'Wellness' Directive Prompts Confusion

Once upon a time, there was recess – a time where elementary age students got to play and get some of their wiggles out, so to speak. A few years ago, East Greenwich introduced "wellness," another period that wasn't classroom time, but wasn't recess either. 

The idea behind wellness was that it would take the place of afternoon recess but would add an instructional component so it could count as part of the 330 minutes of daily instruction required by state law. Students still had recess after lunch (they get a total of 30 mintues for lunch and recess) but instead of just a free play time in the afternoon, any break in the teaching routine would be "wellness."

"Recess is unstructured time and wellness is a time when teachers bring their class outside to do an activity or a series of activities," Supt. Victor Mercurio said Tuesday after the School Committee meeting, in explanation of the difference between the two.

Mercurio said the move to wellness took place in 2006 or 2007, before he was hired, and that he could not say for sure why wellness was instituted. 

But he was aware that there was an instructional component to it and that wellness time counts toward the overall 330 minutes. Because of that, Mercurio said Tuesday, he periodically reminds the four elementary school principals to make sure teachers were supervising and directing wellness time.

Such a reminder was sent out in early April, prompting at least three of the four elementary school principals to clarify wellness for teachers. And for at least some classes, anyway, suddenly wellness was gone. 

That was not Mercurio's intent, he said Tuesday. Rather, it was merely to remind teachers to make sure they were directing wellness.

"It was clear to me that I was unclear," he said about his initial communication.

Mercurio reached out to principals again, after April vacation, to explain reiterate his stand, and the situation eased. Mostly.

According to several parents at the meeting Tuesday, there remains a lingering confusion about wellness and its role in the school day.