November 29, 2022
Good Morning Chatfield Families,
Today, each school in Jeffco is excited to share an update about their school’s start and end times for next year.
Starting in the 2023-24 school year, Jeffco Public Schools will implement new start and end times for schools across the District, including ours. The Healthy and Equitable Start Times initiative for next school year is expected to increase efficiency and reliability of transportation and create consistency in instructional time to best serve all students and families throughout the district.
Next year (23-24), our school day will begin at 8:05am and end at 3:20pm. You can find all school start and end times in School Finder.
Learn more about Healthy and Equitable Start Times from Deputy Superintendent Dr. Kym LeBlanc-Esparza.
Benefits for our Students
* Physical and mental health for adolescents: Research shows that healthy school start times result in improved student attendance and graduation rates, more students arriving at school on time, and better overall physical and emotional health. Even changes as small as 13 minutes can lead to positive outcomes for adolescents.
* Equal opportunity for academic success: By making the length of the school day the same for students at the same level, all students are receiving the same opportunity to learn. In the past, students at Jeffco schools received unequal amounts of instruction based on their school’s start and end times. In some cases, this added up to nearly a year difference in instructional time.
* More efficient and reliable transportation services that support families and students and lower the likelihood of bus service disruptions.
The District Implementation team will continue to study and problem solve the impacts these new times will have across our district, including athletics and activities scheduling, child-care options for our school-aged students, transportation needs, and more. Updates will be shared with our community as we collaborate and develop solutions.
Once the District Implementation team completes their process of problem solving around some of these impacts, and provides Chatfield Senior High with all of our parameters for building a bell schedule, Chatfield will engage in a process that includes all stakeholder groups to develop a bell schedule for the 23-24 school year, within our new start and end times. Please look for opportunities from me to provide feedback and help guide our work in this area, as we move through the Spring semester of this year.
We understand that change can be hard. We hope that by providing you with the updated start and end times well in advance of the 2023-24 school year, your family will be able to be better supported through the transition and put plans in place for next year. Visit the District’s Equitable & Healthy Start and End Times webpage to learn more.
Thank you for your continued support and collaboration in ensuring a thriving experience for all Jeffco students, and for all of your support of Chatfield Senior High School.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions, concerns or comments that you may have. I would love to talk with you and partner with you in supporting your student and all Chatfield students.
Thank you!
John Thanos, Principal
Chatfield Senior High School
[email protected]
303-982-3558