Schools

AMS Principal Recommends Canceling 'Zero' Period

Citing survey results and research on start times and sleep, the Albany Middle School principal recommends that the school's "zero" period, which meets at 7 a.m. for band classes, be canceled and the classes rescheduled.

Albany Middle School Principal Peter Parenti announced Thursday that he's recommending to schools Superintendent Marla Stephenson that the middle school's 7 a.m. "zero" class period be canceled.

The two band classes that meet during the zero period would be rescheduled, he said in an announcement distributed on the school e-tree and posted on the school website.

Parenti said his recommendation follows survey results and research on sleep and start times from the Albany Unified School District Wellness Committee.

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"The positive implications of a later school start time are well-supported in the research," according to a report on the research posted on the Middle School website last month.

Albany High School also is relying on the research in its evaluation of having a later start time.

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Surveys of staff, parents and students at the Middle School showed general support for canceling the zero period and rescheduling the band classes, with one notable exception. A sampling of band students showed strong opposition. The full results provided by Parenti are attached.

Among the many reasons cited for supporting the change included students getting more sleep and performing better in school and making band classes available to students who don't want the early start time.

The many reasons cited against the change included students from the zero period having to choose only two electives instead of three and, if music students select only one music elective in favor of choosing some other non-music elective, the loss of jazz players from the band class, causing the loss of the best musicians and a lowering of the band quality.

Here is the full text of Parenti's notice:

Dear AMS Staff, Students, Parents, and Community, 

Based on the research from the AUSD Student Wellness Committee and on the survey results from various meetings held in February and March, I am recommending to Superintendent Marla Stephenson that ZERO period at AMS be cancelled. It is important to note that the classes offered during ZERO period are not cancelled. We are only cancelling the early start time for these classes. 

The results of the surveys are attached here. Other relevant materials, including the original proposal and the relevant research materials are available in the earlier posting found on this website. 

Many thanks go out to all those who collaborated together to learn more and share their ideas. Special thanks to the AUSD Wellness Committee, the AMS parents, staff, and students who provided their input, and to the AHS staff who shared their experiences with me as they moved through their own process related to school start times. 

As the Principal, I will be working in the next few months to address program and scheduling issues. As more information becomes available, I will publish in our weekly Cobra Clarion. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. 

Thank You 

Peter I. Parenti 
Principal, Albany Middle School 
510-558-3612

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We'd like to know what you think of canceling the "zero" period at AMS and rescheduling the band classes. You can tell us in the comments.


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