Our 8-hour schedule includes a rotating block of classes, intentional time for service and enrichment, and a flexible Friday schedule for students to self-direct their learning with teacher guidance.
Morning advisory
In the morning, we give students time to reflect on the day, build school culture, and lead. Students gather with their Advisory teachers for small group time. Advisory teachers follow their assigned students through graduation with academic and socio-emotional support.
Academic blocks
Students will have 60 to 80-minute classes in rotating blocks. Block scheduling promotes an increased depth of content instruction and encourages student-led learning. For instance, some students do best in the morning, while others are more focused after lunch. Academic blocks better prepare students for college and career expectations in post-secondary life.
Service/club flex
BASSE is committed to community service and development. Students will research the community’s needs and create, develop, and implement community-based projects three times per week throughout the school year in our extended school day. On days students are not fulfilling their service requirements, they will participate in various clubs based on student interests. Students will engage in debate, chess, music, writing, language, sports, and other activities during this time. We require all BASSE students to participate in a club activity.
Synthesis day
BASSE is committed to giving students choice and leadership. Students will guide their learning during Synthesis Day, completing long-term service or academic projects, getting extra help or tutoring, enriching their content knowledge in a subject area of interest, or participating in small groups. At the beginning of the school year, students will receive more guidance on how to structure their day. The goal is for them to have complete autonomy by the second half of the school year. Teachers will monitor and facilitate learning and support as needed.
Why an extended school day?
Our goal is to provide our students with a challenging academic experience while giving them opportunities to fully engage with their community. To do this, we need a little additional time each day. We also recognize that the majority of our students have working parents, so BASSE has aligned our operational hours with those of the average work schedule to save our parents’ and caregivers’ time and money.
Here’s an example of our academic schedule.