AdvisoryMrs. Kristina SmethersKristina.smethers@highlineschools.org206.631.7094Highlineschools.org/smethers
Our VisionAdvisory is something that is so important to your child’s development as a young adult that HSD has made it mandatory for all secondary students. This is because we know there are many things that the world requires students to know and be able to do that can’t be taught in academic classes, which are already packed with content information. It is our vision that Advisory is a class where students are known well by their advisor and by their advisory peers. In Advisory, students should feel important and be able to work on pursuing their goals at MRHS and beyond. More so than perhaps their other classes, they should feel Advisory is about THEM and helping to do the work it takes to succeed. Their Advisory group should become their school family.
Advisor’s Role At school “mom” Liaison between school & parents Advocate for students Know my students by name, strength and
need.
Advisory Schedule Tuesdays Wednesdays Thursdays
Outcome to focus on:
College and Career Preparation
Academic SupportPersonal & Social Development
This could look like: (Advisory is designed around the needs of my students)
SAT/ACT prep college/scholarship
exploration HS & Beyond Plan Discover U career/college
awareness Interview skills Resumes Critical thinking
***Much of our work this semester is around the transition to high school and academic success.
tutorial/study hall academic
conferencing with students
grade checks
Community building circles
Goal Setting Habits of Mind work
Schedule: We will have Advisory for 30 minutes every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday after 3 rd period. This year, our basic school schedule for Advisory will be:
9th Grade Advisory District focus on making sure our 9th
graders are successful Advisor’s role is to help intervene when
students aren’t successful Advisor is the liaison between teachers and
students/parents (of course you can contact a teacher anytime with a concern if you wish!)
Ignite Mentors to help guide and support students
MRHS has connected with a Mentor Leadership program –
IGNITE Each advisory has three older mentors Getting to know mentees strengths and needs Helping with transition to high school Providing academic support and encouragement Leading specific lessons; example M2M STAAR
Learner Leading community building circles Lead and participate in advisory routines Be a positive role model All mentors enrolled in a Mentor Leadership class Mentors are provided additional training throughout
the year by Ignite
Grading Advisory is a .25 credit/year class that appears on
your transcript. It is a Pass/fail class. This year, all MRHS advisory classes will be using the same standards to grade students in advisory. The things that will be considered when assigning a grade will be: work toward Advisory outcomes (personal, social, academic, college/career)
Advisory and SLC attendance Participation in Advisory community and activities Advisors will be using a common rubric to assess your
learning in Advisory. Students have these in their folders and we’ll be checking in on progress often!