Block Scheduling - Two Lunches

[Dave Childers]

Hello Everyone-

I have a small high school that - unfortunately - won't be small enough any longer next year to support our current schedule.  My board has instructed me to implement two different lunches to alleviate overcrowding, but I am at a loss as to how that can possibly function with 110 minute block classes. I'm in California, so perhaps it is because we are not allowed to count any lunch time as instructional minutes (and there are other pretty significant restrictions as well), but I'm curious if anybody out there is aware of a block schedule that has solved the dilemma of two lunch periods.  Responses here or to my e-mail address - [e-mail] would be greatly appreciated!

Dave Childers

@davechilders

@acelfresno

[Kevin J. Higginbottom]

Dave,

I'm not sure what you mean by two lunches.  Do you mean that two of your instructional blocks will each have a lunch component or that two lunch times will be scheduled for a single instructional block?

I run a 4x4 87 minute block schedule for my 1150 student regional high school. My daily schedule looks like this:

7:15AM - 8:42 : A Block

8:48AM - 8:55: Homeroom - Attendance

8:58AM - 10:24 : B Block

10:28 - 12:24 : C Block

     10:27 - 10:54 : 1st lunch

     10:57 - 11:24 : 2nd lunch

     11:27 - 11:54 : 3rd lunch

     11:57 - 12:24 : 4th lunch

12:27 PM - 1:54 : D block

1:54PM : dismissal

Approximately 280 students are scheduled for each lunch block.  In case you think that HR between A and B blocks is unusual, we do so because we allow students - some of whom eat breakfast (if at all) at home at 6:00 AM and are on a bus by 6:30AM - to eat something in case they are scheduled for the 3rd or 4th lunch time.

I hope that this helps.

-Kevin Higginbottom