by Leigh Ann McKelway
Within Chesterfield County Public Schools, which is Central Virginia’s largest school system, two schools follow a different calendar than the sixty-five other Chesterfield County public schools; Bellwood Elementary and Falling Creek Elementary operate under a year-round calendar.
It may surprise you to learn that the number of required attendance days for students is the same under the year-round calendar and the traditional calendar: 178 days during the 2022-23 school year.
If the number of days is the same, then what’s the difference? The year-round calendar followed by Bellwood and Falling Creek includes quarterly breaks (called intersessions) and a shorter summer break. Intersessions offer extra instruction plus fun activities like golf, art, baking and community service. Students are not required to attend intersessions, but those who would benefit from additional academic support are encouraged to be present.
When the Chesterfield County School Board voted in 2018 to move Bellwood Elementary to a year-round calendar, then voted in 2019 to move Falling Creek Elementary to a year-round calendar, reasons given included:
- Frequent breaks result in less burnout for teachers and students.
- Increased student opportunities for proper meals and enrichment.
- Fewer grade retentions because of frequent opportunities for remediation.
- Additional income for staff members by working during intersessions.
A few years later, those reasons are becoming reality, despite the disruption of the COVID-19 global pandemic. During the 2020-21 school year, all Chesterfield County schools followed the traditional calendar, then Bellwood and Falling Creek returned to a year-round calendar in 2021-22.
One Bellwood staff member has this to say about year-round school, “I love it. I have not found a flaw in year-round instruction.” Another agreed that frequent breaks during the school year result in less burnout for teachers and students: “As soon as we start to feel like we need a break, we have one!”
- Learn more about Bellwood Elementary School here.
- Learn more about Falling Creek Elementary School here.
- Learn more about Chesterfield County Public Schools here.
- See year-round and traditional calendars here.
Read this article about hypothetical year-round school and its benefits in RFM.
