Cape Junior High to implement intervention and enrichment time

Terry W. Kitchen Junior High School is changing its schedule this upcoming school year to focus specific instruction and enrichment time on English language arts and math.

What I Need time — WIN time — will be 35 minutes, four days each week.

The school's principal, Garett Cook, said WIN time has been in the works for months and began with the goal of creating time to help students, no matter if they are advanced in their studies or need extra help.

"This is what we came up with. With an extra 35 minutes where we could build in that extra time for ELA (English language arts) and math, because our ELA and math performance on state assessments hasn't been at the average state level for multiple years," Cook said. "I don't think it's lack of effort, I just think that we needed to build in some more time to support our kids and give our teachers time to build those relationships and target specific areas to help our kids be more successful."

WIN time will include intervention for the students needing help with math and ELA the most and enrichment time, when teachers will teach a group of students something they are passionate about, apart from their regular curriculum. The enrichment classes will teach practical and creative skills and will even practice physical activity, such as ultimate Frisbee.

"Yes, we need to improve scores, but our primary goal is we're there to help the kids," Emily Goode, math teacher and department chairwoman, said. "And I know for me and from a math standpoint, these kids are going into high school math, and they've got to get a good foundation now. So if they aren't learning everything that they need to know now, they're going to continue to struggle."

Goode said intervention classes will be smaller groups meant to focus on specific student needs, using various learning methods.

"So this is not a punishment situation at all. This is an opportunity situation where kids that need a little extra help, will get extra help. But we are focusing on teaching in different ways than we would in the regular classroom. We're not just going to be repeating the lesson. We're looking for things that are hands-on learning," Goode said.

Those who do not need the intervention time will participate in enrichment, and Goode said students will be able to take advantage of both based on their needs.

"I think WIN time really helps teachers get to the heart of the academic issues, as well as providing an opportunity for students to engage in enrichment activity. So I think, you know, they get the best of both worlds," Diane Meyr, ELA teacher and department chairwoman, said.

Some of the enrichment courses being offered, according to Cook, Goode and Meyr, are sewing, virtual field trips, critical thinking games, soccer, reader's theater, digital design and a deeper look into historical figures.

Meyr and Goode agreed WIN time also allows students to get to know the teacher better and lets them see something else the teacher is passionate about, which builds strong rapport overall.