Gates Chili Central School District

1. The New York State Education Department (NYSED) mandates a mentored experience for all teachers in their first year of teaching who are new to the profession and who hold an initial certificate or provisional certificate. 
2. If a Gates Chili Teachers Association (GCTA) staff member is in their first year of teaching and holds an initial or provisional certificate, a mentor will be assigned to provide 20 required hours of direct contact time meeting with their mentee or coaching within the mentee’s classroom. 
3. If a GCTA staff member is in their first year in the Gates Chili Central School District but has previous teaching and mentoring experience, a mentor will be assigned to provide 10 hours of direct contact time meeting with their mentee or coaching within the mentee’s classroom.
4. The Mentor Program is designed to help staff new to the profession and/or new to Gates Chili transition into teaching in the district.
5. The Mentor Program will provide new staff with support in areas including, but not limited to, effective teaching techniques, classroom management, assessment, literacy and district policies and procedures.
6. The Mentor Program is intended to maximize the retention rate of highly qualified teachers and provide ongoing support to teachers new to the profession.

Responsibilities

• Successful completion of Mentoring Matters training led by approved trainer
• Collaboration with their mentee for 10 or 20 hours as assigned during the school year to offer support and guidance
• Planning and organizing meeting times to focus on mentee needs, instructional planning, classroom organization, strength-based student management observations, review of student work, pre- and post-observations, district curriculum, goals, policies and procedures, building-specific nuances and more
• Model professional conduct
• Maintain an electronic log of meeting times and overview of topics discussed
• Submit, in collaboration with mentee, electronic meeting log to the Office of Professional Learning  by Jan. 15 for midpoint check-in and June 15 to verify completion and receive stipend
• Participation in one Spartan Way training with assigned mentee at the end of the year
• Collaboration and communication with the Director of Student and Staff Success to share updates and assess program success and improvements
• Commitment to participation in ongoing professional learning as needed in alignment with district priorities
• Ensure additional requirements of observations and learning labs (see page four of mentoring handbook) are completed

Approval process

• GCTA staff interested in becoming mentors must have received tenure in Gates Chili
• Staff must complete a mentor-teacher application, submit two recommendations and a principal endorsement during the open application period in the spring (incomplete applications will not be considered)
• Applicants will be notified of the status of their application via email prior to the end of the school year
• Approved mentors must attend madatory NYSED-approved Mentoring Matters training prior to being assigned a mentee
• Mentors are considered “active” in the district mentor pool for three years, after which they must retake mentor training to continue as an approved mentor

Mentee pairing

• Mentor-mentee pairs will be determined in collaboration with building and district administrators
• Mentor-mentee pairings will be communicated via email from the Office of Professional Learning
• Limit of two mentees per mentor per school year

Stipend

• Per GCTA agreement, mentors will be compensated at a rate of $75 per hour ($1500 annually for 20 hours, $750 annually for 10 hours)
• Mentors will receive stipend after submitting final electronic log to the Office of Professional Development in June
• Stipends may be prorated if a mentee is assigned for only part of the school year (if total contact hours are not met by the end of the year, mentorship will continue the following year and remaining payment will be made upon completion of hours)   

Responsibilities

• Attend New Staff Orientation prior to the start of the school year to participate in various training sessions and learn district practices and expectations
• Participation in the yearlong Spartan Way in-service training (meets seven times per year for a total of 10 hours, earns professional learning hours) 
• Participation in mentor-mentee meetings
• Participation in 10 or 20 hours as assigned of direct contact with your mentor on a variety of topics
• Submit, in collaboration with mentor, an electronic meeting log to the Office of Professional Learning by Jan. 15 for midpoint check-in and June 15 to verify completion and receive stipend
• Regular communication with your mentor and other support systems (teacher leaders, directors, principals, etc.) as needed and/or suggested
• Collaboration and communication with the Director of Student and Staff Success to share updates and assess program success and improvements
• Commitment to participation in ongoing professional learning as needed and aligned district priorities (i.e. Culturally Responsive Sustaining Education, Therapeutic Crisis Intervention, Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling)
• Ensure additional requirements of observations and learning labs (see page four of Mentoring Handbook) are completed