The OHMS Advisory System

What is advisory and why do our students have this as part of their schedule?

Advisory is part of every student's schedule.  It starts at 7:40 AM and ends at 7:55 AM.  During this time a number of things occur.  Lunch count, attendance and the Pledge of Allegiance and morning check-ins are done every day.  Students are dismissed daily at 2:05 PM from their last academic class.  At this time, students go to advisory for a "check out" of sorts.  Often, advisors will check with their students about how their day went and look at their agendas. Grade checks are also a routine event.

When OHMS has a whole school assembly, field trip or other non-traditional educational opportunity, we often organize the event using advisory groups.  Students sit or participate in their groups.  Advisors work to form a rapport with their students with the end result being every OHMS student has a trusted adult to go to for support.  This is a foundational philosophy for OHMS.  Parents should ask their child about their advisor.  Parents should feel comfortable to reach out to the advisor for assistance or support.

This year we are working on a thematic approach to each grade level's advisory program.  Data is being collected through student surveys to measure the effectiveness of each grade level's programming.  6th grade advisors have their groups for one year.  7th grade advisors stay with their groups through the end of 8th grade.  

You will find on the links bar a synthesis of research that supports advisory systems in middle schools.  It is from the National Middle School Association (NMSA).  You will also find a link to the NMSA website on the front page of this blog.  As always, we appreciate an input or feedback you have about your (or your child's) experiences with the OHMS advisory program.