In last week's column I announced that Santa Fe Public Schools is starting school early this summer — on Wednesday, Aug. 10. That's because last April the Board of Education approved a two-year calendar which included an Aug. 11 start-date for school-year 2012. (School started one week early last summer.)

Well, during public commentary at last Tuesday's Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Bobbie Gutierrez and the board heard from a lot of concerned parents who said, "That's too early."

Gutierrez said the district will reconsider the decision, and in a brief email, Gutierrez said she and her staff "will bring forward an adjusted calendar at the April 5 meeting to include a start date that is a few days later in August and adjusts spring vacation to mid-March, along with some parent/teacher conference dates."

The next board meeting is at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 5 at the district's Educational Services Center on Alta Vista Street.



Music to their ears: Tuesday's public commentary actually ran more than an hour, thanks to a lot of parents, teachers, and students who urged the district to reinstate fourth- and fifth-grade band class.

The board voted to ease out of the two-times-a-week band classes in those grades to both save money (about $37,000, according to SFPS music coordinator Leanne DeVane) and concentrate on building up the sixth-grade band program.

John Trentacosta, who retired from SFPS a year or so ago after teaching band for 18 years, led the charge. He asked the board to imagine someone telling Mozart that he had to stop playing the harpsichord at the age of 8.

A few people did argue that because fourth- and fifth-graders were only getting band practice twice a week, it was a somewhat ineffective program.

A special study session on the issue is planned for sometime in April, according to DeVane.



SFPS choral groups at Lensic: Speaking of music, about 200 students from various choruses of Santa Fe High and Capital High schools and several middle schools perform at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Lensic Performing Arts Center. The event, sponsored by the Santa Fe Concert Association, is free, but donations will be happily accepted.



School lottery date changes: Santa Fe Public Schools' student transfer lottery date has been changed because of a conflict.

The School Lottery will now be held at 5 p.m. April 27 in the Educational Services Center Board Room at 610 Alta Vista St. The lottery determines which requests for transfers from one school-attendance zone to another will be granted.



Let's Talk: Parents (and guardians) can't always talk easily with their children. The district's Student Wellness Office wants to help, so it's starting a Let's Talk Santa Fe Parent/Child Communication Program to strengthen communication between adults and children.

It starts with a one-day training session (offered twice on both April 1 and April 2) to teach people how to facilitate Let's Talk workshops for parents and students. Training topics include building self-esteem, safeguarding the Internet, bullying, teen-dating violence, and substance abuse.

The training is free, but interested parties must submit an application. Contact Katy Yanda at katy.yanda@gmail.com for more information and an application.