September 13, 2024
We are excited for another great year for our Advisory Program. LCJSMS’s Advisory Program has been running for over 25 years. It is an intricate part of our school culture and climate. The Advisory Program provides early adolescents with the stability needed for them to cope with the intellectual, social, emotional, and physical changes experienced during the middle school years. The purpose of the program is to provide a point of security for every student in the school environment by building a positive relationship with at least one adult, other than their school counselor, who is known as their advisor.
Our sixth graders kicked off their first lesson with an introduction to the Advisory program and The Social Institute. The Social Institute (TSI) is an online platform that has a variety of topics and lessons that are interactive and incorporate both technology and SEL (Social Emotional Learning). This program is an excellent enhancement to our existing curriculum. Today’s lesson (Taking Control of Your Health, Happiness, and Future Success) focused on striking a balance, having a growth mindset, communication, and demonstrating empathy.
In seventh grade, each homeroom (Advisory group) took time to make connections with each other through icebreakers before reviewing the three rules of LCJSMS. Students then explored the importance of community and how they can help foster a positive environment both in and out of the classroom. To close the lesson, each homeroom was given a 7th-grade Survival Kit, which was created by last year's seventh grade homeroom. Be sure to ask your child what was in the survival kit.
As the oldest in the building, our eighth graders are familiar with the Advisory program. For their first lesson, the students reviewed the norms and purpose of Advisory, discussed our community service requirement (Ryder’s Challenge Program), and got to play an interactive game called Password. This year, through the Advisory program, the students will be faced with discussion opportunities with group members that embody the theme of “Be the Change”. The goal for our 8th graders is to cultivate a culture of empathy, kindness, and understanding as they are the leaders in our building. In addition to the lessons we have created, we will also be using The Social Institute, which was implemented last year.
After each Advisory lesson, we will post a blurb in this newsletter about each grade level’s lesson. The continued conversations at home about these lessons are very important. We encourage families to engage your children in discussions about the lessons and their takeaways.
We are looking forward to another great year!
October 11, 2024
We celebrated Week of Respect with spirit days, lunch activity, and an Advisory lesson this week. Each grade-level Advisory focused on a different aspect of respect. In sixth grade, the students had a lesson on Empathy vs Sympathy. Students discussed the difference between the two, practiced ways to show empathetic and sympathetic responses to their peers, and reflected on which was harder for them to demonstrate. Students completed an activity using a shoe template to highlight that we don’t always know/see everything about a person and therefore don’t always know the shoes they are walking in. In seventh grade, students focused on starting the new year with respect for themselves and others. Students created goals that will help them continue to put their ‘Best Foot Forward’. Each student wrote their goal on a sneaker template that will be hung outside the classrooms and revisited throughout the year. Our eighth graders reflected on the school rules and how it relates to the Week of Respect. Students discussed how to respect people's different backgrounds and opinions. Respect is something that is earned not bought or borrowed. Students were presented with several scenarios and had to determine if they showed respect or not by going to the appropriate corner. To conclude the lesson students were asked to connect and share a positive attribute about someone else in the class. Through the activities of this week and our ongoing messages about RESPECT, we hope to continue to create a positive school environment.
