New Teacher Handbook

Where do I go? Who do I ask? Quick Reference

People to Know Michelle White Catherine Burgess Beverly Pollock & Angela Powers Marie Pruett, ▪ Main Office ▪ Attendance Office Patti Wyrick ▪Guidance Office Norma Piestrak, &

▪ Aesop (sub system) ▪ Substitute lesson plans ▪ Computer Lab 806 ▪ Attendance Crystal Holder Grades ▪ Receipt books ▪ Student sign in and sign out ▪ Lab reservations ▪ ▪ Media Center Report Cards ▪ Purchases+ ▪ Activity buses ▪ Technology trouble ▪ ▪ Library reservations Reimbursements Student Data ▪ Supplies shooting ▪ ▪ Laptop cart reservations ▪ Teacher attendance ▪ Technology integration & check out

▪ Field Trip Permission ▪ Book & DVD check out forms ▪ Copier + Riso codes ▪ Fundraising permission + summary reports Mrs. Smith Joyce Stewart Brenda Dean Russell Taylor Main Office EC department chair Athletic Director ▪ Gate Duty ▪ ▪  Career ▪ Teacher relocation IEP’s + modifications Development ▪ School calendar ▪ ▪ Announcements Coordinator ▪ WHHS wiki ▪ maintenance  Room 701 ▪ Phones Wendy Stone, RN Lindsey Drobnich Angel Fallin ▪ School Nurse  Instructional Coach ▪ Student Advocate ▪ Main Office ▪ Room 410/616 ▪ CTE Testing ▪ Lesson Plans & PLC ▪ Room 714 Administration Mr. Pearson, Principal Mrs. Pope, AP Mrs. Rosser, AP Mrs. Young, AP ▪ Human Resources ▪ Buses ▪ Testing ▪ 9th grade discipline ▪ EVAAS/School data and ▪ 10th grade discipline ▪ 11th grade discipline ▪ 12th grade (A-F) discipline accountability ▪ 12th grade (G-M) discipline ▪ 12th grade (N-Z) discipline ▪ Textbooks ▪ Discipline ▪ AP Course audits ▪ Buildings & Maintenance ▪ Teacher attendance Important Places Media Center Mailroom PLC Room Computer Labs Teacher Workrooms ▪ Check out books, ▪ Teacher mailboxes ▪Room 616 ▪ Lab 806 + Lab 604 ▪ Located in 422 & 802 technology resources ▪ Copier + Riso machine ▪ Location of weekly PLC ▪ Available for student use for ▪ Copier + Riso machines ▪ Use for student ▪ Vending meetings research, computer + printer ▪ Refrigerator + microwave research ▪ Daily teacher sign in ▪ Teacher instructional access ▪Location of most resources faculty meetings ▪ Supplies—bulletin board paper, letter cutter ▪ Laminating machine Guidance Counselors Susan Manning Meredith Odum Tedra O’Neal Lauren Banker ▪ Students A-C ▪ Students D-J ▪ Students K-Q ▪ Students R-Z ▪ Bullying taskforce ▪ AP testing ▪ 504 plans/MODs ▪ Driver’s Eligibility ▪ Senior Awards/scholarships ▪ PSAT testing ▪ Assistance team

Page | 2 Western Harnett High School New Teacher Handbook

Money, Money, Money

¶ Turn in receipt books EACH DAY by designated time (12:00 pm); if you accept money after that time, date the receipt for the next day

¶ Don’t make purchases and/or plan for reimbursements without consulting Michelle White

¶ Fundraisers and Field Trips must be approved by the Board of Education at their monthly meetings

o Get forms turned into Michelle White well in advance of the Board’s scheduled meeting

o Fundraiser request forms are found in the mailroom

o Field Trip forms are available on the Teacher Shared folder

When You’re Gone

¶ Use Aesop to schedule absences (available from Staff Pages)

o Book your absences as far in advance as possible

o Want a certain sub? Ask the sub and then ask Catherine Burgess! Don’t assume because you talked to the sub that everything will work out!

o ALWAYS leave meaningful lessons plans, specific directions about your daily routine, and emergency procedures (fire drill, tornado drill, etc) when you’re away and a roster of your students so the substitute can take attendance. A movie is not an adequate lesson plan in your absence.

o Turn in your five days of EMERGENCY LESSON PLANS to Catherine Burgess

Another One Rides the Bus

¶ See Catherine Burgess to schedule an Activity Bus

o This must be done prior to completing and turning in your field trip form

o Don’t assume that you’ll just be able to hop on one and go

Count Me In

¶ ALWAYS sign in every day using your fob! Sign in stations are located in the main office and the attendance office.

¶ You are expected to be on duty by 7:15 in the morning. That means you’re at your duty station or you are in your classroom by that time.

o Sign out with Michelle White if you leave campus. Make sure Mrs. White knows that you’re gone and who is in charge of your class.

Page | 3 o Make sure Mrs. Burgess and/or Mrs. Smith knows you will be off campus.

o ALWAYS get permission from administration before leaving.

