Principal Resources

Announcements for Principals

Submit the Mentor Assignment Log to the Leadership Development Department, so we can reach your 2008–2009 mentors.
Make sure mentors have the Mentor Handbook.
Ask teacher mentors to establish semester plans with their new teachers.
Ask all mentors and new teachers to view this Web site for program information.
Ask all late hires to complete the Online Video Component as soon as possible.

WHO NEEDS A MENTOR?

ALL new to DPS teachers and other service providers need to have a mentor assigned to them.

Novice teachers
Experienced teachers from out of state or from other districts
- Any new to district teacher who holds a current CO Professional License may opt out of the Mentoring component with your approval by submitting the Mentor Waiver Form to our office.
Counselors, Nurses, Psychologists, (other service providers).
- You may contact Department Supervisors as they often are prepared to make these assignments with current qualified staff.

The following documents should be submitted by principals to the Leadership Development office.

Document

Who Uses

How to Use

Mentor Assignment Log (Word)

Principals

Principals use this form to report mentor assignments to Induction Manager.

Information/updates are shared through the Mentor Distribution list which is comprised of all Mentor Assignment Logs.

The form also allows our office to process Mentor Stipends on time.

Mentor Waiver Form (Word)

Principals

Principals use this form to approve a mentor waiver for any new to district teachers who hold a current CO Professional License.

Please document this decision on the Mentor Assignment Form by writting "Mentor Waiver Form" under the Mentor column for teachers who take advantage of this option.

To learn more about mentoring, go to the Mentor Resources page.

Principal Checklist

This checklist is meant to serve as a resource of tips and suggestions for principals supporting new teachers and mentors.

Assign mentors before the start of the school year or as soon as possible after new teachers begin during the school year.
Submit Mentor Waiver Forms for Professionally licensed new teachers when appropriate.
Make sure mentors and new teachers know about this Web site.
Encourage mentors to call new teachers before the start of the year.
Introduce new teachers to their mentors on their first day in the building.
Welcome all new teachers on their first day at your school.
Make sure new teachers are oriented to school procedures.
Ensure that you offer ongoing support.
Make sure teachers have the needed supplies to teach—furniture, necessary texts/books, materials such as math manipulatives, student journals, etc.
When considering assignments, consider:
- reducing class size;
- refraining from assigning the most challenging students;
- minimizing extracurricular and committee assignments; and
- maximizing planning time and opportunities to work with mentors.
To ensure that new teachers have a successful year teaching, set clear expectations—help new teachers understand your school culture.
Do whatever you can to allow your teachers to teach (e.g., minimize interruptions, amount of paperwork, offer help with assessments)!
Don’t underestimate how much giving continuous positive feedback to all staff whenever possible boosts the morale of your school.
Lead by example.
Demonstrate mutual respect.
Emphasize with all staff that everyone needs to work together—experienced staff and novice staff need to be a community of learners.
Help reduce isolation—encourage collaboration and open, honest two-way communication.
Be available for new teachers to help them deal with the reality shock of first year teaching (e.g., “I thought I could just come and teach. Yet I have discipline problems, don’t understand what I’m supposed to teach, how to assess, interact with parents, work with my teammates").
Encourage all teachers to continually reflect on their practice each day.
Encourage complex thinking to aid in teachers developing best practices that contribute to their success.
Strive to close the gap between college preparation/student teaching, and continuous, job-embedded professional development.

If you have technical questions about this Web site, contact Joel' Bradley-Hess at
joel_bradley-hess@dpsk12.org or 720-423-3723.