Passage Planning
Scheduling, Advisory, & Transition Planning
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Schedule Information
Schedule Information
Our schedule reflects our mission statement: providing unique learning experiences to students through an integrative, project-based environment that fosters imagination, collaboration, and self-direction.
Key Elements of our schedule explained:
- Advisory - Students start each day off with advisory (see Advisory section below for more information)
- PLP Time - 2x/week students will have designated time to work on their Personalized Learning Plan. This will be a time to set goals, conference with their homeroom teacher, add evidence to their site, work on their personal learning project, and more!
- Unified Arts & Physical Education - Students will alternate between U.A. and P.E.
- Math - Because math requires a specific set of skills that can't always be addressed during our projects, we have a dedicated math block. Whenever possible, we try and bring these concepts into our projects.
- Projects A & B - Click here for more information about Projects Block
- Student Planning Committee - Student Planning Committee (SPC) allows students to help with the administrative functions of our team. Each student must participate on at least one committee throughout the course of the year. During this time, students will take leadership roles to plan, organize, and facilitate different aspects of the team experience. These committees include but are not limited to: Farm, newsletter, curriculum, fundraising, and instruction.
- Flexible Period - Flex period is a multi-purpose 45 minute block every week. This time could be reserved for a guest speaker, team meeting, additional PLP or SPC time, and more.
Grouping: Spinnaker students will be grouped heterogeneously and will have the opportunities to work with different groups of students throughout the school day. This means that 7th and 8th graders will be working together! We think this type of grouping allows students to become mentors, leaders, and supporters of each other.
Advisory Information
Advisory Information
Students will be assigned an advisor in 5th grade when they enter the school and will stay with this advisory group through all four years of middle school. Advisors can be any adult in the building including special educators, administrators, teachers, etc. These groups will be small (8-10 students) and will be composed of all four grade levels to allow for school-wide community building and deeper relationship development.
Advisory is a crucial element of school for middle aged students. Learn more about the practice HERE!
Why advisory is important?
Why advisory is important?
- Relationship & Rapport Building - Positive relationships are at the core of education, since it is a human endeavor. As an advisor, building a strong relationship with the students is paramount, since this will act as a catalyst for developing those throughout the school community.
- Community & Connections - Advisor and peers genuinely care about each other and are willing to listen, help problem-solve, and provide support for each other. This is done thru building a community and working on building connections. The aim is to have a community within communities, where the advisory unit is at the core that extends out to the school and surroundings.
- Advocacy & Agency - Because advisors have taken the time to listen, know, and understand their students, they are able to speak out for them on different levels (intellectual, personal, and social). The advisors not only advocate for their students, but they assist the students in developing their own agency to advocate for themselves.
- Unconditional Positive Regard - All people (i.e. students, adults, etc.) will be treated with respect and dignity always.
- Excellence - Everyone will work towards developing their best self and each other academically, socially, physically, etc. by striving for excellence.
How is it done?
How is it done?
Advisory meets everyday for different lengths of time:
2 x week for 30 minutes
3 x week for 15 minutes
Periodically throughout the year, we will have an extended advisory for 60 minutes. During this time, we will work on larger team and community building activities. At the start and the end of the year advisory will be half-full day. The start of the year will be to develop community, expectations, and goals. At the end of the year will be to review progress, celebrate success, and plans for the upcoming summer and following school year.
What are the details?
What are the details?
During advisory, we will take attendance, check-in with students, and read the daily announcements. We will also use this time to discuss important social and school-related issues through a student-led and advisor-facilitated circle discussion format. Finally, advisory is a time for students in all grades to build relationships with their peers and their advisors through their meetings on a daily basis. With student input, we hope to use extended advisory time for longer team-building activities that are fun and engaging.
For an example of our first week of advisory, see the slides to the left.
Transition Planning
Transition Planning
Getting your sea legs!
Getting your sea legs!
Departing the land to head off into the distant seas is a big transition for any sailor. So many aspects of their life will be different on a ship. This transition can be planned and anticipated, or it can be an overwhelming and difficult.
Transitioning from Primary School to Middle School can be exactly the same. There will be many changes and differences, and this can be planned and anticipated or overwhelming and difficult.
We have a tried and tested pathway that starts with preparing the students during their final Spring semester in Elementary School. There is a family gathering and orientation towards the end of summer, and the first week of school revolves around welcoming the new students and acclimating to life in Middle School. Details of the pathway can be found HERE.
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