Students at Hefferan have four intense days of classroom work each week and a fifth day called Resource Day. On Resource Day, students are involved in art, music, gym, library, and computer lab. The students look forward to Resource Days because of the variety in their schedules and the possibilities for creative and experimental learning experiences. With the faculty divided into five instructional teams, each teacher has one free day per week - the Resource Day for students is a planning and study day for teachers. The Resource Day also is economical, since no substitute teacher pay is needed.
Students simply rotate their classes.
Security monitors and parent volunteers are present throughout the building to oversee the rotations from class to class. Teachers may use the phones at their discretion, to communicate with parents, to check on absent children, to call for help in an emergency, to conduct personal business such as making a doctor's appointment, or to check on their own children. Parents also can take advantage of a voicemail service to call their child's teacher and receive recorded suggestions for summer learning activities. During the school year, homework assignments and important announcements are recorded for the use of parents who want to check on their children's work. The school emphasizes teamwork in planning and cooperative learning for teachers.