Admissions Test for Class of 2029

Take the first step towards becoming a Wildcat and take an Admissions Test at Saint Ignatius – 3 Dates Available: Oct. 12, Nov. 2 and Nov. 13

Saint Ignatius High School

Academic Bell Schedule

Designed for deeper learning and student formation.

Schedule Overview

• A full class cycle will last 7 class days.

• Students will eat lunch according to the location of their 3rd-period class that day. Students with 3rd-period classes west of the Mall will eat first and attend classes after. Students with 3rd-period classes east of the Mall will attend classes first and eat after.

• EAST classes are all classes in the Main Building and any Physical Education or Health class. WEST classes are all classes in Loyola Hall, the Science Center, the Chapel Basement, and the Breen Center (except for Health). 

• All students should be in their first-period class by 8:20 a.m. (8:50 a.m. on Wednesdays). AP Science classes are the exception and will instead begin 20 minutes earlier per day.

Example Student Schedule (7 days)

7-Day Serpentine Cycle


 

Daily Structure – M, T, TH, F vs. Wednesday Comparison


 

FAQ

What are the basic structural components of the Saint Ignatius schedule?
• All instructional periods are 58 minutes, and teachers will see their students 5 times in a 7-day cycle.
• The school day begins at 8:20 a.m. and ends at 3:05 p.m. (M, T, TH, F).
• Students get each class at different times of the day throughout the cycle, in a serpentine sequence.
• Each day, there is a non-academic formation period following period 3 & lunch. It is an Activities period on M, W, F and it is an Advisory period on T & TH.

What about Wednesdays?
• On Wednesday, the afternoon Activity time is shortened and the school day begins at 8:50 a.m.
• Classes continue the rotation and are still 58 minutes, and the day still ends at 3:05 p.m.

Why is the rotation called serpentine?
• The progression of classes always proceeds in the same order. The seven academic periods never happen all in one day, so wherever a student left off in the sequence today, he picks up with the next class tomorrow. The sequence snakes through from one day to the next, hence the term “serpentine.” See the example schedule and diagram above.
• Example: If a day starts with Class C, we refer to the day as C-day and the following classes would be Class D, Class E, Class F, and Class G. Then the next school day would start with Class A, and we refer to the class schedule that day as A-Day.
• Your classes always go in order, so once you learn the order, you are all set.

Why does the grid start at 8:00 a.m.?
• There are a select few classes that start at 8:00 a.m. (8:30 a.m. on Wednesdays) on days that the classes meet first period of the day. These are AP classes in Science (AP Bio, AP Chem, AP Physics only). If you have one of these classes on your schedule, follow the directions of your teacher.

What about the Advisory?
• Each Advisory meets for 39 minutes once a week. Juniors and seniors meet on Tuesdays, and freshmen and sophomores meet on Thursdays.
• In Advisory you get school announcements and receive general information that is not specific to one academic class.