As they sit down for holiday dinners on Thursday, Staples High School students have much to be thankful for. Loving families, good friends, caring teachers, a wonderful community — those things don’t change.
But this year, they’ll give thanks for something else: No homework.
Principal James D ‘Amico sent this email last week:
I want to take the opportunity to remind everyone that this upcoming Thanksgiving break is a homework-free break.
As a school community we want our school breaks to truly be a break from school to the greatest extent possible. We value school breaks as an opportunity for our students, staff, and families to rejuvenate, spend time with friends and family, and generally find the time for much-needed rest.
School breaks are also a good time for those who may have fallen behind on their work to catch up, without more new assignments piling up.
Through our Collaborative Team of representative teachers, administrators, students, and parents, we developed the following simple definition of homework-free breaks:
- No homework should be assigned over these breaks
- Long-term project due dates, as well as tests, may not be scheduled for the first 2 days of school following one of these breaks.
The December, February and April breaks will also be homework-free.
Additionally, we encourage everyone to take a technology break over Thanksgiving, and disconnect our devices and engage with each other.
On behalf of everyone at Staples High School I wish you and your families a happy, healthy, and restful Thanksgiving next week.
