The primary and most fundamental unit of organization at Paideia Liberal Arts Academy is “Crew”.  Many other schools refer to this as “homeroom” or “advisory”. At Paideia Liberal Arts Academy we think of this not as a time-period but as a paradigm of belonging. We call it “Crew” to shift our paradigm from a passenger in the journey of education to a crew member sharing responsibility for the success and wellbeing of all crew members. Each crew is watched over by a Paideia adult referred to as the crew chief. As crew chief, the adult is responsible for each crew members whole-person wellbeing and the social wellbeing of the whole crew as a social unit. Crews meet daily for 45 minutes and engage in team building, restorative practices and lessons focused on the PLA’s core focus of rigor and support. The following elements are implemented within the Crew under the supervision and guidance of the Crew Chief.

Junior Academy Crew - Grades 7-8

Scholars entering Paideia Liberal Arts Academy as a 7th grader are assigned to a crew and remain with that crew until promoting from 8th grade to PLA Senior Academy.

Senior Academy Crew - Grades 9-12

Scholars entering Paideia Liberal Arts Senior Academy are assigned to a crew and remain with that crew until they graduate from Paideia Liberal Arts Academy.

School-Wide Daily Crew - AVID Lessons

AVID Schoolwide Advisory content integrates AVID strategies into our Crew to develop college, career, and life readiness in all scholars schoolwide.

1.       Daily/ bi-Weekly / Weekly Crew Time is the fundamental time and place for nurturing positive relationships and restorative practices to include:

• Weekly Scholar-Led Trust Huddles

• Regular Mindfulness Practice

• As needed Habit Five Mini-Circles to restore relationships

2.       AVID Advisory Instructional Routines Lessons – Presented sequentially. Resources to support the implementation and recurring use of AVID Strategies in Advisory classes:

• Organization - Teach students to work effectively to achieve their academic goals by developing proficiency with organizational systems, skills, and routines via Habit 3 – First things First and the Leadership Agenda.

• STEM Connections in Advisory

• AVID Weekly Advisory

• Collaborative Study Groups - Teach students to work together effectively to achieve their academic goals Huddles and Collaborative Study Groups

• Relational Capacity - Build community so that students feel safe and supported to actualize their potential via Weekly Scholar Led Trust Huddles and Habit Five Mini-Circles.

• Focused Note Taking -

• Grade Checks and Goal Setting - Build student agency by establishing grade-check and goal-setting routines.

3.       AVID Advisory Content Units – Units of study to support student agency and opportunity knowledge. Flexibility to support Crew members:

• Connecting Your Interests to Career Options

• Exploring Computer Science

• Smart Economics – Grades 6-8

• Financial Literacy – Grades 9-12

• Post Secondary Options

• Building Career Preparedness

• Book Study

• Monitoring Your Digital Footprint

Leader In Me Student Led 13 Trust Huddles

Building a high-trust culture in Crew takes intentional leadership learning. A weekly routine of student-led “Trust Huddles” helps scholars learn about and practice the 13 Behaviors of high Trust in a cadence of practice and reflection. Crew Members are empowered to build trust through everyday interactions.

1. Trust Behavior 1: Talk Straight - Being honest with others, telling the truth. Kindly saying what you mean, even when it’s tough.

2. Trust Behavior 2: Demonstrate Respect - Considering others. Showing kindness in the little things. Letting others know you care about their struggles. Celebrating others. Being kind to others, even the people who frustrate you the most.

3. Trust Behavior 3: Create Transparency - Being real and genuine with others. Admitting mistakes. Celebrating victories. Making sure your words match your actions. Being honest with yourself and others about why you’re doing things.

4. Trust Behavior 4: Right Wrongs - Modeling humility. Making things right when you slip up. Remembering that nobody is perfect. Admitting when you make mistakes. Taking ownership rather than making excuses.

5. Trust Behavior 5: Show Loyalty - Speaking as if the person you are talking about can hear you. Sticking up for those who aren’t present or able to stick up for themselves. Using kind words to talk about others. Talking about others like you would if they were in the room. Resisting the urge to gossip.

6. Trust Behavior 6: Deliver Results - Doing what you say you will do. Putting first things first and focusing on what is most important. Asking for help when you need it. Doing what you are asked to do.

7. Trust Behavior 7: Get Better - Being a constant learner. Modeling continuous improvement. Getting and acting on feedback. Asking for feedback. Learning from mistakes.

8. Trust Behavior 8: Confront Reality - Addressing the tough stuff with compassion. Modeling kindness and integrity. Speaking up when there’s an issue that needs to be addressed.

9. Trust Behavior 9: Clarify Expectations - Being clear about expectations. Talking about goals and expectations. Checking for understanding.

10. Trust Behavior 10: Practice Accountability - Holding yourself accountable by taking responsibility for results, good or bad. Asking others to hold you accountable. Posting your goals publicly. Not blaming others when things go wrong.

11. Trust Behavior 11: Listen First - Listening with your ears, eyes, and heart. Listening to learn. Listening before talking. Not assuming you have all the answers.

12. Trust Behavior 12: Keep Commitments - Saying what you’re going to do, and then doing it. Choosing commitments carefully. Keeping promises. Doing what you say you’ll do. Finishing projects.

13. Trust Behavior 13: Extend Trust - Extending trust by helping others try again when they fail. Trusting others, even those who seem untrustworthy. Valuing others. Sharing responsibilities with others.

Mindfulness and Meditation

Definition: the practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one’s thoughts, emotions or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis. Mindfulness and Meditation provides the underlying power to Habit 1 – Be Proactive, the power to stop and think. Mindfulness opens the gap between Stimulus and Response.

Meditation Journal

Meditation journaling is a powerful writing exercise infused with meditation. Quotes are used to stimulate the mind, heart and spirit towards deeper thinking of principles and morals. Each Crew Chief chooses a quote to analyze for the week. Meditations are written in a composition notebook and are used to teach literacy – punctuation, spelling, grammar, handwriting, and word usage. Meditation journals are presented at parent/teacher conferences and may be published at the end of the year for the scholar.