FAQ

6-12 FOUR DAY SCHOLAR WEEK

OUR WHY

In pursuit of an elite education for all children, we are moving to a 4 day school week for middle and high school scholars for the 2023-2024 school year. Our goal is to elevate our secondary program through recruiting and retaining the best teachers in the state for our Beta classrooms. Research suggests that among school related factors, teachers matter more to scholar achievement than any other factor. Moving to a 4 day school week will incentivize and attract exceptional teachers, making Beta Academy a top destination for educators in Harris County and beyond. Benefits include, but are not limited to:

  • Refine our academic program by providing additional planning time, teacher collaboration opportunities, and professional development for teachers and leaders

  • Provide additional time for teachers to communicate, collaborate, and meet with parents on Fridays

  • Provide additional time for scholars to participate in extracurricular activities and clubs on Fridays

  • Provide more quality time for Beta scholars and families

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT WILL THE WORKLOAD LOOK LIKE FOR SCHOLARS ON FRIDAYS?

The shift to a 4-day week will create opportunities for the scholars to have extracurricular time, independent study time, and assignment completion time. Currently, Beta Academy’s policy is to limit homework to no more than 5 hours a week. The workload will remain the same and will not increase beyond the 5 hours.

WHAT RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE FOR MY SCHOLAR ON FRIDAYS TO FURTHER THEIR ACADEMICS?

  • IXL

  • Khan Academy

  • Prodigy

  • Typing.com

  • No Red Ink

 Beta Academy approved resources include:

WHAT WILL THE SCHOOL HOURS BE FOR MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL?

Monday through Thursday 7:50-4:35

WILL MY SCHOLAR RECEIVE LESS ACADEMIC TIME?

No, your scholar will not receive less academic time. The minimum required school minutes for Texas children enrolled in public school is 75,600. Beta Academy middle school scholars will receive 77,700 and our high school scholars will receive 77,175.

WHEN IS THE FIRST AND LAST DAY OF SCHOOL?

Middle School Scholar Start Date: Aug 14, 2023 (Tribe Day)

High School Scholar Start Date: Aug 15, 2023

Scholar End Date: May 23, 2024

WHEN WILL THE SCHOOL CALENDAR BE POSTED?

The 2023-2024 School Calendar is posted on the website under the calendar button located on the homepage.

WILL THERE BE ANY EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES ON FRIDAYS?

On Fridays, teachers will focus on maximizing scholar learning and progress. They will use the time to meet with parents, plan club activities, tutor scholars, and plan engaging lessons. Having additional planning time will give teachers the opportunity to prepare joyful and rigorous activities, bring lessons to life, add more hands-on learning, and provide additional real world experiences that increase engagement and develop a deeper understanding of content.

Additionally, some Fridays will be used for sports, clubs, competition practice, tutorials, and more. Depending on your scholar’s academic needs and/or involvement in extracurricular activities, they may attend school for partial days on Friday.   

WILL EXTRA HELP BE PROVIDED ON THE FRIDAY’S FOR SCHOLARS?

The main focus of Friday is to give teachers more time to plan and prepare, which will increase the level of instruction delivered to our scholars. Secondarily, teachers may use this time for their sponsored clubs and tutorials.

DOES THIS PROLONG THE SCHOOL YEAR JUNE AND WHAT HOLIDAYS DOES THIS IMPACT?

No, we have increased the school day by 30 minutes to make up for the time. This will not affect the typical holiday schedule or end date. Scholars will be dismissed for summer before June.

WILL THERE BE CHILDCARE ON FRIDAYS?

No, there will not be child care provided on Fridays.

WILL THERE BE ANY ONLINE CLASSES FOR SCHOLARS ON FRIDAYS?

No, there will not be any online classes on Fridays.

WILL YOU HAVE A FOUR DAY SCHOOL WEEK FOR ELEMENTARY IN THE FUTURE?

No, at this time there are no plans to switch to the four day school week.

WHAT WILL THE REQUIRED UNIFORM DAYS LOOK LIKE FOR MS & HS?

Monday-Tuesday: Full Uniform

Wednesday: Beta Polo Uniform 

Thursday: Full Uniform (For perfect attendance Beta Spirit Shirts or Tribe Gear may be worn)

IF MY SCHOLAR IS REQUIRED TO ATTEND CLUBS OR TUTORIALS ON FRIDAYS, WHAT IS THE REQUIRED UNIFORM?

Friday: Beta Polo Uniform