The Friendship School to Have Full-Day Wednesdays Next Year

This week, The Friendship School Director Kathy Suprin confirmed that the school will have full school days on Wednesdays, beginning next year.

The move should cut down on the number of students who leave The Friendship School in their last year to enter kindergarten at one of Waterford’s public schools, Suprin said. This year, 35 Waterford students left The Friendship School to go to kindergarten into one of Waterford's public schools, and this move should cut down on that, she said.

“It should,” Suprin said. “It should.”

The Problem

Families sign a three-year commitment to The Friendship School, agreeing their child will go to the school when they are aged 3, 4 and 5. However, when they are 5, technically the child is allowed to leave The Friendship School to go to kindergarten at one of Waterford’s public schools.

Many parents have been doing that since Waterford went to full-day kindergarten, according to Suprin. Last school year, 47 parents took their child out of The Friendship School and into Waterford's public schools for kindergarten, and this year 35 students transferred.

Both times, Waterford had to hire a kindergarten teacher at the last minute to accommodate for increased enrollment. This move should lower the number of students transferring, Suprin said.

Fixing the Problem

Parents are transferring their children largely for two reasons: The Friendship School starts later than Waterford’s elementary schools and Wednesday is a half-day at The Friendship School, compared to a full school day at Waterford, according to previous interviews with Waterford Superintendent Belair.

With half-days every Wednesday, many parents have to pay an extra $25 a week for daycare. Now, with full days on Wednesdays, there is less of an incentive to pull them out of The Friendship School, according to Suprin.

Still, The Friendship School’s day starts an hour later than Waterford’s elementary schools (9:30 a.m. compared to 8:30 a.m.), so many parents with older children in a Waterford elementary school prefer having their children in the same school at the same time, Belair said in a previous interview. However, that hurdle is proving harder to overcome, as there is just not enough buses to go around, Suprin said.

Wednesdays were previously half-days at The Friendship School to allow teachers time for professional development, Suprin said. That time will be made up before and after school, or during free periods, she said.