What is a FLEX Period?
It's been confusing us too, so let's explain what it is and how it'll change the bell schedule!
Similarities & Differences
The easiest way to explain this new change is to split the information between the similarities and differences. Some of the most fundamental aspects of our schedule will stay roughly the same; namely, our days will still be “even” or “odd,” we will continue to have four periods per day, and your fourth/fifth-period class will still determine which lunch you have.
That is where the similarities end and the differences begin. Before explaining the FLEX period itself, a few of the changes to our schedule are as follows:
First period will now be a full-length class that is only held on odd days.
The time in between classes will only be five minutes, previously it was seven.
Between the second and fourth periods on even days, there will now be a FLEX period.
What is It?
The FLEX period is exactly what it sounds like, flexible. It’s for all the things a student might need to do after school, but gives them the opportunity to do it during the day. From clubs, to test remediation, to make-up work. One question I’ve heard though, is what happens when you have no activities to attend? Do you get to just walk around the school, free of obligations? No. Essentially, depending on the day, there will be two “default” classes that you must go to first before you can “flex” out of them.
From our understanding, based on what has been told to us so far by members of Hylton’s administration, these default classes will change from day to day in a rotational fashion, like (1,2) then (3,4). At 9:00 you will go to the the first of the two, and about 45 minutes later you’ll head to the second one.
“Teachers also may choose to engage in re-teaching concepts that the class was struggling with and or extension activities designed to push student learning further.” - Hylton Administrator
We can’t tell you which classes you will need to go to, as that will be distinct for every person. That said, you will be informed of which class you will need to check into before the flex period itself. There will also be days where things are changed around to fit certain events like pep rallies and outdoor activities so that time is not taken out of instructional periods. Here’s what the first week of school in the 2023-24 school year will look like according to the Hylton website:
As unhelpful as it may sound, just try to keep up with the weekly updates we plan on posting once school is back in session. This will be a big change to the everyday lives of students, but we think the benefits will outweigh the costs. Need something to do during the FLEX periods? Check out our article “Clubs of Hylton” here and get involved with some extracurriculars!
To reach us and see more updates, check out our Instagram here if you haven’t already! If you don’t use social media, we’re always available through our email progressivefronthhs@gmail.com