Timber Trail no longer on track schedule
by Lisa Crockett
Students at Timber Trail Elementary (TTE) in Castle Pines North will no longer head back to school in early July. Budget cuts at the state level and the school district level mean increased class sizes and decreased ability to run buses and other school services year-round.
“I have mixed feelings about the schedule change,” said Dana Hall, who’s son, Ty, attends first grade at the school. “For a working mom, the year-round schedule really worked well. On the other hand, the economy is tough, and everybody is impacted. It’s just part of what we all have to go through.”
Other parents are looking forward to some aspects of the change, citing better correlation of schedules for families with children in secondary school and with neighbors. Sheri Schuh, who has three children who attend TTE, said she thinks the change will bring some welcome social development, but worries that larger classes will diminish teachers’ ability to teach effectively.
“The schedule change will allow everyone to be reshuffled every year and will help the students learn this important social skill before it’s forced on them in middle and high school,” said Schuh. “Second, because school comes first in our family, I’ve found it difficult to have the kids involved in summer athletic programs or summer camps. With the calendar change, this will no longer be an issue.”
As of press time, TTE was considering two scheduling options—a “conventional” calendar as well as a “modified” calendar that gives students a shorter summer break and two weeks for fall and spring break rather than just one.
