Update #20 - June 06, 2022
Upcoming Dates of Interest
Friday, June 10, 2022 - Last day for Head Start and PreK Students
Wednesday, June 15, 2022 - Two Hour Early Dismissal (Last day for students grades K-12)
Thursday - Friday, June 16-17, 2022 - Professional Responsibilities
Friday, June 17, 2022 - Last Day for 10-month Employees
Final New Teacher Update
This is the final installment of the New Teacher Update for the school year 2021-2022. Congratulations! You are reaching the final days with your students this school year. I hope that you take some time to reflect on your successes and make note of the things you learned along the way to make the next school year even more successful!
Thank you to the many non-tenured teachers and mentors who provided feedback on your experience with the induction program this year. You shared some great ideas that we can use to improve the induction program next year. Your time and comments are appreciated.
I hope that you were able to use some of the end-of-the-school-year suggestions in the last update to close out your school year in a positive and engaging way that will leave your students with fond memories of your classroom.
One last Star Wars reference for the road . . . Teaches, Yoda Does: Appreciating Teachers in #StarWars
Have a wonderful and restful summer and I look forward to seeing you in August! ~Heather
Articles of Interest
End of Year: 21 Unexpected Last-Day-of-School Activities Your Students Will Love by Jill Staake, WeAreTeachers
Inspiration: 30 of the Best End of School Year Quotes by Jeanne Croteau, WeAreTeachers
Formative Assessment: 5 Review Activities That Kids Actually Like by Sarah Gonser, Edutopia
Topics for Mentor Meetings - June
Elementary
Completing the School Year
Are you clear about your role with end-of-the-year responsibilities?
Classroom: Will it be used for summer recovery? What needs to be boxed or covered for cleaning?
Report Cards: Finalizing SBRC in TAC and Schoology
Materials: Inventorying textbooks, device collection, archiving Schoology courses
Do you have any questions about check-out procedures?
SLO/Final Evaluation
When is your final SLO meeting?
What data have you gathered to address your goals?
What have you learned from the SLO process this year?
Do you have any areas of focus you want to consider for next school year?
End-of-Year Reflection
Set aside time to reflect on your school year:
What is a memory from this school year that makes you smile?
What are you most proud of this school year?
What was most helpful in your mentoring interactions this year?
What would you want to change for next year? (That is within your control)
What are your concerns for the start of the next school year?
Do you have a goal that you want to revisit in August as you begin to plan?
Consider what you want from mentoring next school year:
What supports do you want to continue with your mentor?
How do you want your mentor relationship to grow and change?
What is one area in which you would like to focus your mentoring time? (ex: classroom and workload management, collaboration, lesson planning)
Secondary
Completing the School Year
Are you clear about your role with end-of-the-year responsibilities?
Classroom: Will it be used for summer recovery? What needs to be boxed or covered for cleaning?
Report Cards: Finalizing grades in TAC and Schoology
Materials: Inventorying textbooks, device collection, archiving Schoology courses
Do you have any questions about check-out procedures?
SLO/Final Evaluation
When is your final SLO meeting?
What data have you gathered to address your goals?
What have you learned from the SLO process this year?
Do you have any areas of focus you want to consider for next school year?
End-of-Year Reflection
Set aside time to reflect on your school year:
What is a memory from this school year that makes you smile?
What are you most proud of this school year?
What was most helpful in your mentoring interactions this year?
What would you want to change for next year? (That is within your control)
What are your concerns for the start of the next school year?
Do you have a goal that you want to revisit in August as you begin to plan?
Consider what you want from mentoring next school year:
What supports do you want to continue with your mentor?
How do you want your mentor relationship to grow and change?
What is one area in which you would like to focus your mentoring time? (ex: classroom and workload management, collaboration, lesson planning)
Looking Forward - Continuing Educational Opportunities
Looking to access tuition reimbursement opportunities this summer?
Several conditionally certified teachers are starting or continuing to take classes toward Maryland certification. Remember that tuition reimbursement starts fresh on July 1, 2022, so please be sure to reach out to hrdcertification@smcps.org or check out the details on the Human Resources page HERE.
Looking for professional development opportunities?
Be sure to check out The Signal for local opportunities and Professional Development Portal HERE. For online professional learning opportunities throughout the summer, consider Thinkport Education HERE or MSDE Professional Learning Online Courses HERE.
Mentor Log Data
Based on the logs submitted by your mentors this school year, you have had a productive year in the induction program! Below are some of the highlights!
This year, mentors and non-tenured teachers:
Spent 7,257.5 hours mentoring
Each mentee spent an average of 49.7 minutes a week with their mentor
Non-tenured teachers participated in +641 walkthrough experiences!
A variety of walkthrough experiences were completed throughout the year. While most of the experiences were mentors taking time to view their mentees, many non-tenured teachers were given many opportunities to see master teachers in action.
Based on the weekly logs, many mentors participated in coaching conversations with their mentees, and classroom management was also a frequent topic.
TPAS Domain Rubrics
As you are each experiencing your first round of observations, please be aware of the Teacher Performance Assessment System (TPAS) rubric as it will be used to provide feedback to you from your observers. Each month at New Teacher Seminar will focus on various components within the Teacher Performance Assessment System (TPAS) rubrics. Classroom observations will generally focus on Domains 1-3 and your SLO will focus on Domain 5. Domain 4 is an evaluation of your all-around professional responsibilities. Links to each of the rubrics for each domain are located below.
The Signal
Have you seen the Signal? The Signal is the bi-weekly newsletter from SMCPS for all staff. It includes important information for all staff, and has a few professional articles for your reading as well. Take a look - www.smcps.org/signal.
