B-More Mentor
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News and Updates for Baltimore City Public Schools' Mentors
What is City Schools Induction? City Schools Induction is a three-year, comprehensive program that provides teachers, non-tenured and new to the district, with support structures and professional development opportunities to network and grow as a community of continuous learners dedicated to uncovering effective teaching pedagogy and practices and raising the bar of achievement for all students.
Review this newsletter for important messages and information about (or related to) professional development for mentors and new teachers, teacher support, and new teacher induction.
Please share your successes with us!
Are you and your new teachers plowing through the Instructional Framework? Do you have a heartwarming story to tell? Share your mentoring triumphs with us! We want to hear about all of the wonderful things you are doing in your schools! Email Shanna Warburton-Barnes to share a story here on the B-More Mentor newsletter or share pics with us on Twitter! #bmorementor
Relax, Reorganize, and Rejuvenate!
It's that time of year! As you all know, Ellen Moir created the phases of first year teachers’ attitude toward teaching. Before break, most teachers were in the Disillusionment Phase, but now they should have progressed to the Rejuvenation Phase. This is a great time to help teachers celebrate, reorganize, and make a fresh start in the new year. Take a look at this quick and informative Prezi by Wendy Olsen on the Rejuvenation Phase.
It's Time to Show Your Stuff!
How do you want to highlight your mentor support to new teachers? What supports have you put in place to move teachers' practice and support them in their new roles? We will be collecting evidence of support to new teachers. You will be asked to turn in 2 artifacts from each month (6 artifacts total for September, October, and November). More details about artifacts are explained below.
Evidence Collection of Mentor Support
Artifact Submission Deadlines
Evidence of your mentor support to new teachers will be collected three times this school year.
1. The first deadline is (for September, October, November) Friday, February 27, 2015.
2. The second deadline is (for December, January, February) Thursday, April 2, 2015.
3. The third deadline is (for March, April, May, June) Tuesday, June 30, 2015.
The window for your first submission closes, 11:59 p.m., Friday, February 27, 2015.
Your artifacts will be submitted to the Office of Teacher Support and Development and reviewed by a panel. You will receive confirmation of your submission through an email. AU accreditation for the school year is contingent upon evidence of supports provided.
Review the examples and resources for evidence collection located on the Mentor Academy site (on Office 365) for SMART goal resources, feedback forms, and collaborative assessment logs.
Questions? Email Shanna Warburton-Barnes, District Mentor.
What do my artifacts look like?
These artifacts should exemplify the support you are most proud of with your teachers and has helped them improve their practice. All mentors should be keeping documentation that shows evidence of his/her supports to new teachers. All interactions should be tied to a SMART goal. This includes, but is not limited to: professional development (PD) you facilitated, videos (informal observations, conferences, PD), collaborative assessment logs, sign-in sheets and agendas, feedback forms, data analysis forms, informal observation forms, and SMART goal action plans. One artifact can be multiple pages long.
Choose two items for each month (6 total) that exemplify mentoring supports to new teachers you are directly supporting at your school. Each artifact should highlight the areas of support that made the most impact for your teachers. Include a "summary document" with a brief explanation (3-5 sentences) for each artifact with your uploaded documents.
If you would like more information about artifacts, I will be holding a phone conference, Friday, January 23rd at 4:00 p.m.
Conference Call #: 1-619-326-2772 USE ACCESS CODE: 370-9437
If you have questions about mentor evidence collection, please email mentoracademy@bcps.k12.md.us with your questions.
How do I submit my evidence?
Step 1: Complete the survey (attached to the link below) for the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). This form will document insights to your mentor practice in Baltimore City and help inform next steps for MSDE and the Office of Teacher Support and Development for teacher induction across the city and state. The link will close February 28, 2015 at 12:00 a.m. Maryland Mentor Survey This form is to be completed only once by each mentor in the district.
Step 2: Complete the form (attached to the link below) for each new teacher you support at your school. The link (below) will close February 28, 2015 at 12:00 a.m. *You must complete this form for each teacher you directly support on your caseload.* Mentor Support Tracker Link
Step 3: Your artifacts should be submitted through Office 365. Using the shared space, create a folder for your school to upload your artifacts and share it with "Shanna Warburton". Label every photo, document, or video with your first and last name and your school number and artifact number (Example: Shanna.Warburton.207.Artifact1). *Make sure to include a word document listing your six artifacts with a brief summary for each item. This should be completed by February 27, 2015 at 11:59 p.m.
Need help with Office 365?
If you need additional assistance with getting on Office 365, please use this link to contact ITD Support.
If you need additional assistance with creating a folder on Office 365, please use this video link and click on "Create a new folder."
Spring 2015 MSDE Professional Development
If you need credits to renew your certificate, MSDE Professional Development for Teachers has released the Spring 2015 Online Professional Development catalog at https://msde.blackboard.com. Registration is open through February 1st. All courses are delivered and managed by MSDE. Course costs vary but all offer Continuing Professional Development Credits (CPDs).
Twitter for Professional Learning
Office of Teacher Support and Development
City Schools Induction Program:
Meredith Stolte, Director, Teacher Support and Development
Shanna Warburton-Barnes, District Mentor
Tina Jablonowski, Coordinator, New Teacher Support
Email: snwarburton@bcps.k12.md.us
Website: https://www.bcpss.org/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp
Location: 200 East North Avenue, Room 212, Baltimore, MD, United States
Phone: 443-642-3990
Twitter: @shannaw77