How do I create a bell schedule?

This article explains how to create a new bell schedule. A bell schedule defines the duration and order of daily periods. It is the foundation upon which you can schedule classes later. 

If you are looking for instructions on how to make modifications to your existing bell schedule, refer to the following article.

Usually, schools set up one bell schedule. This is appropriate when all students attend classes at the same start/end times. If students attend classes at different start/end times, then contact us at [e-mail] to create scheduling teams and create multiple bell schedules.

Note: Cycle Days must be set up prior to creating a bell schedule.

To create a bell schedule:

1. Go to Admin Main > Scheduling > Bell Schedules
2. Create Bell Schedule
3. Setup
   • Enter name, school start/end time, passing period length, periods before/after lunch
   • Select a Lunch Configuration
     • Full Period Lunch - lunch period is the same length as other class periods.
       • Enter a number of lunch periods 
     • Half Period Lunch - lunch period is half the length of other class periods
       • Select how many half periods should be created
       • Select the number of half periods that lunch will be served in
4. Period Times
   • All days have same times - daily periods have consistent start/end times regardless of cycle day
   • Each day may have different times - daily periods’ start/end times vary from cycle day to cycle day
   • Enter Period Names and Abbreviations
     • Abbreviations should be easy to understand because some pages only show period abbreviations. Example:
       • Name: Period 1, Abbr.:1
       • Name: Homeroom, Abbr.: HR
   • Configure Start and End times
     • The system sets same length for all periods
     • If there are no passing periods, each period’s start time equals the previous period’s end time
   • Check Can lunch be served during this period? to indicate lunch periods
   • Set a weight for each period
     • Determines weight of classes scheduled within a period
     • Weight is defined on a course’s scheduling tab
   • Select which periods (if any) are optional
     • Used for optional early bird or end of day periods
5. Lunch Assignment
   • Automatically assign all students in a grade level to the same lunch period:
     • Each grade level will be assigned a daily period for lunch. The wizard will create a Lunch course and section for each grade level and schedule it.
   • Schedule Students into lunch periods via course requests (Automated Scheduling Only): 
     • Admin must create at least 1 lunch course and assign the course(s) to lunch periods. The system will create lunch sections based on need
     • Students submit course requests for lunch, and the software places them in a lunch based on a variety of automated scheduling components 
6. Overview
   • Verify that the actions listed are what you intended
7. Save