KELLY ADVISORY COURSE SYLLABUS
PURPOSE AND GOALS
Welcome to Kelly Advisory! This class meets approximately 2 times a week on Mondays and Wednesday before 1st period. The primary goal of Advisory, and your experience at Kelly, is to acquire and emulate the five attributes of the Portrait of a Kelly Student. We want all Kelly students to be able to:
- Persist through obstacles and challenges
- Perform at grade level
- Critically think, Problem-Solve and demonstrate good Decision-Making Skills
- Utilize Creativity and Innovation
- Be a Responsible, Global Citizen
Another of our goals is that you will develop a positive supportive relationship with your advisor. Your advisory should be able to guide you and give helpful direction to being successful at Kelly. Advisory is an opportunity to learn more about yourself, reflect on what you are doing in school, develop goals and learn ways to be more successful in school by having a growth mindset and demonstrating effective effort. We want you to be equipped with the knowledge and resources that will help you deal with the rigorous challenges of middle school.
EXPECTATIONS
Classwork: Advisory is mandatory for all students at Kelly Middle School. A significant component of being a successful middle school student is remaining organized. To ensure and support this organization, you must have a 3 ring binder for all your classwork. A binder check will take place once a week to facilitate this successful organization. This binder will also act as youradvisoryportfolio. The major components of an advisory portfolio include learning logs, best work from other classes, goals, grades, and confirmation of completing Student-Led Conferences in November and May.
Homework: No homework will be assigned in advisory. The only exception to this rule may be when students are expected to collect supplies outside of school for an in-class project.
Behavior: Students in Advisory are expected to follow the Positive Behavior Incentive Supports (PBIS) expectations of being responsible, being respectful, and safe. If a student is having difficulty following behavioral or academic expectations in Advisory (and other classes), the student will be expected to attend a positive student team meeting with his/her advisor, the school counselor, an administrator, and possibly his/her parent or even WEB Leader to problem-solve the situation, and restore the student’s confidence and path for academic success at Kelly.
COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS (CCSS) ALIGNMENT
The Kelly Advisory program is designed for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders to share the same Advisory experiences in order receive consistent, school-wide positive messages and expectations. The Advisory time is structured to allow for numerous classroom discussions about various topics connected to the Portrait of a Kelly Student attributes. In order to effectively structure these conversations, and further promote and enhance students’ understanding and emulation of the Portrait attributes, the advisory lessons have been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for Listening and Speaking in Literacy. The standards employed are the 8th grade standards in this domain, which are built upon the 6th and 7th grade standards. By aligning the lessons with the following four 8th grade standards for all grade levels, we feel the rigor and expectations will further enrich all students’ academic experiences at Kelly. These four listening and speaking literacy standards will also be aligned in students’ other classes.
CCSS Standards aligned:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.1.a
Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.1.b
Follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.1.c
Pose questions that connect the ideas of several speakers and respond to others' questions and comments with relevant evidence, observations, and ideas.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.1.d
Acknowledge new information expressed by others, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views in light of the evidence presented.
ATTENDANCE
You will participate in classroom activities and in-class assignments during advisory, so your attendance is crucial in getting all of the information. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to communicate with the advisor and gather the necessary information from the Advisory page on the Kelly website.
GRADING
Advisory is a “Pass”, or “No Pass”class. Participation in all classroom activities, in-class assignments, and Student-Led Conferences will be criteria for a “Pass” grade. At the end of each trimester your final grade will be posted on your transcript but not calculated into your grade point average (G.P.A.).
SCHOOL WEBSITE
Advisory assignments, handouts, and other materials will be posted on the Advisory Kelly website. If a student loses this material, the student will need to download and print the material for makeup. Computers are available at school for students to access these materials.
Student Name (please print): ______
Parent/Guardian Signature: ______