Advisory
One advisor. Four years. And beyond.
Every TvF student belongs to an advisory: a group of 12 to 13 students and one teacher, their advisor, who stays with them from the first day of Summer Bridge through graduation. For families, the advisor is the first person to call, and the adult at school whose job is to know your child well.
- 12 to 13 students per advisory
- 4 days a week, 40 minutes
- One advisor, Summer Bridge to graduation
- A check-in every month
- Family conferences 4 times a year
For families
Your first call.
Your child’s advisor is your first point of contact for anything: grades, attendance, a hard week, or a question you are not sure who to ask. Advisors introduce themselves to families in the first days of school.
Reach out to the advisor.
Send a message from the Staff page, or use the contact information your child’s advisor shares at the start of the year.
Not sure who the advisor is?
Ask your child, or message our Parent Coordinator, Nilsa Arboleda, who can connect you.
Need someone else?
If your question needs another person, like the school counselor or a social worker, your child’s advisor will connect you.
The week
Four days a week.
Advisory meets four days a week for 40 minutes. Each grade’s advisory team plans its own calendar, which may include:
- Circles day
Circles.
Students and their advisor sit in a circle to check in, talk through what is going on, and practice listening to and speaking up for each other.
- Study hall day
Study hall.
Time to catch up, plan ahead and get work done, with the advisor keeping an eye on grades and missing work.
- Conference day
Conferences.
The advisor meets one on one with advisees for their monthly check-ins.
- Fridays
Film Friday.
Each Film Friday, a different grade presents its “Best Of” student films at a screening in the auditorium, while the other grades watch on Vimeo in advisory.
Four years
One advisor, start to finish.
- Summer Bridge · Late August or early September
Meet your advisory.
A three-day orientation for incoming 9th graders. Students meet their advisor and advisory, get to know each other, and make their first production project with our production teachers and teaching assistants.
- 9th grade
Seniors lead the way in.
Every 9th-grade advisory is paired with senior co-leaders from Peer Group Connection (PGC), who run outreach activities that build community and help new students settle into high school.
- 9th through 12th grade
The same adult, every year.
Circles, college awareness and planning, monthly check-ins and family conferences, all with the advisor who has known the student since Summer Bridge.
- After graduation
Still in their corner.
Advisors keep in touch after graduation, advising and advocating for their advisees as they navigate college and careers.
Conferences
Two kinds of conferences.
- Every month
Advisory conferences
Informal one-on-one check-ins between advisor and student about academic progress, attendance and how things are going socially. The goal is one conference with every advisee, every month.
- Four times a year
Parent-teacher conferences
Families meet with the advisor to review progress toward graduation: credits earned, Regents exams, attendance and lateness, and tutoring, along with the transcript and report card. Then the student presents a Student-Led Conference (SLC), a presentation designed for their grade.
Circles
Why we sit in a circle.
A Circle is a structured conversation. Everyone sits facing each other and takes turns speaking, often passing a talking piece, so every voice is heard.
Advisors use Circles to build trust, work through problems together, and grow the inclusion, collaboration and social-emotional skills students carry into class, onto set and beyond. Every advisor is trained in Circle facilitation.
- Circle training
- Morningside Center for Teaching Social ResponsibilityA New York City nonprofit that trains educators in Circles and restorative practices.
- Circle training
- Peer ConnectA restorative justice education firm that works with New York City schools.
- 9th grade peer leaders
- Peer Group Connection (PGC)Seniors who co-lead outreach activities in every 9th-grade advisory.
By the numbers
What families and students say.
- 97%
of families say staff work hard to build trusting relationships with them
Families, 2026
- 97%
say the school would let them know about any concern with their child’s social or emotional well-being
Families, 2026
- 95%
say their child feels like they belong at TvF
Families, 2026
- 94%
attended a school meeting, event or parent-teacher conference this year
Families, 2026
- 89%
of students know where to go in school if they need help with mental health
Students, 2026
- 76%
of students say adults at TvF help them plan for life after high school
Students, 2026
Source: 2026 NYC School Survey, 287 family responses and 416 student responses.