Mentor/Mentee Expectations

The General Brown Central School District recognizes the valuable role provided by a mentor to new teachers. The purpose of the mentoring program, as set forth by the Commissioner's Regulations, is to provide support for new teachers to ease the transition from preparation to practice. The goal of mentoring is to increase the skills of new teachers and assist districts in retaining highly qualified teachers. More importantly, the benefits accrued from a mentoring relationship ultimately help the students. Educators acting as a mentor to the new classroom teacher as part of a school district or BOCES’ mentoring program may, at the discretion of the school district or BOCES, credit up to 30 hours towards their CTLE requirement in each five-year registration period.  

Mentor Expectations:

• Attend the New Staff Orientation luncheon with the mentee in August.
• Attend a mid-year and end-of-the-year meeting with the mentee and the building principal.
• Share your knowledge about lesson planning, useful classroom management strategies, long and short-term planning, and curriculum development.
• Assist the mentee in preparing for the first day of school.
• Help mentees with procedural demands of the school (lunch count, announcements, nurse’s office, arrival/dismissal procedures, grade reporting, attendance).
• Provide moral and emotional support and function as a sounding board for new ideas.
• Assist mentee with developing classroom management and discipline procedures.
• Engage mentee in self-assessment and reflection on their own practice.
• Provide support and honest professional feedback as mentees experiment with new ideas and strategies.

Mentee Expectations:

• Use active listening skills during discussions with your mentor, take notes when appropriate, and ask questions.
• Receive feedback with a positive attitude. Your mentor will provide honest feedback and accept it as an opportunity to strengthen and improve.
• Honor your mentor’s time.
• Be prepared to ask specific questions and seek guidance and advice from your mentor.
• Let your mentor know that you have followed advice and/or suggestions, even if you modified the suggestions. Pointing out that you used your mentor's suggestions and sharing outcomes is important for the mentor/mentee relationship.  

Log of Program Activities:

• Mentors and Mentees will be paid at the contractual curriculum rate for 7 hours per year outside of the contractual day to meet together.  These hours are in addition to the new staff orientation day traditionally held at the end of the summer.
• Mentors and Mentees will submit a Mentor/Mentee form on Frontline to be paid for the hours met that occurred outside the contractual day.  This can be done at any time after the completion of the 7 hours.

Monthly Suggestions for Mentor/Mentees

Summer:

• Mentor will attend the new staff orientation and have lunch with the mentee.
• Introduce yourself to the mentee and introduce your mentee to staff members in your building (nurse, counselor(s), department heads, secretarial staff, etc.).
• Take a tour of the building.
• Share library checkout procedures for books and materials.
• Tour the teacher copy room. Show how to use copy machines, etc.  
• Share teacher dress code (Friday dress down days).
• Review any assigned duty (cafeteria, bus, walker, etc.) expectations.
• Review master schedule and lunch schedule.
• Review grade level daily classroom schedules (Intervention blocks, recess,etc.).
• Share first day/week lesson plans and activities.
• Explain student arrival and dismissal procedures.
• Explain contracted hours for teachers.
• Discuss playground rules
• Discuss the student Code of Conduct
• Explain procedures for attendance, tardies, lunch count.
• Discuss procedures for fire drills, lockdown, lock-in/lock-out, evacuation.
• Set up a schedule to meet monthly with mentee.
• Discuss any FYI issues regarding building culture and customs (Morning meet-up, assemblies etc.).
• Review Grade Level, Department and Faculty meeting schedules.  
• Set up a scheduled time to meet with the building principal and mentee for September.

September:

• Discuss how teaching is going and answer any questions mentee may have.
• Discuss and/or assist in developing personal professional goals.
• Review grade book feature on SchoolTool (if using) and record-keeping systems.
• Review homework procedures and share ideas regarding assignment submission by students.
• Review student make-up work procedures.
• Discuss any benchmark assessments that will be administered.
• Discuss communication with parents (email, phone calls and log, ParentSquare).
• Discuss Special Education and/or RtI/AIS referral process.
• Discuss concerns that they may have about students and offer suggestions for possible interventions.
• Set up a scheduled time to meet with the building principal and mentee for October.

