Help students belong

 1. Who will be at the training?

We have a fantastic group coming together! There are ten confirmed participants, representing six schools. We have space open for a few more, and one remaining scholarship for a public school educator (district or charter), if you know friends or colleagues who would like to join us. We'll have two facilitators leading the training: Chris Balme, founding Head of School at Millennium School and Director at Argonaut, and Abigail Henderson, Faculty member at Millennium School and leader of faculty advisory and wellness groups nationally. See more about both of them here.

2. How will we spend our time together?

We'll begin together at 9am on Monday, July 26th. On Monday 7/26 and Tuesday 7/27 we’ll work together from 9:00am - 4:30pm, and on Wednesday 7/28 from 9:00am - 12:00pm. There is also an optional dinner together on Monday, July 26th evening.

Throughout the training, our priority is on experiential learning: we'll learn how to lead excellent advisories through continual practice, both as a member and a facilitator of advisories. During and between these practice sessions we'll learn facilitation skills, receive curriculum to guide conversations that develop social-emotional intelligence, deepen our understanding of adolescent development and neuroscience, and talk about the many details and "what-if's" involved in successfully implementing advisory programs.

An essential part of our time together will also take place in the fall, with twice-monthly Zoom calls for support, troubleshooting and ongoing coaching as we implement these advisory practices.

3. Where will this take place?

Our trainings are generously hosted by Aurora School, an independent K-8 school in Oakland, CA. The address is 40 Dulwich Road, Oakland, CA. Aurora School shares a campus with Holy Names High School; look for the entrance marked Aurora School. Street parking is available, and participants are also welcome to use spots in the Holy Names High School driveway marked with Aurora School.

4. What do I need to prepare?

We believe in taking as much opportunity this summer to rest and recharge, knowing that we have been through a challenging and intense past school year. Our only request will be to review some brief materials on SEL research which will be sent 1-2 weeks before the training. This is to enable as much of our time together as possible to be experiential, and to make sure we have a shared knowledge base of SEL research to inform our work together.

5. What do I need to bring with me?

You'll receive a notebook, information packet, and curriculum materials as part of the training. If you prefer to use a laptop or iPad for note-taking, you are welcome to bring them.

You may want to bring snacks and a water bottle as well, as food is not provided at the training. We plan to go out to lunch together each day at nearby restaurants for a change of air. If you have any specific dietary needs, or physical disabilities, please let us know here, so we can support you.

Please bring a mask as well. Given recent concerning news around the pandemic, we will require masks while participants are indoors together, even though 100% of the group is vaccinated. If the group is comfortable with it, we may be able to have some time together outdoors in which we can connect without masks, with social distance.

Finally, for those not from the Bay Area, we will share the classic advice to wear layers, as the temperature could vary from cool and foggy to quite hot during these days.

6. What comes after the training?

We’ve designed this 2.5 day experience to equip you with a range of advisory tools and skills, and perhaps more importantly, the felt experience of having been both advisor and advisee while using these tools.

As described above, we'll continue to work closely together in the fall through our twice-monthly Zoom coaching sessions, to keep learning together and honing our work through the many details of implementing advisory. At the conclusion of these sessions, in January 2022, all participants who have completed the full training will receive a Certificate in SEL Advisory Facilitation.

But here's our big hope: we want to create an ongoing Community of Practice for educators who believe in the power of SEL-focused advisories. This summer we're leading training cohorts in California, New York, and Japan. Our hope is to bring this wise and soulful group of educators together as a supportive community for the long-term. We need each other to do this work deeply, and when we do, amazing things happen for our students.

7. Other Questions?

Please feel free to contact Chris Balme, Director of the SEL Advisory Facilitation Training program, here.