By Job Dale Dieckman
MADISON – St. Joseph Catholic School students will take seven classes starting next fall in a major schedule change that will re-shape the day for middle and high schoolers.
The school will rotate five classes each day, with each period lasting 70 minutes. The school day will end at 2:55 p.m., giving student athletes an earlier start for practice. “I think the schedule will be easy to adjust to,” said Jojo Katool, a sophomore, who added he is not worried about taking one class less.

Besides reducing the number of classes from eight to seven and increasing class time from 65 to 70 minutes, St. Joe also will limit electives to one each in ninth, 10th and 11th grades and two in 12th grade.

Separate middle school English and literature classes will be combined into one year-long course for seventh and eighth grades. Students will attend a 10-minute homeroom that will start at 7:55 a.m. each day.

The new class schedule will take effect when the new school year begins in August. School officials have been looking into revising the schedule and number of classes since last year.
(Reprinted with permission from The Bear Facts)