Advisory Program

The main goal of USJ’s advisory period for Middle and Upper School students is to have a program that will nurture and monitor a student’s academic and personal growth, explains Dr. Red Prudhon, Upper School director. "This will help foster a special relationship between advisor and advisee. These elements in turn will bind the student to the school community as well as to the community at large."

Each student in sixth through 12th grade has been assigned an advisor. Every teacher and staff person at the Upper and Middle School (except for the school secretaries) has 10 to 15 students in his or her group. The Upper School groups meet every Tuesday from 10:10-10:25 a.m. The Middle School groups meet every Wednesday from 10:10-10:25 a.m.

Objectives of the advisory program are...
• To help students develop school survival strategies, such as time management, communication with peers, parents, and teachers, problem solving skills, and study skills.
• To help students create a balance in their lives through setting realistic goals that reflect their priorities and providing time for casual conversations.
• To help students develop an appropriate individual educational program through identifying strengths, recognizing and addressing weaknesses, learning to know when help is needed, and choosing courses that meet their goals.
• To help students develop an ever increasing awareness of responsibility through an understanding that actions require ethical reflection, respect for and consideration of self, school, and community, and keeping track of and assessing their progress.
• To help students foster positive relationships through the development of mutual trust, the enhancement of communication skills, and the provision of conflict resolution methods.

"The Advisory program aims to ensure that the school is a safe and comfortable environment for every member of the group," Dr. Prudhon says. He encourages parents who have questions, concerns, or suggestions about the program to call him at 660-1447 or e-mail him at rprudhon@usjbruins.org.