Oklahoma City schools begin longer winter break
Oklahoma City Public Schools will close their doors for winter break Friday night, a full week earlier than most school districts. Classes will resume Jan. 4.
The state's largest district adopted a new school calendar in an effort to improve student performance. It shortened the summer break by a month and increased other breaks throughout the school year.
Winter break will be nearly four weeks, with classes resuming Jan. 4.
“It's a great time for families to be able to have some time together,” Superintendent Karl Springer said. “It's not long enough for our kids really to regress, but it is some time for our kids to enjoy a nice long break.”
Monday marks the second test of the new calendar's key purpose — three days of optional intersession classes at each school site for students who need the most help.
Springer said officials hope 20 percent of their students will be in school Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
He said the instruction will be focused. Smaller class sizes will provide a better teacher-student ratio, he said.
The first districtwide intersession was in October when students took a two-week fall break. About 4,300 of the district's 43,000 students attended intersession classes. There was optimism that as word spread about intersession, attendance would grow.
The district provides transportation to and from school and lunch for the students. Teachers volunteer to work the extra days, but are compensated for their time.
Springer said after the first three-day intersession, teachers reported students coming back calm, focused and ready to get back to work.
“They just felt so calm,” Springer said. “Would I like to see a 200 day school year? Absolutely. But this is the closest we can get for now.”
Planning for the breakThe change in the district's calendar also changed the plans of other organizations.
The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma is launching a new program Monday that will provide children with a daily lunch and a snack on weekdays over the long break. It's similar to the charity's summer meal program that aims to ensure low-income children are getting at least one healthy meal a day in absence of the free and reduced-price meals they get at school.
“We've never done a holiday feeding over a Christmas break before because Christmas break was two weeks and it was filled with holidays,” said Ryan Abernathy, the Food Banks programs director for community initiatives. “We've reconfigured to be able to provide meals.”
The food bank has partnered with the Oklahoma City Parks and Recreation department to provide lunches, snacks and fun events at recreation centers throughout the city.
Food to take homeAdditionally, Abernathy said they are working to add extra food to the backpacks students take home for the break as part of their Food for Kids backpack program. The feeding program sends food home for weekends and holidays with students in need.
Abernathy said that between now and Jan. 31, all donations to help support the food bank's many programs will be matched by Chesapeake Energy Corp.
“Usually every dollar provides five meals but because Chesapeake is matching each donation, every dollar provides 10 meals,” Abernathy said.
