Bridgetown Middle School Counseling Office
Advisory News
The Ohio Middle School Association recognizes an advisory program as a characteristic of a practicing middle school. Through Effective Schools, we determined the importance of, and ultimately implemented, the advisory program in the 2003-2004 school year. This program provides for small group interaction with designated staff members to help meet the developmental needs of our students.
Each designated staff member will be assigned a small group of students. This will enable the staff member to build a positive relationship with a small group of students which will be maintained throughout the students time at Bridgetown. This will give each student an adult to identify with as someone who will advocate for him or her and help guide him or her through Bridgetown Middle School. Working with students in small groups is very important in working effectively with middle school students. There are seven main goals that will be focused on in the advisory program.
These goals include:
- developing self-concept and self-esteem.
- developing interpersonal skills.
- developing decision-making skills.
- providing students with an adult advocate.
- creating a sense of family within the school community.
- monitoring student grades and academic programs.
These goals will be accomplished through active student involvement in the program. Students will have an opportunity to participate in the planning and implementation of the advisory program. This will promote ownership and ensure the success of the program. Providing students with an opportunity to have ownership in their own learning process will foster teamwork, character, and community building. Research also shows that an effective advisory program can increase the level of respect between students.
The Parent Mentor Program
Here are some ideas for what your child’s IEP should look like. The IEP should tell you
1) Where the child is now
2) Where he should be going
3) How he will get there
4) How long it will take
5) How you will know when he has arrived
The goals and objectives on the IEPs are very important because they help develop the “plan” of where your child is going and how he will get there. Goals and objectives should be written in such a way to provide this information. A quick way to remember how goals should be written is “SMART”:
S- Specific
M- Measurable
A- Achievable
R- Results Driven
T- Timely
SMART goals are written with “action” verbs such as identify, read, write, produce, list, count, outline, answer, retell, explain, etc. If I can help with your IEPs or if you’d like me to attend your meeting, just contact me: Julie Dunford, [email protected].
