d i v i s i o n s & d e p a r t m e n t s UPP E R sc h o o l
Support for the Whole Student
Every individual student should have an adult in the school who knows him or her well. That’s what Advisory is all about. By Karen Herschleb, Advisory Coordinator
I
f you walk into any ASF classroom on Tuesday at noon, you might not notice anything different right away. Students are draped sleepily across their tables and each other; as the bell rings they are sending their last text messages. This is a smaller class. The 12 or 13 students gather in a circle or cluster toward the front of the room. The teacher may begin with a high/low check-in, in which the students talk about a high point and a low point from the previous weekend or their current academic status. Then the class might launch into a discussion about a current policy or the culture of the school. They may receive important information about the college application process and upcoming academic deadlines. Or they may practice their communication skills for conflict management. This is Advisory at ASF. The Upper School Advisory program was launched with the idea that in a student body of more than 700, each student should have an adult in the school who knows him or her well and is aware of the student’s academic and social progress. Students are grouped by grade level so sessions can be planned around their specific needs. In Ms. Montserrat Castañar’s Advisory, a group of young women from the junior class meets each morning for 10 minutes and every Tuesday before lunch for a 25-minute session. Junior Andrea Tomás says, “There are so many benefits to Advisory; if I have a problem we are like a little family.”
The Advisory curriculum is divided into three categories – academic, social/emotional and community building. The academic program is different for each grade level. Sophomores receive support for the personal project. Seniors work on completing their college applications. In the junior class, students begin their college application process in the second semester. Miriam Vela, another student from Ms. Castañar’s group, says, “Advisory has given me a better understanding of college admissions.” The curriculum for social and emotional health focuses on developing skills such as reflective decision-making, conflict management and communication. “Advisory teaches us that you can find something you have in common with anyone, and you can find a way to interact and even have fun,” says junior Karla Barrutieta. Building community happens through planned activities as well as through the nonacademic format of the class. “Advisory is about developing a sense of community with your group and then with the school through activities,” writes junior Ana Gargollo. “You get to know people better because you spend time with them every day.” Planned projects, competitions, daily check-ins and discussions help them get to know their classmates better. As the Advisory program continues to develop, the lessons may change and improve, but the purpose of supporting the whole student will certainly remain central to our work. 13
From the Head of School
Student Decisions I have done a great deal of thinking about how to communicate more authentically with students and about how to understand what the school looks like from their perspective. Last year’s visit by Michael Thompson, author of The Pressured Child, reminded me that the student outlook is often not included in major decisions made for their benefit. As I think ahead to the 2012-2013 school year, I want to make sure that students are at the center of our school. So I asked groups of students what steps we should take for next year in order to make sure their input is included. Their responses fell into two categories. Use technology. This was the top suggestion expressed by students. The means of communication that exist in our school, they said, are still by and large based on formal meetings and face-to-face interactions. They underscored the impracticality of having to sit down with a teacher or administrator on a campus where everyone is so busy, and in a city that is so large. They suggested more chats, blogs, Twitter feeds and instant messenger services to get allow for a more fluid way to communicate. Let students communicate with one another in their own language. Many students expressed the concern that all of the communication channels currently open in the Upper School are controlled by “someone in the office.” The students, many told me, would like the opportunity to use the PA system to play their music, publicize their events and make the school “feel like a high school.” They also would like access to other students’ contact information in order to be able communicate directly with one another, in their own voices. As I plan for next year, I will make sure that there are ample opportunities for students to talk to — or rather chat and blog with — each other on the many topics that concern them: classes they can take, activities they can attend and decisions they can make.
Amy Gallie Head of Upper School