Georgetown Co. students head back to school on new modified year-round calendar
GEORGETOWN COUNTY, SC (WMBF) - This year, the Georgetown County School District is trying out a new modified year-round calendar.
On the new calendar, students get out for summer break at the end of May instead of the first part of June. However, the summer break will be shorter, with students going back to school in early August.
In exchange for the shortened summer break, kids will have two additional breaks on top of the typical Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.
They will have a week off in October and another week out of school in February.
Superintendent Keith Price said parents, students and employees took a survey and voted on the decision.
He said he believes this new calendar will give everyone the boost they need to finish the school year strong.
“It gives our teachers and students kind of a chance to catch their breath, re-energize and keep pushing forward with lots of momentum,” Price said. “That should help with teacher burnout, and student burnout, so that’s one of the pros.”
Price said the new calendar will also allow students to finish their first semester before winter break, meaning they will knock out all their exams before winter break.
Elementary and students grades 4th through 6th will also have a slightly longer day than last year. The district is tacking on an extra 15 minutes.
Price said the idea for the change first started during covid when they used that time to clean. However, some worried it took away time from learning.
Parents and school principals then voted to bring back the time lost.
Price said while another 15 minutes a day may not seem like much, it makes a huge difference.
“When you spread that out over a school year over 180 days, you’re looking at between 40 and 45 hours of instruction we’ll be able to add to those levels,” Price said.
There are no changes in school hours for middle and high school students.
The first day of school for the county is Thursday.
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