List of 15 frequently asked questions.

• Q. Why are we establishing a Deans system in the Upper School?

  To more fully deliver on our promise that every child is known and loved, and that we’re committed to and expect their success. We want to ensure that Portledge produces students that not only strive, but thrive during their time here and beyond. In order to do so, making certain that they develop the relationships and perspectives necessary to live healthy and meaningful lives is necessary. Along with other members of our community, the Deans will help us deliver on this mission. The Deans will be our students’ shepherds throughout their Upper School experience. They’ll support student endeavors in the summer months and after-school programs, and maintain ongoing, regular, personal contact with families. The additional layer of student life and academic support will help free up our instructors to spend more time with their students and colleagues, collaborating and improving their craft. With offices in the de facto student center of the Commons, the Deans will become an integral part of daily student life.

• Q. How many Deans will there be?

  There will be four Upper School Deans.

• Q. What will be the main job responsibilities of the Deans?

  The Deans’ sole responsibility is to know AND support the students. That’s their PRIMARY job! While academic instructors are focused on their individual discipline and developing student relationships in the classroom, the Deans will be focused on strengthening students’ connections to the Portledge Pillars, developing their characters, advising them on their academic and curricular choices, and supporting their overall health and well-being. The following learning outcomes will guide the Deans in their work as they help students thrive at Portledge. These desired outcomes are grounded in the pillars of Portledge, the IB learner profile, and the desire to create community leaders by helping Upper Schoolers engage, serve and lead at Portledge. The Deans will focus on: 

  • 9th Grade: Helping 9th graders engage with the community and develop into respectful students that are open-minded thinkers, inquirers, and communicators.
  • 10th Grade: Helping students begin to serve the community and become caring, kind, and valuable community members.
  • 11th Grade: Helping students develop their own narrative and to become more reflective and conscious about who they are, as learners and as people, and who they want to be, by highlighting their integrity, principles, and honor. Helping juniors begin to coordinate and lead others as they enter their final year of high school.
  • 12th Grade: The Deans are interested in college prep, but also “personhood prep”, helping students consider their lives after Portledge, and preparing them to live purposeful, healthy, and balanced lives.

• Q. Will students still have Advisors?

  The Deans serve as another adult on campus invested in seeing our students thrive as Panthers and beyond. They are here to oversee daily social interactions, insight into academic and behavioral patterns, and to serve as the first point of support when students are in need during times when their Advisors may be teaching, and may not have a more immediate response time. Advisors are here to still serve for daily attendance and check-ins, periodic meetings, and as another connection within a smaller group of multi-age students.

• Q. How many students will be assigned to each Dean?

  Each Dean will have roughly 15-20 students per grade in their “cohort.” Similar to our current advisory program, Deans will be responsible for students in all four Upper School grades. 

• Q. Will the Deans work as a team?

  Yes! They will absolutely work as a team and therefore will be interchangeable in certain situations. At times, they will present to an entire class on a specific topic. They will meet daily, with each meeting having a specific theme, such as 1) College Process 2) Student Support 3) Discipline 4) Policy 5) Event Planning/Fun/Miscellaneous.

• Q. Can I switch my Dean once it’s been assigned?

  No. Under no circumstances will students be allowed to switch Deans once they’ve been assigned. Since they will be working as a team to help all students, this will be unnecessary.

• Q. How often will the Deans meet with families to work together in supporting our students?

  Each Dean will meet with every student at least once per semester, but more frequently in certain circumstances. The deans also have an open-door policy with all students and parents. Meetings and conversations are always encouraged in order to keep the line of communication and perspective open. There will also be many more informal meetings on the sidelines of sporting events, as they greet students and families at morning drop-off, in the audience at musicals and concerts, etc.

• Q. What role will the Deans have in our College Counseling process?

  For the Class of 2023, there will be little change to the college counseling experience, but ultimately, the Deans will serve as college counselors for the students in their cohort. The new Deans will actively observe the Portledge college counseling process in the fall of 2022, allowing for a seamless transition for subsequent classes. Because the Dean-student relationship will develop over several years, starting in 9th grade, every conversation and decision students and families will have and make throughout their high school experience will organically inform the college counseling advice for each student. In 11th grade, the conversation will become more specific, focusing on the college search and application process. Karen Crowley, our Director of College Counseling, will closely collaborate with the Deans, helping develop the strategy for each student in conjunction with their Dean. Deans will write the college counselor letters for all of their cohort students (approximately 15-20 per year), which the Director of College Counseling will review in order to ensure alignment with the overarching strategy for each individual student.

• Q. Will the Deans participate in matters related to discipline and consequences?

  The Deans will be involved in small disciplinary infractions, but major behavioral and academic dishonesty issues will be handled by the Upper School office.

• Q. Will the Deans advise the students on academic matters and course selection?

  Yes. The Deans will advise students and help develop a road map of course selection throughout Upper School. The Deans will help manage the start of term class schedules and class placement, including distribution and course changes.

• Q. Will the Deans be involved in helping to ensure our students maintain healthy relationships at Portledge and beyond? Will the Deans help develop social and emotional well-being in our students?

  Yes, in conjunction with our Educational Psychology team, the Deans will serve as leaders in ensuring all students are building the necessary social-emotional skills so that they may learn deeply and thrive within the Portledge community. The Deans will work to implement evidence-based programming that complements our academic programming and is aligned with our community’s mission of whole-child education. Perhaps most importantly, the Deans will work to develop foundational relationships with each student, serving as relational role models, guides, and accountability partners for students throughout their Upper School journeys.

• Q. Will the Deans be allies in Portledge’s efforts to create a more diverse and inclusive community?

  Yes, the Deans will work in collaboration with the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and other stakeholders to provide all Upper School students with opportunities to engage in DEI initiatives, including cultural focused workshops and school-wide celebrations, affinity-centered clubs, and activities as well as advisory based lessons that deepen awareness of one’s own identity and acceptance of others.

• Q. Will the Deans be involved in event planning?

  Yes, the Deans will help run student orientations and will help organize class-wide events, trips, retreats, and smaller study breaks called “Panther’s Pause.”

• Q. How might the Senior Project or the 9th Grade Experience be affected by the Dean program?

  The Deans could be instrumental in helping establish a Senior Portfolio that’s an illustration of growth, rather than an isolated project. Similarly, the Deans will eventually take the lead in the efforts to prepare new 9th graders for the Upper School during Orientation and the first weeks of school, most notably in the 9th Grade Retreat to Blairstown.