Parents press committee on fifth‑grade transition schedule and 22‑minute lunches

School leaders outlined plans April 13 for moving fifth graders into the middle school and for a May 30 “summer bridge” orientation, but several parents urged changes to daily schedules, citing limited recess and short lunch windows.

Mr. Morrell, who presented the grade‑5 overview, said the district is finalizing classroom layouts, furniture and extracurricular offerings and will host walk‑through days on May 26–27. He described a two‑slot summer bridge on May 30 (08:30–11:30 for fifth graders; 12:00–15:00 for sixth graders) to orient students. “It’s looking pretty good,” he said of the preparations.

Parent concerns focused on supervision and students’ non‑instructional time. Miss Almeda and other parents said the sample schedule showed a single 22‑minute lunch and few transitions, which they warned could lead to behavioral issues and mislabeling of children as having disciplinary problems. “The only true break they had was a 22 minute lunch,” Miss Almeda said, adding that many parents expected a more gradual transition schedule.

Administrators responded that students will have dedicated restrooms for grade bands and that teachers and staff plan a multi‑week orientation (scavenger hunts, guided walks) so students learn routines and restroom locations. On lunch length, the principal acknowledged the community’s concerns and said staff would attempt to extend the period toward 25 minutes but had not finalized that change.

The committee asked staff to continue refining the schedule and to report back with any adjustments to lunch/recess timing and supervision plans before finalizing the middle‑school assignments.