Advisory System

The advisory system was developed to ensure that every student has support for his or her academic, social, and emotional growth.  The primary purpose of the Advisory Program is two-fold: first, to give each student an adult advocate and second, to create a smaller community within the larger community for each child. The advisory program provides opportunities for support and collaboration through the development of a unique bond between the advisor and each advisory member. In the Middle School, Advisory meets four times per week. These meetings can be utilized in a variety of ways, giving time for informal discussions, one-on-one chats, or just general relaxation and games. It is also an opportunity to clarify school logistics and disseminate information.

Every student in the Upper School at Overlake is assigned an advisor who is usually a full-time faculty member or student-facing program director. This relationship is an important one and each student will stay with their advisor for all four years of high school. The advisor's chief role is to monitor the student's academic and personal growth at Overlake. Advisors often act as the student's advocate in both academic and social matters, and they are an important liaison between the school and parents, as well as an important contact person for parents and teachers when seeking information. In the Upper School, students meet three times a week with their advisor during homeroom period and twice a week during Upper School announcements.  Regular attendance at homeroom meetings and announcements is required.

The goals of the Overlake advising program are:

• to ensure that each student has an adult advocate who cares for all aspects of that student’s school life. This includes social, academic, emotional and physical well-being.
• to provide an opportunity for students to learn about themselves as learners, individuals, and as a member of an interconnected community.
• to provide a forum beyond the classroom to help students foster a compassionate community, embrace diversity, act with integrity and responsibility, encourage intellectual curiosity and realize their excellence.
• to provide a structure to integrate all students into our school community.

Advisory Transfers

As our goal is to ensure continuity and enduring relationships between advisory groups, advisory transfers are very rare occasions. If you want to learn more about the advisory transfer process, please reach out to the Assistant Upper School Head.