SAAS Advisory System

KNOW THE KID

At Seattle Academy, we believe in the importance of relationships and knowing each student. One of the methods used to build those relationships and understand ing is through our advisory system. The system pairs a small group of students with one adult who meets with them on a regular basis to see how the students are doing, review Social-Emotional topics, provide support in the registra tion process, and to bond as a group. Following is an overview of the advisory system in the Middle and Upper Schools.

Middle School Advisory System

Written by Dan Eberle, Middle School Dean of Students

Philosophically, the Middle School advisory program is one of the most visible ways SAAS accomplishes one of its main Guiding Principles: “Know the Kid.” The unique blend of formal Social Emotional Learning(SEL) activities and informal, communal routines naturally builds both peer and student-faculty relationships that become assets for kids and adults alike. In the Middle School, students are assigned a grade-level advisory group and a faculty advisor each year of their Middle School experience.

In addition to going through the start-of-year orientation and opening days together as a group, advisory meets four times a week throughout the year. The first meeting of each week occurs during an extended advisory/community block, which allows space for advisories to experience planned activities and lessons related to SEL. The curriculum is appropriately geared to reflect each grade level and developmental experience, and it incorporates topical school community conversations and real-world events. Topics might include online citizenship, understanding and developing empathy, hea lthy fr iendsh ips, a nd respectful language. Advisory also meets Tuesday through Thursday during a scheduled morning break. This time is used informally, to connect and check in, and also to clean out lockers and binders and to stay up-to-date on work and remain organized. Activities include announcements, sharing highs and lows from the week, writing in gratitude journals, and playing games together. Advisors also use this time to individually check in with students and help facilitate any support plans that are needed.

As each advisory develops its own weekly check-in practices and comfort with SEL activities, the advisor gains familiarity with many dimensions of their advisees’ lives. In this way, each advisor grows into being a steady advocate for their

advisees’ needs, as well as a source of honest feedback. For example, if a student is experiencing difficulty in a particular subject area, the advisor would start a conversation about options for getting extra help, explore the source of the student’s struggle, and coordinate with parents and Academic Support services. In short, the advisor serves as the initial source of support because of their familiarity with the student. And the closeness of the relationship—the ”Knowing the Kid”—automatically starts the support response in an advantageous place.

Ultimately, the SAAS advisory program is successful because it is designed to develop high-quality relationships for community members to lean on when they need to. In Middle School, some student issues involve simple solutions with linear paths towards being resolved; others are naturally nuanced by the needs and the situation of the individual student. It has been our experience at SAAS that kids are more likely to advocate for themselves and seek help when they feel connected to adults and peers. This doesn’t happen by accident at SAAS, and it’s a credit to the intentional design of the Middle School’s advisory program that kids quickly build relationships and establish a sense of community that will serve them in a variety of ways throughout their Middle School years. ☜

Upper School Advisory System

Written by Jarad Gifford, Assistant Head of Upper School

As in the Middle School, the approach and philosophy of advisory in the Upper School is to support SAAS’s Guiding Principle of “Know the Kid” and allow advisors to build community amongst their group of ten student/advisees. Upper School advisories are by grade level, and most advisors stay with their advisory group for all four years.

At the start of their 9th grade year, students attend the Odyssey Trip as an advisory. Students have been going on the trip, a three day-two night backpacking trip to various state and national parks, for many years. Advisors use this trip to build a foundation of trust for the next four years together. The trip is an opportunity to set a tone not only for the year but far beyond, by building relationships between students and advisors in an environment other than the classroom and in an environment that tends to push students outside their comfort zone and into a growth zone. All the while creating a shared experience for all students along with their faculty advisor.

Being a 9th grade co-advisor this year, I had the opportunity with my partner to observe my group as they embarked on all the preparations for Odyssey Trip. I got to see some excitedly prepare for the trip, while others nervously packed, anticipating the unknown, if this was going to be their first time backpacking in the wilderness. Upon their return to school, late in the afternoon after day three, they all had the same look on their faces: a combination of accomplishment along with a healthy dose of exhaustion. Although that trip was in September, six months later they still talk about times they shared together, disconnected from technology, playing on an ocean beach or sitting by the campfire.

Growing and expanding the Upper School Advisory program is an important goal as we strive to provide students with skills they will likely need as they navigate an ever-changing and complex

world. Teaching students skills such as self-awareness, self-advocacy, empathy, conf lict resolution, and stress management should have a place not only across content areas but also be addressed outside the classroom at the guidance of a trusted adult. advisory offers a place where students are asked to build community, reflect on performance in the classroom, identify their strengths and areas of challenges as learners, as well as to get guidance on how to use communication that demonstrates self-advocacy.

Advisors look to build strong and lasting relationships with students over the course of their Upper School experience. They use moments such as course registration, credit tracking, parent/teacher conferences, grade level retreats, and social events as touchstones to not only build relationships, but to truly understand each of their advisees as individuals, in addition to being a point person and support for each of their families. By understanding who each student is, advisors are able to leverage their relationship to grow the network of mentors for the student, as well as to know when to encourage the student to register for a class they never thought they would, to know when to offer space for reflection, or simply to be there to listen. ☜