Overview of Advisory
All middle schoolers meet with a faculty advisor and other classmates once per week to discuss school-related issues (Approaches to Learning), such as homework, study techniques, and how one learns best. Moreover, they do activities together, gather information and make plans for upcoming school-related events (In the Community), such as social events, community service project, and competitions and talk about other issues of interest (Personal Development). Advisory class offers students an opportunity to spend time with their classmates getting to know them, working together, and talking about both academic and non-academic topics. Advisors offer an alternative ear, caring support and sound advice throughout the year. The advisor welcomes the opportunity to help students.
Approaches to Learning (ATL)
This part of advisory is designed to provide direct instruction for students in the areas of self-advocacy, organization, and study skills. Self-advocacy is fostered by helping students understand their strengths and weaknesses as learners. It essentially takes the mystery out of learning by helping students understand what a learning is and how our strengths can support our weaknesses. Organization focuses essentially on how to organize one's self, materials, space, and time to facilitate an effective learning process. The study skills component consists of strategies that support learning, memory and retrieval, as well as application of information and presentation of what a student knows. The three questions in ATL are how do I learn best, how do I know, and how do I communicate my understanding.
In the Community
This part of advisory is designed to enrich and expand the experience of our students. Students will be responsible for organizing middle school events for social time and being a contributing community member. Student government will be an essential function of this responsibility. Throughout our school, students will be involved in service to the community. This may take the form of individual participation or may become an opportunity to lead the entire school in a service project. The third initiative for In the Community is participating in competitions, such as Power of the Pen, MathCounts, Geography and Spelling Bees.
Personal Development
Through the middle school years, students grow in their self awareness and their understanding of themselves as a member of a community. When a topic arises that affects community relations, it may be an occasion for a private conversation with the advisor or may be a broad topic for group discussion. An overall goal with personal development is helping student identity and developing skills for effective community membership, including informal decision making.
Leadership
Students grow their skills in leadership through a multitude of practice and approaches. Leaders need the confidence and knowledge that comes from mastering writing, math, reading and other skills. Students become more proficient leaders by presenting themselves in class presentations, by performing at concerts, and by giving their eighth grade speech to the school community. Our students will also be able to practice leadership skills by organizing school events and community service. Additionally, service in the student government furthers the development of leadership abilities.
Communication with the Advisor
As an adult advocate with the opportunity and responsibility to know and support individual students, the advisor makes a point of contacting the parents of each advisee during the first week of school. This first contact is intended to make sure the lines of communication are open. Conversations between advisors and parents often serve a crucial function of providing the advisor with a different and, consequently, more comprehensive perspective on the middle schooler. Advisors will not hesitate to contact parents through notes, phone calls and e-mail communication with everything from compliments to questions to concerns, and they invite parents to do the same. Regular contact between parent and advisor as well as between student and advisor is crucial to an effective advisory program - and to healthy student development.
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