What Time Do District 308 Schools Start Again?

Written by Natalie Stevens

It’s hard to believe we’re already halfway through July and school in District 308 is starting up in just over a month.

There were  several changes for the 2013-14 school year and as the clock counts down to school start here is your reminder for what’s new this year.

Elementary School Start Time

The 2013-14 school year is doing away with the two-tier system that was implemented last year and going to a single start time across the board.

In June, the school board unanimously approved for all elementary schools in the district to start at 8:45 a.m. Buses will drop children off about 8:30 a.m. at their schools.

When the time was first proposed many parents disagreed, saying it was too late of a start, but none spoke during public comment of the board meeting.

School will end at 3:35 p.m.

Start Time for the Rest of the District

Nothing else has changed much, but after a summer away your student might need a bit of a refresher.

Check out the chart here to see when each grade level starts.

Start Date

The school year will start two days sooner for most students this year with the new school calendar.

Rather than a mid-week start, all students (barring kindergartners) will start on Monday, August 19. Kindergartners will start on Aug. 20.

Semester Changes

The new 2013-14 calendar has a notable change for semesters: first semester will end prior to winter break and second semester will end on Thursday, May 22, before Memorial Day.

The reason for the seemingly shortened school year is that teacher institute days have been pushed to the very front or end of each semester and all early-dismissal or 5-hour days have been eliminated save for parent-teacher conferences that happen twice a semester.

School is in session for 175 days, which is the same number of days as previous years.

You can view a full calendar of school holidays and hours here.

Looking Ahead

For the next school year, 2014-15, Wendt said there is a possibility that the elementary start times could flip-flop with the secondary schools.

“We know a second grader’s brain is wired differently than a 17-year old at 7:30 a.m. in the morning,” said Wendt. “There have been healthy conversations in our district about starting elementary earlier in the day, and whether to keep high school and junior highs at the same time, or flip-flopping for secondary and elementary.”

Discussion regarding any changes in 2014-15 will likely be discussed starting in December, 2013.