- This event has passed.
Reimagining Advisory and Grade Teams in Middle and High School (Virtual)
Date:
November 12, 2025 @ 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Price:
Instructor(s):
T. Elijah Hawkes, MSEd
Event Type:
Hybrid, Virtual
Professional Learning Hours:
11
Topics:
- Equity
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- General Education
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- School Culture
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- Systems Thinking
Intended Audience:
Middle and high school educators, teachers, administrators, counselors, and superintendents.
Participants must attend both dates:
- November 12, 2025
- December 10, 2025
This is a hybrid event. In-person option is full – waitlist only.
This two-day workshop invites educators to reimagine school practices that must work to meet the needs of today’s young people and the teachers who support their social-emotional and academic development. Participants will focus on two high-impact areas: Advisory and Grade Teams. In exploring these two structures, we will consider many elements of a thriving school community: shared decision-making, restorative practices, the cultivation of transferable skills, and daily routines that foster belonging, agency, and empowerment for young people and adults.
On Day 1, participants will deepen their understanding of Advisory as an engine for community belonging as well as advancing the academic program of the school. Through examples from Vermont schools, and reflective protocols, educators will identify ways to build upon strengths already in place to enable Advisory to be a vehicle for tier-1 restorative practices, family engagement, effective student-led conferences, proficiency-based learning systems, community building, and deprivatized classroom practice.
On Day 2, participants will turn their attention to Grade Teams as a practice for supporting student growth and teacher collaboration. Often thought of as a middle school structure, effective grade teams are crucial for student learning and teacher efficacy at every grade level. Participants will examine challenges that often undermine effective teaming and design solutions that align with their school’s values—whether strengthening communication, improving responsiveness to student needs, or building shared accountability. They will leave with strategies for making teacher teams more purposeful, cohesive, and effective in supporting the needs of students. Across both days, educators will collaborate with peers, bring fresh ideas, and see how to adapt proven practices and frameworks to their settings.
Participants will:
- Assess strengths and growth areas of current Advisory and Grade Team structures.
- Develop strategies for both expanding the capacity of Advisory systems and overcoming barriers to forming effective Grade Level Teams.
- Outline concrete steps for implementation.
- Identify meaningful ways to integrate core values into the daily routines and practices of Advisory and Grade Teams so they are lived, not just stated
- Build a personalized set of tools and resources to guide ongoing work after the workshop.