October:

• Share and bring each other up to date on what has been happening in your classrooms.
• Review monthly district/building activities (open house, PTO meetings, grade level meetings, faculty meetings, etc.).
• Discuss formal observations and expectations in Frontline.
• Discuss 5-week progress reports and how to do them in SchoolTool (Jr/Sr. High School only).
• Examine/discuss any challenges and offer suggestions (classroom management, particular student behaviors, etc.).
• Discuss school holiday procedures (parties, food, activities).
• Review SchoolTool and/or personal gradebook and answer questions about grading.
• Set up a scheduled time to meet with the building principal and mentee for November.

November: 

• Share and bring each other up to date on what has been happening in your classrooms.
• Review monthly district/building activities (open house, PTO meetings, grade level meetings, faculty meetings, etc.).
• Discuss parent teacher conferences and tips on how to conduct.
• Share parent teacher conference sign ups (ParentSquare, Sign-up Genius, paper/pencil).
• Explain how to do report cards in SchoolTool.
• Discuss formal observations and informal observations and expectations (Frontline; acknowledge).
• Examine/discuss the classroom management/discipline plan and maintaining classroom control.
• Review holiday units and activities.
• Discuss procedures for snow days, two-hour delays, and remote instruction day.
• Discuss how busy both professionally and personally it is between Thanksgiving and Holiday Break and how to keep students engaged and productive.
• Set up a scheduled time to meet with the building principal and mentee for December.

December: 

• Share and bring each other up to date on what has been happening in your classrooms.
• Review monthly district/building activities (open house, PTO meetings, grade level meetings, faculty meetings, etc.).
• Discuss formal observations and informal observations and expectations (Frontline; acknowledge).
• Discuss and share how parent-teacher conferences went and any changes you would make the following year.
• Review 5-week progress reports and how to do them in SchoolTool (Jr/Sr. High School only).
• Review classroom supplies and textbook requisition procedures.  
• Brainstorm and share ideas on how to plan meaningful and engaging activities for the days prior to Holiday recess.
• Set up a scheduled time to meet with the building principal and mentee for January.

January:

• Share and bring each other up to date on what has been happening in your classrooms.
• Review monthly district/building activities (open house, PTO meetings, grade level meetings, faculty meetings, etc).
• Review procedures for January Regents (Jr.Sr. High School only).
• Review report card procedures on Frontline.
• Discuss formal observations and informal observations, and expectations (Frontline; acknowledge).
• Examine second-semester classes and schedule (Jr./Sr. High School only).
• Discuss contacting parents of students who are struggling.
• Set up a scheduled time to meet with the building principal and mentee for February.

February:

• Share and bring each other up to date on what has been happening in your classrooms.
• Review monthly district/building activities (open house, PTO meetings, grade level meetings, faculty meetings, etc).
• Discuss formal observations and informal observations, and expectations (Frontline; acknowledge).
• Discuss upcoming Computer-Based State testing and how to prepare students for the test (grade 3-8).
• Set up a scheduled time to meet with the building principal and mentee for March.

March: 

• Share and bring each other up to date on what has been happening in your classrooms.
• Review monthly district/building activities (open house, PTO meetings, grade level meetings, faculty meetings, etc).
• Review 5-week progress reports and how to do them in SchoolTool (Jr/Sr. High School only).
• Review the Computer-Based State testing expectations and how to prepare students for the upcoming tests (grade 3-8).
• Set up a scheduled time to meet with the building principal and mentee for April.

April:

• Share and bring each other up to date on what has been happening in your classrooms.
• Review monthly district/building activities (open house, PTO meetings, grade level meetings, faculty meetings, etc).
• Review report card procedures on Frontline.
• Review computer-based state testing procedures and suggestions for a conducive testing environment (grades 3-8).
• Discuss procedures for setting up field trips and required forms.
• Set up a scheduled time to meet with the building principal and mentee for May.

May: 

• Share and bring each other up to date on what has been happening in your classrooms.
• Review monthly district/building activities (open house, PTO meetings, grade level meetings, faculty meetings, etc).
• Review Computer state testing procedures and suggestions for a conducive testing environment (grades 3-8).
• Review 5-week progress reports and how to do them in SchoolTool (Jr/Sr. High School only).
• Review end-of-the-year events such as field days, graduation, moving up day, etc.)
• Set up a scheduled time to meet with the building principal and mentee for June.

June:

• Share and bring each other up to date on what has been happening in your classrooms.
• Review monthly district/building activities (open house, PTO meetings, grade level meetings, faculty meetings, etc).
• Discuss procedures for closing your classrooms for the summer.
• Discuss end-of-the-year paperwork requirements.
• Review report card procedures on Frontline.
• CELEBRATE A SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL YEAR!!