How School Functions in the USA

In this post as I said, I will explain how my school - CHS (Chelmsford High School) works. It is much different than any other countries school's especialy macedonian school's and also it differs from other american schools too. When I'll get back in Macedonia I'll do my best to implement as many as features as I can that CHS has!

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The image above is how a schedule, in this case my schedule looks like. I will be explaining acording to my classes. The school is 4 houses based, which it is just a better organizing thing. That means teachers, classes, students are divided to 4 houses, so every student/teacher/class has own house where he turns in if he needs help or something. In every house there are guidance counculars which help the students for everything they need help, choosing subjects, making schedule, advices, joining clubs etc etc. Also every house has own dean - a person who is in charge for the discipline and he keeps track of all the students, if they were absent, tardy or something. So duo to the school handbook policy for ex if you dont bring homework for some subject he can lower your grade for that subject or he can send you to detention. He can expell you too. There is also nurse which is other thing that macedonian schools dont have. So if you need medical help you can always go to the nurse. For every field as maths, science, social studies, language arts, athletics etc there is a office with secretaries and directors. So if you need any particular help you go to the particular office. The other administration staff is pritty simmilar in rankings but different in how it works and how much it works to the macedonian one. 

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All of this things make this huge school with more than 1500 students,more than 500 employers (teachers or administration staff), more than 400 classrooms, 2 gyms, 2 caffeterias and more than 40 offices to run extremly awesome.

Daily there are 6 periods. The plus block always is at the 3rd period and the rest 5 periods are (other) classes.So the school starts at 07:19 and goes like this:

• Period 1:  07:19  -  8:16
• Period 2:  08:20  -  09:17
• Period 3 - PLUS block:  09:21  -  09:51
• Period 4 or LONG BLOCK:  09:55  -  11:44 
• Period 5:  11:48  -  12:47
• Period 6:  12:51  -  1:51

The time between classes is 4 minutes and it is usualy enough to go to the locker and change the classrooms.

There are 3 lunches and they always take part in Period 4 or the long block:

• Lunch 1:  09:55 - 10: 22  - Art, Bussines/Media, Gym, Music, Science classes
• Lunch 2:  10:40 - 11:07   - Child Ed, Health, Reading, SPED, Soc. Studies, Tech Ed, World Lang classes
• Lunch 3:  11:17 - 11:44   - English, Math classes

The lunch is 27 minute. What lunch would I have depends on what class I have for period 4 or for the long block. 

Every student takes 7 subjects per semester. Every subject has own block - letter: A, B, C , D, E, F, G and P. Every next day the school starts with different leter. Ex: Day 1's first period is A and then go the classes B , C , P , D , E. Then the next day in this case Day 2 starts with F and then go the classes G, P, A , B , C. Then the next day, Day 3 starts with D and E, P, F, G, A. Are classes have several types of difficulties but the main ones are: the most advanced and difficult is Honors then H2 then H3. So I am a 10th grader or Sophomore. In my schedule this are the classes that I've chosen and I'm taking:

• A block - [Full Year] Advanced Algebra Honors; Mrs. Gaffney, Leah; Room W340 (Whittier House and if its contains 300 in the number then the classroom is on 3rd floor)
• B block: 
• [Semester 1] Media Literacy for 21st Century H2; Mr. Murphy, James; Room E322 (Emerson house, 3rd floor)
• [Semester 2] Active Life 2 (or gym or P.E); Mrs. Sloan Michele; Gym B

• C block:
• [Semester 1] Appreciating the Arts; Mrs. Karangioze, Teresa; Room H256 (Hawthorne house it contains 200 in the number so its on 2nd floor).
• [Semester 2] Public Speaking; Mr. Bartos, Matthew; Room H243 (Hawthorne house, 2nd floor)

• D block - [Full Year] U.S. History 1 H2; Mr. Staveley, Jonathan; Room E314 (Emerson house, 3d floor)
• E block - [Full Year] English 10 H2; Mr. Shea, Michael; Room H238 (Hawthorne house, 2nd floor)
• F block - [Full Year] Arhitectural Drawing and Design; Mr. Greenfield, Douglas; Room H102 (Hawthorne house and it contains 100 in the number so it is on 1st floor)
• G block - [Full Year] Physics H; Mr. Wickham, Lucas - H103 (Hawthorne house, 1st floor) and
• P block - [Full Year] PLUS - Practice-Learn-Understanr-Study; Mrs. Gauther, Susan; Room E211 (Emerson house, 2nd floor).The P (Plus) block is much different than an usual class. It takes place for the whole year on the 3rd period. This block is for doing homework, socializing, announcing the school's daily bulletin or to sumarize it, its for Practice-Learn-Understanr-Study.

So as I said at day 1 for first period I will have block A so that day I will have Algebra, Media Lit, Plus block, App the Arts, History and English. The next day or day 2 for first period I will have block F so that day I will have: Arhitecture, Physics, Plus block, Algebra, Med Lit, App the Arts.
After all the classes the school ends at 01:51. As I mentioned in the previous post, there are a LOT of activites after 01:51 which are under school's direstiction. Clubs, sports, library, career center etc etc... The school has also own transportation - the yellow busses :D . If I start talking about the equipment that has I would not be able to stop, so I will just say it has every needed and not needed equipment. I would also like to say that there is an online system for the school called Aspen which is simmilar to our еДневник but all the teacher and students use it! It has all the grades and scores, the homework, the schedule, it has everything! The students get an school email (studentID@cpslions.com) which we use. We get a computer student user with password. With that info we can access our documents, programs, pictures and everything needed for school through every computer that the school has becouse all of them are in one network. The students also recieve a School Planner, which contains all the important dates/information, all the school days with dayes which have empty spaces where you can write the assigments/homework you get so you wont forget to do it! Heres one page of my planner :) :

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