Home Program Clubs, Advisory, & Consultancy
Advisory Video. When you ask Park Day students to describe their Advisory time, “bonding” is a word frequently used. Students meet in small advisory groups of 13 – 14 students three times a week for 50 minutes at a time. The designated advisor mentors and guides each small grade level group for all three years of Middle School.
Advisory is a safe zone where students give voice to academic and personal goals, discuss important issues in their immediate and larger communities, and form relationships with peers. Through these interactions, the advisor knows each student deeply and has an understanding of their academic strengths and challenge areas, extracurricular activities, interests, and personal qualities. By virtue of having these insights and daily interactions, the advisor acts as a liaison between the student, the rest of the school, and the family for all three years of Middle School.
Other activities that take place in Advisory: preparation and mentorship as students design and lead conferences with their parents twice a year; Service Learning field work; Advisory Olympics; other Middle School activities and games. In 8th grade, advisors help students through the high school transition experience (under the leadership of the High School Transition Counselor and with support from the Middle School Head).
Consultancy Video. Part of the curriculum in Monday’s Advisory meeting is to help students assess and manage their academic work for the week ahead. Advisors do this by helping each student prepare for that week’s Consultancy program.
Consultancies are a time when each Middle School student meets with an academic teacher to seek help on specific projects or concepts, or take their interest in a particular academic topic area further. Advisors guide their Middle School students in the process of assessing what help/support is needed in each subject, and provide scaffolding and encouragement as they learn to schedule effective, purpose-driven time with different teachers in order to take ownership of their own learning.
The emphasis in Advisory and Consultancy is on helping students become better self-advocates, upstanders within their personal and global communities, and to support their evolving sense of self — academically and personally. Consultancy and Advisory meet during the same time block after lunch, with Consultancy taking place two times a week, and advisory taking place three times a week.
In addition to the core academic program which includes, Art, Music, and Drama, Middle School students have the opportunity to select two clubs a week.
Clubs take place twice a week and students can take two per semester before switching to another set of Clubs for the second semester. Clubs are taught by the Middle School faculty and include Student Advisory Council, Podcasting, Dungeons & Dragons, Arts/Crafting Clubs, Athletic Clubs, Innovation Workshop, Gardening, Yearbook, Music Clubs, Gender & Sexuality Alliance, Service Learning with younger students, etc.
After school competitive sports, language academy, and other enrichment classes are available through the After School Activities Program.