Update #9 - January 18, 2022
Upcoming Dates of Interest
Friday, January 21, 2022 - Two Hour Early Dismissal (Professional Responsibilities - End of Second Marking Period)
Wednesday, February 2, 2022 - New Teacher Seminar (In-person at the Dr. James A. Forrest Center, 5:00 PM)
Friday, February 4, 2022 - No School for Students (Professional Day - Staff Development and Professional Responsibilities)
Mid-Year Surveys - Mentors and Non-Tenured Teachers
This month marks the halfway point in the school year and we would like to take a moment to review the efficacy of the supports provided through the Induction Program and consider changes or options for the remainder of the school year.
After each of the small group New Teacher Seminar meetings, an email will be sent to all non-tenured teachers and mentors in the participating schools. The email will include a link to the survey related to their experience in the SMCPS Induction Program.
Completing the surveys will take approximately 15-20 minutes. Please provide time during your weekly mentor meetings to complete the surveys. The time taken to reflect on their experience and future needs is valuable, but we have no wish to place an additional time burden on the new teachers or mentors.
Photograph Your New Teachers with Students!
Throughout the next few months, please take some time to take some photos of your mentees with their students. The pictures can be them working with students, at unstructured moments in the hallway or recess, or taking a moment to get the students together with their teacher and smile behind their masks. We are attempting to snap a few photos during our visits to schools this month, but some times are not ideal for a quick photo.
Email the photos to hlhusk@smcps.org as you take them and I will be collecting them for our May 2022 New Teacher celebration!
Please include students in the photo to help create a memory of their first year teaching at SMCPS!
If you need assistance with the photos, please reach out to Heather Husk and I will try to stop by and snag an image or reach out to your yearbook committee to assist!
Includes information about the January New Teacher Seminar small group meetings, Bridges PD opportunity, and access to a comprehensive SMCPS acronyms list.
Pupil Service Team (PST) Referral Process
Recently, new teachers have been asking about the PST process for referral, response to intervention, and even how to prepare once they have been invited to participate in a PST meeting. In collaboration with the Department of Student Services, I have drafted a general guidelines document for PST referrals that I will be sharing in the next New Teacher Update.
However, in many ways, each school has slightly different procedures surrounding PST meetings and referrals. Therefore, I am providing mentors with a preview of the document in order to review and consider how best to discuss and guide new teachers in the PST process at your school sites.
Please take a look at this document and let me know if you have any clarifying questions to improve it before it is shared with new teachers.
PST Referral Guidelines Document - updated January 2022
Articles of Interest
Mentoring: Should Coaches Be Experts? by Jim Knight, Educational Leadership
New Teacher Support: How Should Schools Support New Teachers Right Now? by Kate Stoltzfus, ASCD
Instructional Technology: Bringing What Worked During Virtual Learning Into the Classroom by John McCarthy, Edutopia
Topics for Mentor Meetings - January
Elementary
Pacing
Consider your long-range planning. What standards will be your focus moving forward?
What skills are your priority?
End of Semester Report Cards
Does there seem to be a pattern in low performances in SBRCs?
What strengths have your students demonstrated in the first half of the school year? How can you build on those strengths?
Assessments
What kinds of assessments have you used in your classes?
Did the assessments provide information for your SLOs?
Revisit Classroom Management
What rules or procedures might you want to revisit and adjust?
How are you revising your classroom rules and procedures for the second half of the school?
Are there rules or procedures that you plan to re-teach or revisit with students? How? Why?
Differentiation
What strategies have you found to be successful for ESOL students?
How are you accommodating students with IEP/504 plans during the instruction of new material/content?
How are you communicating with your support staff to meet the needs of your students?
Secondary
Pacing
Consider your long-range planning. What standards will be your focus moving forward?
How does your pacing compare to the curriculum documents provided by your supervisor?
What skills are your priority?
End of Semester Report Cards
Does there seem to be a pattern in low performances in standards or skills?
What strengths have your students demonstrated in the first half of the school year? How can you build on those strengths?
Assessments
What kinds of assessments have you used in your classes?
Did the assessments provide information for your SLOs?
Revisit Classroom Management
What rules or procedures might you want to revisit and adjust?
How are you revising your classroom rules and procedures for the second half of the school?
Are there rules or procedures that you plan to re-teach or revisit with students? How? Why?
Differentiation
What strategies have you found to be successful for ESOL students?
How are you accommodating students with IEP/504 plans during the instruction of new material/content?
How are you communicating with your support staff to meet the needs of your students?
Professional Development Updates
The Maryland Virtual Professional Learning Opportunities (MVPLO) Spring 2022 Catalog is now available online. For more information visit: https://msde.instructure.com/courses/192/pages/msde-professional-learning-online-course-offerings-and-resources
McDaniel College is hosting a Virtual Open House on Wednesday, January 19, 2022, at 4:30 PM. McDaniel College offers graduate programs for Master's Degree programs, as well as certificate programs. See this flyer for information and register here, or visit www.mcdaniel.edu/gradevents.
Bridges Professional Development - The Math Learning Center is offering a Bridges Quick Start session designed for teachers hired after the start of the school year or who were unable to attend the comprehensive Getting Started training. This 150-minute session provides a basic introduction to the Bridges in Mathematics curriculum.
While not intended to replace the full Getting Started workshop, this session will provide an overview of Problems & Investigations, Number Corner and Work Places, accompanying teaching materials, and assessments. Multiple dates for each grade band are available. Registrants should select the grade band and date that best meets their needs.
January 18, 2022, 1:30 - 4:00 PM Pacific Time (Grades K-2) — Register now
January 20, 2022, 1:30 - 4:00 PM Pacific Time (Grades 3-5) — Register now
January 26, 2022, 3:30 - 6:00 PM Pacific Time (Grades K-2) — Register now
January 27, 2022, 3:30 - 6:00 PM Pacific Time (Grades 3-5) — Register now
These webinars will be at no charge, but will not be recorded.
Those who register to participate, contact Becky Loker at rbloker@smcps.org with your confirmation. Limited stipend funds may still be available.
Schoology Badges
We are bringing back a popular feature for mentors to "brag" about the work of their mentees!! Mentors can award Schoology badges to their mentees in the areas of collaboration, student engagement, their learning environment, and NEW this year, building relationships!
Simply fill out the form below with a description of their actions. The badge will be added to their Schoology profile and an email will be sent to their principal to recognize them. This is an optional method of encouraging your mentees while acknowledging their hard work. Nearly two dozen badges have been awarded!
2021-2022 Schoology Mentor Group
In addition to the information on the SMCPS Induction Website, mentor resources will be posted in the 2021-2022 Mentor Schoology Group.
The 2020-2021 Mentor Schoology Group will be archived, but all mentors will need to join the 2021-2022 group to access the updated resources.
Schoology Group Access Code: 7HKS-8KVG-2R7B9
