The Advisory System

The advisory system is the heart of ASP's Middle School. The advisor is a teacher who works with a group of 12-16 students throughout the year in homeroom and who serves a variety of roles:

to get to know you especially well;
to be a person you can turn to in case of difficulty;
to help you to become fully a part of the school;
to foster self-esteem and positive social relationships, especially within your advisory group;
to follow your progress by keeping in contact with the other teachers;
to work with the other teachers to help you if you are having academic or social problems;
to be the key link between all the teachers and your parents;
to help you to develop good social skills, such as learning to make friends, deal with frustration, and resolve conflict;
to help you to learn to deal with your emotions and problems of maturing, formulating values and making decisions;
to create a better understanding of the world we live in by discussing current problems;
to help you to become a better student, develop good study habits, prepare for tests, and organize your time;
to inspire you to develop a sense of responsibility for the school community and the global community.

In September, advisors and advisees take an Outward Bound team-building trip together. The sixth graders spend four nights in the Savoie region of the French Alps while the seventh and eighth graders spend seven nights at Ullswater in the rugged Lake District of northern England. By the end of the week, no student is ‘new’ to the Middle School.