Advisory at KRMS

Before I jump right into information about our new advisory program, I want to take the opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Andrea Costanzo and I am the new assistant principal here at KRMS. I am so excited to be here this year and am grateful for the warm reception I have received from the KRMS community. I'm looking forward to a great school year!

A little bit about me: I attended the University of New Hampshire for my undergraduate studies and then moved home to Braintree, Massachusetts when I graduated. I worked as a Behavior Therapist for a company that provided primarily early intervention services for children on the Autism Spectrum. While I enjoyed working with children and their families, I knew that I really wanted to be in the school setting and have a classroom of my own, so I began an M.Ed. program at UMass, Boston. After completing that program, I moved back to NH to join my fiance (now husband) and took a position covering two maternity leaves in the English Department at Merrimack Valley High School. The following school year, I began teaching English at Franklin High School where I have been for the past five years. I am currently a student in the Ed.D. program at New England College and my research focus is competency-based education.

This month, I want to focus my post on our new advisory program. All students and staff are taking part in our new advisory program this year. Students are in small, grade-level groups and will stay in the same advisory with the same advisory teacher for their time at KRMS. The focus of advisory this year is building relationships to ensure that KRMS is a welcoming community where each student feels a sense of belonging. You can find a little more information in the KRMS Parent Advisory Handout.

For the first couple of days of school, advisories spent time engaging in welcoming activities and getting to know one another. Advisory teachers selected a variety of ice breaker activities such as name games, silent birthday lineups, and creating time capsules. Moving forward, each day of the week has a different theme in advisory as follows below:

Mojo Monday On Mondays, we come together to share about our weekends and any highlights or experiences we had. This is our time to reconnect as a group and set the stage for the week.

Take Charge Tuesday On Tuesdays we focus on planning and organization. To do so, we look at the school calendar on the website, discuss class projects and deadlines, and get in the habit of using agenda books. We also discuss time management and how to balance all of our school obligations and extracurricular activities.

Wonder Wednesday On Wednesdays we pose thoughtful questions as a way to get to know each other, spark conversations, and share laughs. We have asked questions such as “I wonder what you want me to know about you?” and “What would make today the best day ever?”

Thoughtful Thursday Each Thursday our advisory conversation centers around a common prompt that we discuss as a group. Some of the prompts this year have included “Who do you think has had the largest influence on who you are today?” and “What is your favorite quality about a friend?”

Forge Ahead Friday Fridays are our day to reflect on our week at school and use those reflections to plan for the week to come. Questions are posed such as “Thinking about things that went well last week, what are you most proud of?” Students are also asked to reflect about something they would like to go better next week and what supports they will need to be successful.

The daily themes are a great starting point to engage your student in conversation about advisory and their day at school!

There is a steering committee of teachers actively working to continue to build our advisory program and we are always open to feedback. Personally, I am thoroughly enjoying my seventh grade advisory and look forward to our activities each day!