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Welcome to Brilliant Microschools!
Welcome to Brilliant Microschools!
We are thrilled to have you join our school community. This handbook contains essential information about our school's policies, procedures, and expectations.
Please bookmark this handbook! Since it contains a lot of information, repeated exposure will surely help. Your initial deep dive into the handbook will take approximately 8 hours.
If you have more questions, please get in touch with us.
Here is Your Teacher Handbook Assistant
Ask me anything—from onboarding steps and curriculum tips to where to log hours or how to support a student on day one.
Try asking things like:
“Where do I find the 90-day onboarding checklist?”
“What should I say to a parent about camera expectations?”
“How do I use EduProtocols for my next lesson?”
“What’s the process for submitting my weekly hours?”
“Where do I track student behavior using Toddle?”
“How do I prepare for Meet & Greets with new students?”
“What’s our policy if a student misses a week of school?”
“Can I get an example of a classroom agreement aligned with MTSS?”
Select from three onboarding pathways:
- Microschool Teacher (8 hours)
Welcome page (1 hour): Get your bearings, and understand the school vision and team roles. Complete the Nearpod and the Mastery Check.
Basic Tools (1 hour): This covers your basic tech setup, communication channels, and all the resources you'll need to make your virtual classroom thrive. Complete the Nearpod and the Mastery Check.
Admin and Community (2 hours): You will formulate a sequenced onboarding plan that will stagger your training to avoid overwhelm. Complete the Nearpod and the Mastery Check.
Curriculum (2 hours): This section covers our Learning Model and key curricular components. Complete the Nearpod and the Mastery Check.
Toddle LMS and EduProtocols Unleashed (2 hours): You will dig a bit deeper into our LMS and explore EduProtocols, an essential part of our instructional approach. Complete the Nearpod and the Mastery Check.
If you would like to begin exploring additional tools, including IXL which is our primary adaptive learning platform, check out Our Learning Apps.
The training can be completed at your own pace, but a recommended approach is as follows:
Day 1: 2 hours of training (Welcome, Basic Tools)
Day 2: 2 hours of training (Admin, Community)
Day 3: 2 hours of training (Curriculum)
Day 4: 2 hours of training (Toddle LMS, EduProtocols Unleashed)
Day 5-6: shadowing two live classes for 2 days
Day 7: 1on1 meetings with our administration team
2. 1:1 Teacher (7 hours)
2. 1:1 Teacher (7 hours)
To onboard into our 1:1 school model, you'll complete 6 tasks from the 1:1 School page of the handbook. The structure below outlines your path, with links to each task for easy access.
All About EduProtocols (1 hour)
Learn how EduProtocols support engagement, structure, and deeper thinking in a 1:1 classroom.
A Day in a 1:1 Class (1 hour)
Explore what a typical schedule looks like and how to manage time in a 1:1 setup.
Watch Two Sample Classes (2 hours)
Choose two classroom recordings to see 1:1 instruction and routines in action.
Explore the Curriculum (1 hours)
Get familiar with the structure, flow, and tools in our curriculum
Toddle For 1:1 (1 hours)
Learn how to use Toddle to streamline grading and communication.
Final Mastery Check (1 hour)
Complete a mastery check to show readiness and reflect on key takeaways.
3. Elective Leaders (4 hours)
3. Elective Leaders (4 hours)
Welcome page (30 minutes): Get your bearings and understand the school vision and team roles. You do not need to complete the Nearpod or Mastery Check.
Basic Tools (30 minutes): This covers your basic tech setup, communication channels, and all the resources you'll need to make your virtual classroom thrive. Complete the Nearpod only.
You do not need to review the 90-Day Plan or the Curriculum section, but feel free to take a look if you want.
Toddle LMS (1 hour): You will dig a bit deeper into our LMS an essential part of our instructional approach. Complete the Nearpod and the Mastery Check.
Curriculum (1 hour): Review the curriculum philosophy video and our Learning Model.
Learning Apps (1 hour): Focus on Clever, Toddle, Nearpod. Complete the Nearpod.
