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Importance of Sleep and Bell Times

Importance of Sleep and Bell Times

The Upper Canada District School Board’s mission is to “Prepare All Students for a Successful Life.” Scientific research shows that good sleep hygiene can increase academic achievement, school attendance, and both physical and mental health of students. For these reasons, the UCDSB is considering earlier start times for elementary students and later start times for secondary students.

The UCDSB will be hosting two in-person sessions with a panel of child and youth experts to discuss the connection between sleep, academic achievement, and health for youth. Both sessions will also be livestreamed on the  UCDSB YouTube channel

Parents and guardians are invited to attend either session in person or online. Details are as follows:  

  • Monday, November 27 - 6:30 p.m. – Smiths Falls District Collegiate Institute – 299 Percy Street, Smiths Falls or online here.

  • Wednesday, November 29 - 6:30 p.m. – Tagwi Secondary School – 16750 Hwy 43, Avonmore or online here.

Please use this link to let us know if you plan to attend in person or online.

During these in-person sessions, parents/guardians will have an opportunity to ask questions related to the presentations and share some feedback through an online form.

Those who view the sessions online will have an opportunity to email in questions related to the presentations during the session and provide feedback through the online form as well.  

If you are not able to attend or view one of these sessions, a video will be shared on the UCDSB website in early December, along with the link to the feedback form. This video will also be shared with school councils to view.

Background & Research

UCDSB Trustees initially discussed amending school start times and the impact it could have on students at the January 26, 2022, Board meeting.

At the April 12, 2023 Board meeting, UCDSB Chief Psychologist Dr. Jennifer Curry along with Clinical Psychologist Dr. David Armstrong presented to the Board, indicating that changing the school start times would be beneficial for teenagers and younger students.

The current school start time for secondary school students is 8:00 a.m. For elementary students it’s 9:20 - 9:30 a.m.

There is no timeline for implementation at this time.

Resources:

Journal of Sleep Research - 2016 - School start time and sleep in Canadian adolescents.pdf

School Start Times for Adolescents 2014 .pdf

Let Teenagers Sleep Article - Scientific American

 

The Panel:

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