Ms. Latham and Ms. Richardson will host their Application Boot Camp on the 15 and 16 of September. The college counselors also ran a boot camp over the summer, featuring all aspects of the application process, from selecting schools, creating a digital resume, to writing college essays. Senior English teacher Ms. Seid also worked with students at the Application Boot Camp. During the week Ms. Breitman and community volunteer Gail Laster will be meeting with seniors every Tuesday in small groups to help edit and revise college essays. The college counseling process includes course selection, understanding GPA, applying to jobs and internships, creating the junior portfolio, developing a resume, selecting schools, and applying for scholarships.
One longstanding element of our school’s philosophy is the importance of the classroom advisory. Our students attend advisory each day with a teacher and the advisories have lunch together at least once a week. This creates an indelible support system for students to get acclimated to a new school year, learn school policies and rules, and seek support from peers and from a caring adult who has a holistic view of that student’s school experience.
The advisory is also a special place for learning in a small, secure tight-knit group, where students will discuss moral issues and learn social skills. Advisories may watch educational movies, participate in special field trips, or collaborate on community service projects. Some advisories organize talent shows, work on group art projects, or meet at the school or offsite for special movie nights. Most Fridays feature advisory potlucks, in which students and teachers bring in items to share. This adds a homey celebratory tone to the last day of the week.
Students have been specially paired with advisors who will focus on their students’ needs. The advisor is the first point of contact if you have questions about your child’s academic success, social learning, and other skills, and it is worthwhile to take the time to get to know the advisor through emails, phone, calls, or parent conferences. An advisor can give you a “panoramic view” of a student’s day, including how they are faring in each of their classes and areas in which they may to need to grow.
We began the 2018-2019 school year with advisor-parent conferences – the first time we have done this. If you were unable to attend and have yet to meet your child’s advisor, we encourage you to arrange for a meeting at the school or a phone call sometime before the end of the month. Back to School Night will likely not afford you the opportunity for this kind of one-on-one interaction. And, as always, if you have feedback on how we can improve our advisory program (as with anything else at the school), please do not hesitate to reach out to me, Dr. Smith, Mr. Kelly, Ms. Chall, Ms. Brady or Ms. Roberts.
Working together as advisors, teachers, administrators, and parents, we hope to give each of our students what they need to leave our school with the knowledge, skills, dispositions, attitudes and habits of mind necessary to pursue their fuller humanity
In the fall the school will host a series of afterschool dialogues between upper school students, parents, and faculty to share perspectives and learn from one another. Sessions will include readings, role playing various scenarios, and reflecting on personal experiences. The goal of these discussions are to foster the ability for students and adults alike to see others’ points of view and develop empathy while learning how to clearly articulate and share ideas.
Teachers at Washington Latin are taking part in an education-themed monthly book club for volunteers who wish to read about and discuss challenging topics in education. The books include topics about helping children deal with trauma, understanding racism and peer pressure between students, and a number of books that deal with psychology and a better understanding of the brain. The September text we will be exploring first is The Trauma Informed School by JIm Sporleder and Heather T. Forbes.
Washington Latin parents are invited to the fall Parent-Faculty Social on September 15 from 6:00 – 9:00 pm. The event, catered by parents, brings a warm and convivial atmosphere and a chance to relax and get to know other parents at the school as well as teachers and administrators who work here. This year, enjoy the sounds of cool jazz, performed live by the Alvin Trask Krew’tet(led by a Latin parent). Sign up to bring something to the potluck, and join us rain or shine on Saturday!
