.
The first half of smart lunch consists of Juniors and Seniors eating and the Sophomores and Freshmen go to their homerooms to use their study session. The second half, the roles reverse. The Sophomores and Freshman eat while the Juniors and Seniors go to their homerooms to work on classwork.
Where to go during Smart Lunch and the flaws of it
When it comes your turn to eat, you have the choice of a lot of locations to pick from. You can either eat in the Main Lobby, Cafeteria 1, Cafeteria 2, Earth’s Bounty or the Media Center. If you choose to eat in the Media Center you must bring a packed lunch or any non-hot food from the Cafeteria’s. If you do not feel like waiting in line for too long and you want to eat in the Media Center, they do have Grab n’ Go stations. These Grab n’ Go stations have food that is appropriate for the Media Center.
The only flaw of this ‘Smart’ lunch is the fact you only get 25 minutes to eat and 25 minutes of a study session. When I go to my homeroom for my study session and start working I already have to leave. This is not a long time to eat nor study. Personally, I don’t have enough time to eat. With the line in the cafeteria, it takes me 10-15 minutes to get a sandwich.
Also, they tested having smart lunch after 2 block and after 3 block. Both times also had mixed reviews. Some people prefer eating lunch early and others don’t.
8 Drop 2 classes
Another schedule rumored for next year is 8 drop 2 classes. This schedule is a little confusing for people. Basically, the schedule is eight periods and you drop two classes everyday, leaving us with six periods a day. This schedule has the nickname of ‘8 drop 2.’ It is important to note, this not has been approved by Woodbridge Township for Colonia High School yet.
For example, we would have periods 1, 2, 3, then lunch, 4, 5, 6. Then following with the next day we’d drop two and move on to 3,4,5, then lunch, 6,7,8. I’m not saying that those are the exact number, but this ‘Drop-Down’ schedule will follow a pattern like the one above. Colonia High School has not had a trial run with this schedule, but it may appear in the next few years.
8 Periods
Way back in the day, Colonia High School did follow an 8 period schedule. Instead of our usual 4 block schedule. We would have shorter classes but they would be a full year. Unlike our current 4 block schedule where we have longer classes but only for half a year.
The District does not seem to be a fan of this schedule. Personally, I believe that this schedule has potential and would also work excellent between the students and teachers.
Past Schedules
In the past, Colonia High School had a full year A and B day class, but just for Math and English classes. Personally, I didn’t experience this because I am a new student this year to Colonia High School. But, I have heard that it was very complicated and often students and teacher got very mixed up especially when their lunch changed on a B day from what it was on an A day.
Currently, Colonia High School runs on a four block schedule with classes lasting around 85 minutes. During third block you can either have A, B, or C lunch. Having this schedule gives you more class time, but you have to start brand new classes half way through the year. I believe that having to face new teachers and new classes is not fun considering you just got use to your old classes.
As they continue to try out different school day schedules, the one thing the students and teachers hope is that they are able to voice their opinion on the schedule changes. And that their opinions do not fall on deaf ears.
