NexTech Highschool Student Schedules
In order to address both academic and socal learning loss, Nextech High School of Lansing has made adjustments to the program structure for the 2021-2022 academic year. These changes were made with several goals in mind:
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Increase student access to their teachers
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Increase student access to the school building
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Allow for students to meet with teachers more days throughout the week
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Provide additional time and space for students to rebuild and establish new after-school programs
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Provide a dedicated time for teachers to hold individual/small group academic interventions
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Maintain a schedule with reduced hours and innovative practices
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Ensure that all changes are aligned with our program expectations for success
A sample grid schedule is located below with a more detailed description of the daily/weekly schedule
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Attendance
Students will attend on-site classes Tuesday through Friday. Monday is scheduled as a virtual day, however there may be instances where the student is requested to attend on-site in order to take part in an extension of learning lesson. Virtual Sessions will be hosted through the Google Classroom associated with the course.
Hours
Students begin their first class at 8:30am and conclude their final on-site class at 1:30pm Tuesday - Friday. On Monday, students are expected to be working in their courses, however there is no regularly scheduled rotation/on-site attendance.
Rotation
Students' weekly schedule will continue to follow an A/B structure, wherein the class rotation on Tuesday is repeated on Thursday and the class rotation on Wednesday is repeated on Friday (indicated by color on the graphic).
Teacher Availability
Teachers will be available for assistance Tuesday through Friday directly after in-person classes. All teachers will be available from 1:30-3:00p in order to work with students 1:1, in small groups, or facilitate peer tutoring.
After School Programming
At Nextech of Lansing, after school programming is student-driven and staff-mentored. This means (provided it is appropriate for a school setting) any club or program that students would like to start requires only a handful of interested participants and a staff member that is willing to fill the mentor role. Some past clubs include Dungeons and Dragons/Tabletop gaming club, Art club, Gaming club, FIRST Robotics, Poetry club, Japanese culture club, and more! As we return to regular on-site learning, we strongly encourage our students to find an avenue they would like to pursue and explore the possibilities.
Monday
On Monday, students are expected to be working in their classes however there is no regularly scheduled rotation. The purpose of this virtual day is to provide an opportunity to enact some of the data-driven strategies discussed at our intervention meetings throughout the week. Students may be requested to come into the building in order to participate in some lessons in specific classes or areas of focus, however the goal is to remain virtual on these days unless it is a necessity to bring students in.
Teachers are available from 8:30a through 1:30p, at which time staff will be unavailable and participating in professional development.
Tuesday - Friday
Tuesday through Friday follow a standard A/B rotation style with Tuesday's schedule repeating on Thursday, and Wednesday's schedule repeating on Friday. The classes students are rotating to will change, however the daily structure remains consistent.
Students will begin the day in class promptly at 8:30. The building is open for students beginning at 8am and will remain open to students until 3pm. Classes are 55 minutes in length, with 5 minutes of passing time between classes. After attending their first two classes, students will begin their "Seminar hour" (purple section on the sample schedule).
Seminar Hour is the evolution of our current "Homeroom", and is similar in many respects. This hour is split between a 30 minute instructional time and a 30 minute break. Students will use this time to work with our guidance counselor and their seminar teacher on resumes, career exploration, building their senior portfolio, listening to community speakers, and other outlets that have all been aligned with building social and emotional skills in accordance with CASEL's SEL framework (found here: https://casel.org/what-is-sel/). During the break period, students have time to eat and relax in our common area. Our student-run school store is in operation during this time for students to purchase food however Nextech of Lansing does not have the facilities to provide a full school lunch program. Individuals that attend the Wilson Talent Center or participate in Dual Enrollment through Lansing Community College will be scheduled to attend two classes and homeroom, with the break time falling during their travel time to or from their other program.
Following Seminar Hour, students will attend their final two courses for the day. If students do not have any afterschool programs and would not like to use the building to work with their instructors or peers, they are free to return home for the day. The building will remain open until 3pm for students to participate in these extension activities, after which staff will be meeting and unavailable.