The training can be completed at your own pace, but a recommended approach is as follows:
Day 1: 1 hour of training (Welcome)
Day 2: 30 minutes of training (Basic Tools) and 1 hour of teacher shadowing
Day 3: 1 hour of training (Our Learning Apps) and Slack Q&A in the electives channel to answer questions
4. Teacher Assistants & Substitute Teachers (8 hours)
4. Teacher Assistants & Substitute Teachers (8 hours)
Welcome page (1 hour): Get your bearings, and understand the school vision and team roles. Complete the Nearpod and the Mastery Check.
Basic Tools (1 hour): This covers your basic tech setup, communication channels, and all the resources you'll need to make your virtual classroom thrive. Complete the Nearpod and the Mastery Check.
Admin and Community (2 hours): You will formulate a sequenced onboarding plan that will stagger your training to avoid overwhelm. Complete the Nearpod and the Mastery Check.
Curriculum (2 hours): This section covers our Learning Model and key curricular components. Complete the Nearpod and the Mastery Check.
Toddle LMS and Our Learning Apps (2 hours): You will dig a bit deeper into the key learning apps you need to get started. Complete the Nearpod and the Mastery Check.
Watch these videos to learn about substitute teaching and supporting classroom teachers at BMS. You will gain practical tips, strategies, and insights to ensure your time in the classroom runs smoothly and leaves students ending their day on a positive note.
Video 1 - Substitute Teaching
Video 2 - Supporting Teachers in Class
School Vision
School Vision
Est. time - 10min
Please watch the video where Jordan, our Principal, talks about our school vision.
Engage with the school community!
Engage with the school community!
Virtual Collaboration: Engage actively in digital "corridors" like Slack, with access to the teachers' channel and your grade band channels. Participate responsively during business hours, acknowledging messages promptly and positively. Find more information on Slack expectations here.
Onboarding & Support: During onboarding, connect with HR, Admissions, Parent Support, and the Principal. Reach out individually for assistance in their respective areas:
Admissions: Address questions about new students and meet & greets.
Principal: Discuss concerns, seek advice on student issues, classroom management, curriculum, protocols, or parent communication.
Parent Support: For non-academic or non-behavioral matters like administrative issues, reach out to Parent Support. If a student is absent or faces technical difficulties, seek assistance in the teachers' channel.
HR: Discuss pay, vacation, or other HR matters.
Required Meetings: Attend weekly grade band meetings (9 or 9:30 am EST on a specific day) and monthly 'all-hands' meetings (9 am EST every four weeks on Wednesdays) to foster collaboration and stay informed.
A short 'Front Office video'
A short 'Front Office video'
Est. time - 5min
In this short video, you can meet a few of the people in your front office team, who keep the school running with a smile!
Patrick- Head of Admissions
Claudia- School Registrar
John- Head of HR
Alexis- School Co-Founder
Andreas- School Co-founder
A short video mesage from our HR team
A short video mesage from our HR team
Est. time - 3min
In this video, Our HR team talks about our approach to sub planning.
Organizational Chart
Before you dive deeper into your journey with us, take a moment to reflect on the wisdom of those who’ve walked this path before you—this tree of advice, shaped by the voices of our teachers, is filled with the words they wish they could share with their past selves. Let it inspire and guide you as you grow.
Mastery Check 1
Mastery Check 1
For Microschool Teachers, Tutoring Group Teachers
You've spent some time understanding the School Vision and Team Roles section. Take 10 minutes to create a brief Character Thick Slide using Google Slides, where you introduce yourself, including something professional, something personal you are willing to share, and a picture using the Thick Slide Protocol (Thick Slide template here). Thick Slides are one of many EduProtocols, a set of instructional protocols we use daily at our school and which will be introduced later in your training. For now, simply copy the template provided and create your own based on that. Then, share the slide deck on Slack via the personal thread created for you in the #bms-onboarding channel.
Onboarding Nearpod 1
Onboarding Nearpod 1
For Microschool Teachers, Tutoring Group Teachers
If you are viewing this content for the first time, click on the Nearpod.
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