Torrance Elementaries Ending Wednesdays Earlier
With the new year, Torrance elementary schools are on something of a new schedule, letting out 45 minutes earlier every Wednesday to facilitate teacher development sessions. (The only exception is at Carr Elementary, which will continue its already in-place, early-release Tuesdays; kindergartens still get out at the same time.)
The extra time will allow the schools' teachers to collaborate and learn from one another as part of their newly implemented "professional learning communities." All Torrance middle schools made a similar shift in fall 2006.
No instructional time will be lost as a result of the change, which replaces the myriad early-dismissal days once scattered throughout the school year, the district said.
For parents unable to retrieve their children 45 minutes earlier, each school will have a substitute teacher on hand to supervise waiting students.