8:15
The daily schedule at Falmouth Academy is thoughtfully laid out. Most students arrive around 8:00 so that they can catch up with friends and ready themselves for their first-period class, which begins at 8:15 (in keeping with adolescent sleep research, almost a full hour later than area public schools.)
Unlike many schools, where classes can meet for as few as three periods in a six-day stretch, we are committed to daily meetings for every class. Students attend three 40-minutes academic classes in the morning and three in after lunch. One of these classes is always a study hall period when students can get a head start on their work or meet with a teacher for some individual attention.
10:25
We take a break so that the entire school can gather in Morse Hall, socialize, have a snack, and spend a few minutes celebrating the latest good news or sharing important information about upcoming events.
10:55
From there it's off to fourth period, a 70-minute alternative enrichment class we refer to as "4th period," (for reasons that are perhaps obvious!) Here, students will either have their weekly hands-on experiential science lab or they will choose from a rich array of electives such as coding, beekeeping, painting, musical ensemble, curling, ceramics, or musical theater.
12:00
After 4th period, we break for lunch for about a half-hour every day but Wednesday. Wednesday is an "extended lunch" day, a lengthened period when students meet with the advisors for group or individual discussions, many of the student-led clubs and organizations will gather, or teachers will hold office hours for any student who needs to meet with them.
2:40
The last class ends at 2:40 after which most students head off to athletic practice or play rehearsal, which runs from about 2:50-4:00 or 4:15. Students who are not in one of those of activities are welcome to stay on campus to study in the library, relax in one of our community spaces, or participate in one of our minor after-school activities (such as photography, Mandarin, creative writing, a capella, newspaper, open art studios.)
4:45
A few students leave directly after class but most leave around 4:45 when our buses leave each day.