Mentoring Newsletter
A guide to working with mentees at your school site
April's Mentoring Focus
Hello, Mentors.
Wow, so much has changed since the last newsletter -- I hope you and your families stay healthy and safe! Your support in mentoring our newest teachers is needed now more than ever. Although none of us have gone through what we are currently dealing with globally, as a mentor, you offer guidance as a role model navigating through uncharted territory. Your mentees still need your support and need to hear from you on a regular basis. Check out coaching teachers for online learning during a crisis for some great tips!
Brevard County teachers have an enormous amount of talent and energy, and I have learned so much from all of you in observations and what you have shared with me. Online teaching might be new for some of us, and this could be an area where some of your mentees could be supporting their mentors! Take this time to really pick each others' brains to see what is out there to best teach our students.
As far as mentoring updates from the FLDOE, nothing has changed. Teachers on a temporary certificate and in their first year, need to be mentored weekly. These teachers now have the option of getting a two-year extension on their temporary certificate but one of the requirements is that they have participated in the two-year mentoring program and the mentoring is documented. Thank you for keeping up with the documentation!
A question that many of our mentees might have at this time is the BPS reappointment timeline for the next school year. That timeline has not changed. Although most of our mentees will be reappointed, there may be a few who are not due to reduction in force at your school or job performance. Administrators have most likely already shared this information with your mentees and there will be no surprises. You may be a sounding board, however, for those looking for a new position. If you have specific questions about the timeline or how to respond to a mentee's situation, please let me know. This can be an emotional time for you and your mentee and I would like to help walk you through it.
I did this newsletter as a one-month focus based on a tentative May 4th return. If any new information comes up that would help your support for our new teachers, I will update you. As always, thank you so much for everything you do. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out! YOU ALL ROCK!
-Bridget Reed
1. Personal: Please reach out to your mentee regularly - by phone, if possible. If one of your mentees is a relatively new graduate and away from family, check in on them more often. Social distancing is going to be challenging for most of us but if your new teacher is home alone, it could be even more trying. We don't want anyone feeling isolated and alone.
2. Professional: Emphasize to your mentees that we are still under contract to work a full day, albeit flexible. Social media posts need to reflect professionalism and commitment to providing the best education for our students. ***Please***discuss this with all of your mentees as there have already been just a few red flags arise within the last few days in this area. Obvious no-nos: Photos showing alcohol use or outside social or business activities at times when teachers say they are working for BPS. Although this may be an uncomfortable conversation, it truly is in the best interest of supporting our mentees. We want what is best for them! Contact me if you would like to practice going over having a hard conversation again. Your CET or peer coach training might have been awhile ago and, if you are feeling unsettled in this area, that's what I am here for!
3. Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment: Focus on supporting our district online initiatives.
4. Organizational Systems: Check in with the new teachers on their record keeping systems. Review school reports they need to complete, grade books, attendance logs, and parent contact records as appropriate.
5. Students: Focus on consistent communication and support.
6. Colleagues: Ask the principal, as appropriate, to give you a heads-up about any upcoming teaching assignment decisions for the new teachers so that you can be prepared to support the new teacher in dealing with the changes.
7. School Systems: Keep your mentees informed of any school information that might be occurring behind the scenes.
8. Parents and Community: Communication, communication, communication is going to be the number one focus in this area. We need to model professionalism, consistency and flexibility for our mentees.
*Special Educators: Support your mentees by making sure they know what is required in supporting their students - or where to get the information.
Focus area topics taken from Paula Rutherford's Just Ask Publications
Smiles and support remotely from a few of our hardworking school-based mentors . You all are The HEART OF BREVARD! 💚
Elizabeth Adams, Jenny Noe, Tina Issacs, Mikki Corriveau, and Nicole Swenson
BPS Ed Technology: links to resource websites with tech tools for remote instruction
Reading endorsement at the elementary school level:
BPS Reading Endorsement Add On program information:
New Teacher Induction Program
Email: stanley.lisa@brevardschools.org
Website: https://www.brevardschools.org/Page/7999
Location: 2700 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Melbourne, FL, USA
Phone: 321-633-1000