Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to some of the more frequently asked questions concerning The Advent School. If you can’t find answers to your questions here, please call or email us and we’ll be glad to help you.
General Information
Does The Advent School have a religious affiliation?
How does The Advent School make use of its city location?
What are the school’s hours?
Where is the school located?
How does Boston’s school bus program work?
What is the average class size and the teacher student ratio?
Programs and Curriculum
Does The Advent School teach a world language?
What is the role of the Arts in an Advent education?
How does The Advent School use technology?
How are student assessments approached?
How do teachers and administrators stay in touch with families?
What part do parents play at The Advent School?
What special events are a part of The Advent School tradition?
General Information
Does The Advent School have a religious affiliation?
No, The Advent School has no religious affiliation. The School is a member of the Association of Independent Schools in New England, the National Association of Independent Schools, and the Educational Records Bureau.
How does The Advent School make use of its city location?
The city is our laboratory for learning, and Advent School children take full advantage of its resources. Local field trips support the School’s thematic curriculum. Museums, theater, concerts, and nature in the city are readily available and integrated into school life.
What are the School’s hours?
The doors open for children at 8:15 a.m. Classes, including the Early Childhood Center, run from 8:30 a.m. until 3:15 p.m., Monday through Thursday; and from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Fridays. Our after-school programs, CORE and ADVENTures in the City, run until 5 or 6 p.m., at additional cost.
Where is the school located?
The Advent School is located at 15 Brimmer Street, on the flat of Beacon Hill in Boston, Massachusetts.
How does Boston’s school bus program work?
The City of Boston provides free bus service for any child (K through Fifth Grade) who is a city resident and lives two miles or more from the School. Sixth Grade students meeting the same criteria qualify for a free T-Pass. Student T passes are available at the School.
What’s the student/teacher ratio and the average class size?
There are seven students to every teacher at The Advent School. That figure includes full-time specialist instructors in Art, Music, Spanish, Physical Education (2), Science (2), and the School’s librarian. Each class has an average of 19 students with two co-teachers.
Programs and Curriculum
Does The Advent School teach a world language?
Yes. Beginning in Kindergarten, Advent students learn Spanish. The program interweaves language and culture, broadening a student’s communication skills.
What is the role of the Arts in an Advent education?
The Advent School incorporates both Art and Music into daily classroom lessons and focuses on Art and Music with special weekly class times. Art and Music are central to much of our work at Advent.
How does The Advent School use technology?
The Advent School believes computers effectively reinforce, but do not replace, classroom learning experiences. There are computers in each classroom. Both wireless and wired internet access are available throughout the building. A computer lab is part of the library.
How are student assessments approached?
Parents come to the School in the Fall for a conference with the teachers. In December, a written report is mailed home, with a follow-up parent-teacher conference. The report is in the form of a checklist, with added comments by the classroom teachers and reports from the teachers of Art, Music, Science, Physical Education, and Spanish. In June, an additional written report is mailed within two weeks of the close of school.
How do teachers and administrators stay in touch with families?
Parents receive weekly school notices in the “backpack express.” Included is a letter from a child’s teachers reporting on events and studies. Additionally, there may be a variety of different notices concerning committees, schedules and health issues. Parents also receive The Lion’s Roar, the School’s monthly newsletter, posted online at the School’s website and carried home with each student via the backpack express. The Lion’s Roar gives an overview of programs throughout the School and its many departments and committees.
What part do parents play at The Advent School?
Parents are a vital part of The Advent School family. We invite parents to share their skills, talents, and family experiences with their child’s class. Parents in The Advent School community participate as members of the Board of Trustees, as committee members overseeing a variety of school activities and initiatives, and in the planning and orchestrating of school events. Parents frequently accompany children on class field trips.
What special events are part of The Advent School tradition?
Every academic year has an array of programs celebrating the Advent community.
Winter Concert - a student presentation on the last day of school prior to the December vacation. All parents and friends are welcome. The concert is followed by a Community Luncheon.
Grandparents / Grandfriends Day – students host these special people and present a program related to classroom curriculum.
Sixth Grade play – a musical production held each spring, to which everyone in the Advent community, past and present, is invited.
Field Day – a sports event held near the close of school at a nearby field.
Graduation/Closing Day – held at Faneuil Hall on the final day of school, Closing Day includes presentations from all Advent School children. Sixth Graders speak and receive their diplomas before the entire school community.
Programs for parents include:
Parent Education Collaboratives - educational forums for parents and community members, held throughout the year.
School Night for Parents – an early fall open house at which parents meet with their child’s teachers and learn about the year’s curriculum.
Math Breakfast – a hands-on exploration of Mathematics with students guiding families through skill work and games.
Curriculum Night –an evening at which the faculty shares curriculum and classroom events for the upcoming year.
Parent-Faculty Pot Luck Dinner – a community dinner for parents and teachers that includes a presentation.
Writers Workshop Breakfast –a morning classroom event in which children and parents explore written expression.
The Spring Benefit – a school community dinner and auction that raises monies for the School’s Annual Fund.