Message from Principal Gavron
As a middle school principal and mother of three, I often feel like my life is a little too
busy. Achieving the balance I seek can feel illusive at times. Scurrying to soccer games,
baseball practices, viola lessons and helping with homework can quickly fill the
afternoon and evening hours. While my family has stayed committed to finding
consistent times to do things like build jigsaw puzzles, read aloud, play Yahtzee and
watch an episode of Property Brothers together, fitting it all in isn’t always easy. I
regularly find myself working late nights and early mornings to complete my own
schoolwork. I have learned that I need to purposefully plan times to take some work-
free, email-free Saturdays, so I can really relax and take the necessary mental break
from my demanding job. This allows me to come back to work feeling recharged and
ready to go.
I am not alone. Based on student and parent surveys we know academic stress for our
middle schoolers is an area of concern for parents and students alike. While our most
recent student HW survey affirmed that most students find assigned HW to be doable in
a reasonable amount of time and agree it furthers their learning, homework still creates
significant stress in students’ busy lives. And they are busy. Over half of our students
who filled out our survey reported that their extracurricular activities take up about 1.5 -
3.5 hours on a typical day. Our survey comments about homework ranged from “I love
to do homework,” to “It sucks so much I would rather eat a brick,” and everything in
between. References to stress were a common theme, “Homework is stressful, REALLY
STRESSFUL.” In discussing this dilemma with house leaders and curriculum leaders, we
have come together around a pilot proposal, which we have decided to roll out over the
first semester of next year.
We have created the concept of "Catch Up and Breathe" weekends, which are about
embracing wellness and balance. It is a recognition that weekends are different than
other days of the week. We all need time to reconnect, recharge, and regroup, and
these weekends will be a chance to do exactly that. During a "Catch Up and Breathe"
weekend, which will be scheduled every other weekend of first semester, beginning
September 2nd, students will not receive homework that would be due the following
Monday. No assessments would be scheduled for the Monday after a
"Catch Up and Breathe"
weekend. The initiative allows us to honor the fullness of our students’ lives
outside of school, and at the same time affords us a chance to mentor students in
striking a balance between work and play. "Catch Up and Breathe" is designed to allow
us to coach students about how to take healthy pauses in life. Friday conversations will
become about what folks have planned and could give teachers a chance to make
suggestions that go beyond academics. Since there is no assigned work, we might
suggest students think about doing any, all, or none of the following if they so choose:
sleep in really late
restock a pencil pouch
go on a hike
work on an art project
meditate
watch a movie with family
curl up with a good book
complete any overdue assignments (if they choose)
clean up/update their Google Keep or planner
play a board/card/video game with friends
run wild in a field
organize a binder
do anything that they feel would allow them to come back Monday feeling ready
and refreshed.
In terms of independent reading, which we hope has become a relaxing life habit rather
than homework, ELA teachers would check in on Monday, but there would be no
penalty for someone who chooses not to read over a "Catch Up and Breathe" weekend.
In the spirit of Wellness and partnership, I encourage you to take a step back over the
summer and really examine the extra-curricular schedule you have created with your
child. Does it create a healthy balance and honor the down time kids and families need?
Does it allow students to get the sleep their growing bodies require? Interesting enough
healthy sleeping habits actually have a higher correlation with academic success than do
hours spent on homework. Ask yourself, “Do I help my child make choices and say ‘no’
at times in order to help my child learn how to create a healthy balance?” No one can
do it all (even when activities are beloved and fulfilling). Burnout will ensue. One of our
school mentor’s, Henry David Thoreau remarked, “It is not enough to be busy. So are the
ants. The question is: What are we busy about?” This pilot would allow us to say we
have thought about and answered this question by saying, “At WMS, sometimes we are
busy catching our breath.”
As we head into summer – the ultimate "Catch Up and Breathe" opportunity – I want to
thank you for the opportunity to serve you and your children once again this year. I so
appreciate your partnership and support as we collectively support students through
early adolescence. Both Mr. Benzie and I feel fortunate to work in a caring community
that so values education. I offer a special shout out for the amazing support of the PTO,
WPSF, and the Wayland Boosters, who have enriched the lives and learning of students
and staff alike. Take some much needed down time for family fun and relaxation. Enjoy
the time to “Catch Up and Breathe."
Respectfully,
Betsy Gavron
Note: I am incredibly grateful to Carrie Dirmeikis for authoring the original “Catch Up
and Breathe” proposal and allowing me to incorporate much of its wording into this newsletter.
