Welcome back! I am so excited to share all of the new opportunities we have for our students.

This year the Frank Antonides School is implementing an updated master schedule to maximize student learning and to address the unique needs of our students. The schedule will consist of a 10 period day, and will include new science and social studies elective opportunities at each grade level.

One of the highlights of this schedule is the addition of a “WIN” period.  “WIN” (which stands for “What I Need”) is a time when teachers will provide personalized instruction to further meet the academic needs of each learner in every classroom.  As such, it is a period for reinforcement (which will be implemented by core academic teachers as needed), support (which will be implemented in SOAR classes for struggling learners, REACH classes for special education students, and ESL sessions for English Language Learners), and/or enrichment (which is inclusive of AT, music lessons, and Genius Hour).

Sparking students' drive to learn is the utmost priority at the Frank Antonides School.  As such, incorporating the Genius Hour into our master schedule will be integral to creating a school day filled with new opportunities. Genius Hour is an approach to learning where students are guided by their own interests, background knowledge, and curiosity to learn. It is inquiry based learning which encourages creativity and collaboration. As part of your child’s Genius Hour project, he/she will brainstorm ideas, develop a driving question, research their chosen topic, and create a product that is digital, physical, or service-oriented to be shared with his/her class. The intent of the project is for students to learn about something he/she is passionate about in a way that is self-directed and supported as needed by his/her Genius Hour teacher. 

I look forward to working with the West Long Branch community to ensure a productive and successful school year for all of our students!