As of a recent school board meeting, the new SuperBlock scheduling system, originally proposed for the 2019/2020 school year, has passed the district vote and will be put in place for the 2020/2021 school year.  The following letter outlines the district’s plan for this new scheduling system.

Dear Haverford Parents, 

As per popular demand that Haverford High School do more to prepare your students for rigorous college curriculums, we will be implementing a new scheduling system beginning with the 2020/2021 school year.  Rather than dividing the year into two semesters with four blocks each to accommodate a total of eight semester-long classes, the district has elected to create a school year with the SuperBlock schedule (four quarters with two classes each).  Because SuperBlock schedules have only two classes a quarter, each class will be the length of two blocks in the current system, or approximately three hours long.  We understand that this is a significant shift from the traditional block scheduling system of 90-minute classes, but maintain that SuperBlock’s reduced number of longer classes will better simulate the college learning environment. 

As with any new change, we recognize that you will likely have questions and concerns, and have compiled a FAQ list below for your convenience.  

Q: How will lunches work in the SuperBlock scheduling system?  Won’t the cafeterias be overcrowded?

A: Many people seem misinformed about the lunch schedule and believe there will only be one lunch between the two SuperBlocks.  However, we will maintain the current two lunch plan.  One lunch will occur in the morning before the two SuperBlocks (Lunch 1, or Breakfast), and the other will be held in between the two SuperBlocks (Lunch 2, or Actual Lunch).  The first SuperBlock will be slightly offset to accommodate these lunchtime differences.

Q: My student is involved in the music program.  How will SuperBlock scheduling accommodate this?

A: In keeping with the current fourth block alternating A/B day schedule for music students, the second SuperBlock will also alternate to allow full-year duration for music classes.  Students that are involved in two musical groups (orchestra and chorus or band and chorus) will still be able to participate in both groups, and will only be limited in the number of academic classes they can take (four total).  Even with this limitation, students will have room for the required math, English, science, and history classes for their grade level.  There will also be a reduced list of classes available on alternating days for music students.

Q: My student wants to take AP classes.  How do these classes work in the SuperBlock system?

A: Because each SuperBlock is three hours long, every AP class will take up one class space for one quarter.  While there is a discrepancy between the length of some AP classes (one semester versus all year), students will only be taking two classes a quarter, and will therefore have more time to focus on homework for each class, making it easier to assign more out-of-school work per class than in a regular block scheduling system.

Q: My student is involved in the music program and would also like to take AP classes.  How will SuperBlock work in this situation?

A: It won’t.  Your student will likely have to fill multiple study halls with independent studies of these topics.

If you have any further questions about SuperBlock scheduling, please don’t contact us.  We don’t know what’s going on either.  We look forward to a great 2020/2021 school year!  Go Fords!

The Haverford High School Scheduling Committee

DISCLAIMER: This article is a satire, none of this is true.