Purpose of Advisory
Advisors are an important part of life at Armbrae. As a school that follows restorative practices, we understand that we strengthen our community by building relationships. The relationship that an advisor builds with their advisees is an integral part of creating a safe, nurturing space for our students. The advisor should become the first point of contact between the school and home. Regular, positive communication between advisor, student and parents/guardians is important. Armbrae’s Advisory program provides an additional level of support for students as they navigate the academic and developmental changes that occur during their school life.
Advisory Groups
Advisory groups are made up of a small number of students in order to further strengthen relationships within our community and provide a forum for addressing age-specific topics. Advisory groups work together on team-building, fostering a culture of self-advocacy, taking ownership of one’s learning and active participation in society through community service. An advisory period is built into the weekly schedule and provides an opportunity for advisors to touch base with students about organization, test taking, and planning ahead. It is also a time for students to reflect on their successes and challenges. An emphasis on character education and community building helps guide these discussions (see “Curriculum” below).
Role of the Advisor
Every student at Armbrae is assigned an Advisor who is responsible for keeping track of their Advisees’ academic and social progress. Advisors meet regularly with students to discuss their academics, co-curricular activities and general well-being. The Advisor plays an important role for each individual student. Their role is to help students through visioning, goal setting, asking questions, being an advocate, and simply being there for students. Advisors are responsible for:
- Building a relationship with each student and coaching them to develop self-advocacy to address their issues as they arise.
- Assisting students with their adjustment to the school or to their grade.
- Celebrating their Advisees informally and formally.
- Supporting students with time management and coaching them in creating a balance between school life and other obligations.
- Helping students to strategize and problem solve.
- Teaching students how to communicate with their peers and teachers.
- Providing opportunities for school involvement and leadership.
- Assisting with regular goal setting (academic, organization, social and/or behavioural) and working in partnership with home to positively reinforce steps towards achieving those goals.
- Facilitating a weekly Advisory lesson.
- Tracking the academic, athletic, and co-curricular progress of each Advisee.
- Engaging in conversation with the student should concerns emerge (following restorative practices) and involving other teachers and members of staff, and/or parents as required.
Curriculum
R2 - Rugged & Resourced Program (Grades P-12)
Armbrae is proud to have partnered with Dr. Michael Ungar and the Resilience Research Centre at Dalhousie University. Their work focuses on explaining how children, youth and adults thrive in family, school, workplace and community settings under stress. R2 represents the Rugged and Resourced aspects of building resilience.
Resilience is not just a series of personal attributes, it also includes the availability of resources and opportunities. And although aspects of resilience can be fostered in young people, what matters most is the environment that genuinely surrounds and supports them. It is important to keep in mind that, for children who are marginalized as a result of racism, poverty, a learning challenge or other forms of oppression, the struggles they face are often very powerful and stigmatizing. Addressing those problems requires both strong personal qualities and lots of supportive people and institutions, like safe school policies and adapted classrooms for young people with disabilities. For more information, please visit Resilience Research.
Caring Schools (Grades 7 - 8)
Caring School Community builds classroom and schoolwide community while developing students’ social and emotional learning (SEL) skills and competencies. It is designed to help students become caring, responsible members of their school communities and, ultimately, to grow into humane, principled, and skilled citizens of a democratic society.
The program achieves this by:
- Building caring relationships with and among students.
- Directly teaching social skills.
- Creating calm, orderly learning environments through the effective use of classroom management practices.
- Helping students acquire self-discipline through a caring and effective approach to discipline.
To learn more about Armbrae Academy please Email Suzanne Morrison or call directly 902-830-1418