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If you are a rising junior and were waiting on being able to enjoy the freedom that comes with R period, there is a bit of bad news for you. Starting August 2023, the Principal and the Deans have officially decided to remove the option of R period from the curriculum altogether. So, say goodbye to R period forever.
This change was said to be implemented because the Deans have no way of knowing the exact location of students during their R periods, and this caused concern with parents. There were questions, such as, “how will I know that my child is safe given an emergency situation?” Dean Marx also mentioned that there were problems with students not properly following the rules for this class.
“Due to students not checking in and out when leaving early and arriving later for R periods, we have decided to remove R period from the curriculum guide forever,” Marx said.
However, the options of Study Hall, Tools and Strategies will still be available with some changes. Tools and Strategies will still be available for grades 9-12, but only juniors and seniors will be able to take Study Hall. Tools and Strategies will be located in their usual buildings, either W200 or Carlos Library. Study Hall students will have to check into the lounge or A240 with the assigned teacher and will not be allowed to leave until the period is over.
If you have Study Hall first period of the day, you will have to be at school at the same time as everyone else and if you have Study Hall last period of the day, you are not allowed to leave early. The lounge during school hours, except lunch and tutorial periods, will now be a quiet zone. Failure to comply with these new rules will result in the student being marked absent.
However, removing R period has caused quite some controversy among the student body. Sophia Johnson ‘23 was one of these students who expressed her opinion on the matter.
“I feel upset that R period is removed because some students didn’t follow the rules,” Johnson said. “I always look forward to having my free period especially since this is my last month at Woodward as a senior.”