June 15, 2023
Dear Shrewsbury Families,
Last evening, the School Committee approved the "no homework" calendar for the 2023-2024 school year. The establishment of dates when no homework is due and no assessments requiring studying will be given is part of the updated Homework Policy that was approved in late April, with the goal of establishing "a shared responsibility between home and school to ensure that students have balance in their lives while pursuing educational excellence."
Please see the list of “no homework” dates HERE. For a calendar view of the “no homework” dates, click HERE.
Please note the following information regarding the “no homework” calendar:
• The “no homework” calendar applies to grades 1-12; there is no homework required in PreK or K
• Homework on weekends is only for grades 5-12, so very few “no homework” dates in this calendar apply to grades 1-4
• Some of the “no homework” dates correspond with major religious holidays where many students will have religious obligations, but it is important to note that all students will not be assigned homework on the dates listed as “no homework."
• In addition to these dates, whenever a student is not available due to participating in a religious obligation in the evening or causing them to be absent from school on any date, the student will be provided with the opportunity to make up missed homework and classwork without penalty, per School Committee policy and state law. We ask that families and older students communicate with teachers when such accommodations are needed.
• There are 15 dates specified where no homework will be due and no assessments requiring studying will be given. This represents 8% of the 180 total school days. Only two of these dates fall during the middle of a week; 13 of them are the day following a weekend, including long weekends and school vacation periods.
• Because of the way dates fall next year, there will be 15 “no homework weekends” out of 45 weekends during the school year, or 33%.
School leaders and teachers will provide additional detailed information about homework expectations when the new school year begins. I am confident that with the support of educators and families, our students will strengthen their academic skills and build strong independent work habits through meeting expectations for regular homework completion, with "no homework" dates providing balance for family time and other pursuits, especially during vacations and long weekends.
Respectfully,
Joe Sawyer
Superintendent of Schools