Programs – Advisor/Advisee

At GMC there is a new program called Advisor/Advisee. Every month all of our students meet with an adult leader to discuss important topics or participate in helpful activities. Each group will consist of 10-12 students and one adult to allow for more personal contact and academic success. As our student body continues to change due to the increased enrollment and expanding curriculum, this personal attention has become even more important. Many of our new students come into GMC without knowing anyone. Even our current students need an adult to talk with sometimes and to act as an advocate. This program provides everyone an opportunity to identify with a small group of students and an adult and can support our students as they transition from one grade to the next and to college.
Some other benefits of the program are found in the topics we discuss. These topics include the new school policies, graduation requirements, college and career planning, decision making, and learning styles. On many occasions, Advisory groups will discuss topics specific to their grade level, such as college plans for seniors or SAT preparation for our juniors. In the small group settings, each student will have the opportunity to receive closer attention and reach a better understanding of issues discussed.
The advisory program has many benefits and will help GMC continue to be a leader in education. Whether it is personal attention or the topics that help the individual student, this program has much to offer everyone.
Please contact the Guidance Office or school administration for additional information. GMC Advisory Program: "Educating tomorrow's leaders today"

• Goals
• What it is and is not
  
• Benefits
  
• Topic Suggestions
  
• Guidelines

Organization

The groups will be divided into grade level groups balancing the male/female ratio and bilingual students. The advisory committee will then check for apparent problems (i.e. balance of bilingual students, behavior, male /female ratio, etc..) Although we don't want to encourage changes, there has been a proposed adjustment day for any changes that need to be made in groupings.

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Time

The advisory groups will meet at least once a month during an extended lunch period with the option of extending sessions for special all school activities and class meetings.

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Advisory Leader Absence

Student folders will be available with scheduled activities as described in the Advisory Lesson Plan. The advisor will be responsible for explaining the program and passing the plan on to the substitute. Each advisor should also partner with another advisor so that if one advisor is out the other can cover in the event that there is no sub available.

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Introduction of Advisory Program

A newsletter will be sent to all parents and students at the start of school. The letter should include the goals of the program and what the advisory program is about. The staff will receive a lesson plan for activities prior to meeting students each month. There will also be a discussion during common planning and /or staff meetings whenever necessary to assist advisors.

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Topics for Groups

• letter of explanation
• goals of the program
• guidelines (suggested topics, benefits, sample lessons)
• responsibilities
• activities
  

Evaluation

The students will be asked to fill out questionnaires evaluating the program. We will also try to use faculty meetings and common planning time to discuss the program and to solve any problems that arise.
Student Input
A students' suggestion box will be located in the guidance office. Students will write suggestions/complaints/concerns and deposit them in the box. Only signed comments will be taken seriously. The general comments will be discussed at faculty meetings. If there is a comment directed toward any specific advisory leader, that leader will receive the comment rather than sharing it at a faculty meeting. We will keep the general comments on file (notebook) for future reference.

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New Students

The guidance office will help assign new students and make any changes needed. Before making an assignment, the guidance counselor will check existing group balance and confer with the teachers and students involved. Process for Changing Students If a student wishes to change advisors during the school year he or she must: 1. Meet with own advisor and discuss situation. If this is not possible, student may use the suggestion box. 2. There will be a meeting of the Student, Advisor and Guidance Counselor. 3. As a result of this meeting a decision/resolution will be made.

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Programs – Common Planning

The GMC faculty and staff are in the business of learning to do things better and better for our students. We believe that our students deserve a program of study that is fully coordinated from the beginning of school through graduation, and is current enough to meet their needs as they enter a rapidly changing world. Never before has it been more important that schools - which have remained relatively unchanged for decades- make improvements to meet the  demands of life in a technological age. It is estimated, for example, that today's graduates will make at least six career changes in their adult lives because of the rapid changes in the work place. Our graduates must be confident, lifelong learners able to do more than memorize bits of information; they must be thinkers, problem solvers, citizens who can apply the knowledge.
Why? Improving teaching methods and fully coordinating our instructional program requires that the full faculty be brought together on a regular and consistent basis for study and planning In the past, teachers and administrators have tried to coordinate our program of study and make instructional changes during after school meetings, and over the summer without the participation of the entire faculty. This "shot gun" of "hit and miss" approach to school-wide improvements, while it has resulted in some benefits for students, can never be completely effective. Real results require a commitment of time and participation by the whole faculty.  Like many businesses today, we see a need to dedicate part of each week to planning and  improving - a quality team approach to making this business of education ever more effective through continuous improvement. A plan for coordinating the educational programs and improving teaching methods has been created for our school. The students will be dismissed each Friday at 1:30 pm and will allow our teachers to meet for over one and a half hours. Sometimes the faculty will meet as an entire staff but more often as grade level or department teams. Their work will be fully coordinated and planned. Parents and student members will be invited to observe and share in this work.  Because the work we will be doing is so important, a strict set of guidelines and ground rules will govern how this Common Planning time may be used to maintain the integrity of the project. The effectiveness of our work will be measured by the research measurements of effective school indicators along with surveys of faculty, parents, and students for accountability of this time use.

Student's Schedule: Each Friday afternoon, students will end their academic school day at 1:30 .am.  Students that must remain on campus will have a study hall, tutorial or research period supervised by support staff and teacher aides. All GMC classes will meet on an alternating  block schedule each Friday in order to use better utilize the college labs for science instruction.  The school day has been extended for our students to exceed both state and regional accreditation requirements.  While we are concerned about the amount of instructional time students receive each week, we are also concerned about the quality of learning while in the classrooms.  Community Forum: While many students will benefit from the extra time each Friday afternoon to study and complete research , to schedule doctor’s appointments, participate in enrichment activities, take advantage of peer tutoring, and read), we realize that this program may be an inconvenience to some because of transportation or supervision concerns. If you have suggestions or concerns, please contact the school administration for more information.

Programs-ECHSI

Early College High School Initiative
Definition:

An early college high school is a blend of  high school and college. The program is demanding yet supportive. This program  also combines the time to complete a high school diploma with the time it takes to complete the first two years of college.
What is the difference between early college high schools and middle college high schools?

(ECHSI) Transferable Courses

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Programs – Senior Project

Senior Project

Our Charter requires all graduating seniors to complete the Senior Project, which
allows the senior the opportunity to participate in a personalized learning experience.
Each senior chooses a topic he/she is passionate about and conducts an
independent study. Topics include careers, hobbies, and social concerns. Each
student, working with a mentor, will research an essential question and will
develop an annotated bibliography, due in December. Then the student will
create a product with the information he has gathered.  Finally, the students
gather together all documentation for his project into a portfolio that will be graded
by a panel of teachers.  Each presenter will have three judges who, using rubrics,
will evaluate the student's product and presentation. The evaluation, the
culmination of a year's work, will be the student’s final exam grade in the core
classes (English, Math, Science Social Studies). Also students will receive a unit
of credit and a grade for Senior Project class. In addition, the graduation exhibition
will be evidence of seniors' ability to solve problems, organize time and resources,
communicate effectively and reflect on themselves as learners.

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