¶ ALWAYS take attendance in each of your classes, preferably at the beginning of class.

o If you don’t get it done, Mrs. Angela Powers has to enter it by hand, and that’s not fair.

o Email Mrs. Powers to make corrections if necessary.

o ALWAYS leave a roster for a sub to send to Mrs. Powers if you’re absent.

Where Are You?

¶ In the event that you leave your classroom with your students, ALWAYS let Mrs. Smith know that you’re changing locations. You can send her a quick email letting her know where you’ll be for which periods.

Making the Grade

¶ It is the WHHS Expectation that teachers will input grades in PowerSchool regularly and update these routinely

o Update grades by Monday morning each week

o Give out progress reports at least every 3 weeks

o Encourage students and their parents to get access to the student + parent portal of PowerSchool so they can keep up with their performance. It’s Your Duty!

¶ ALWAYS do your duty!

o During your planning period: tardy police, hall monitoring, parking lot monitoring, etc.

o Before + After school: Be outside in the hallway before the morning bell and after the ending bell. Make sure that students enter and exit classrooms and the building in an orderly fashion.

o Game Duty: Don’t forget about this and realize that if you don’t show up, you put a very unfair burden on someone else.

o Prom & Graduation: these are big experiences for our students and you’ll have to be at both events and will be assigned duties at each.

o Things will pop up throughout the year, things that you will be expected to complete in a timely fashion. Some examples may include teacher surveys, EVAAS roster verification, test training, and other professional development. Make sure to attend. What’s Going On??

¶ Make sure to join the Western Harnett High School wiki. Here you’ll have access to important forms as well as the WHHS calendar which is full of all the important dates and times of what’s going on. http://westernharnetthigh.wikispaces.com/

¶ If you want to add an event to the calendar, print off the calendar approval form and turn it into Michelle White. Student attendance

¶ Students who were absent should bring you a white slip notifying you of their absence and their excuse. Sign this for the class period that the student is assigned to you. Fourth period teachers keep these white slips. Create a folder, envelope, binder ring, or designated place for these. If a student perpetually comes in without a slip after an absence, please remind the student about the attendance policy and the importance of bringing in their excuses.

¶ If a student is checking out early, they may have an early dismissal note. The student must obtain the dismissal note from the attendance committee before school begins. Make sure the student shows you the note before they are released to check out.

Making Copies Page | 5 ¶ Teachers receive a certain number of copies on the copiers and Riso machines. Copies are reset at the beginning of each month.

¶ Please use the RISO machines to make class sets of copies (anything over 25) and use the copiers for smaller quantities. These run out fast, so make sure you don’t exhaust the resource.

¶ Remove your number from the machine after you finish; otherwise, the person who comes after you may use your copies— inadvertently or intentionally. If someone’s number is still in the machine, clear the number first; it’s the right thing to do!

¶ If you run out of copies or have a problem, please see Mrs. Holder in the Media Center.

¶ If you don’t know how to fix a machine or how to work it, ask or stay away. Call Mrs. Holder if the copier is being troublesome.

¶ Try your best to conserve paper. Print front to back whenever possible; print two pages to one off the printer if you can. Discipline

¶ It is the expectation at WHHS that you will handle discipline accordingly with the understanding that there are major and minor infractions and all infractions need to be dealt with fairly. You are in charge of your classroom; you set the rules and you are in charge of enforcing those rules.

o The best way to ensure you don’t have discipline problems is to have good time management, student engagement, and consistency in enforcing your rules.

o Administrators should not have to be your classroom managers. You should not write up every minor infraction that occurs in your class. You need to attempt to correct the behavior, and only when your efforts are not enough should an administrator be notified (via a write up).

o Major infractions are different—skipping, vulgar + malicious outbursts, violence towards other students are all things that need administrative back up.

¶ Some things to keep in mind:

o We do not condone students being removed from the classroom for long periods of time. If you send a student into the hallway, he/she should not be there more than 3-5 minutes before you go outside and address the problem.

o If you send a student to the office, a write-up must accompany that student. You may also want to notify Mrs. Smith in the front office that a student is on his/her way. Just telling a student to get out of your room and giving him/her no direction is not acceptable.

o Before you write up a student for a minor infraction, make sure that you have covered all your bases—did talk with the student one-on-one? Did you contact the parent? Did you give the student another chance? Have you talked to his other teachers? Only when you feel you have exhausted your avenues should you write up a student.

Academic success

¶ If you have a student who is in danger of failing your class, please take steps to reach that student before it is too late. Here are a few steps that teachers at WHHS take:

Page | 6 Western Harnett High School New Teacher Handbook o Speak with the student directly to explain your concerns and ask if there is anything he or she needs to be successful. o Refer the student to our Student Advocate (Mrs. Angel Fallin). o Make contact with the student’s parent or guardian to discuss ideas to help the student have success in your class. o Make contact with the student’s guidance counselor. o Complete an academic success contract if the student has failed your class for the first marking period. Examples of success contracts can be found on the WHHS wiki and can be tailored to fit your needs.

Page | 7 Daily schedule

Morning Bell (Breakfast) 7:20-7:35

Tardy Bell 7:35

1st Period 7:35-8:55

2nd Period 9:00-10:20

Soar 10:25 – 11:05

3rd Period 11:10-1:05

4th Period 1:10-2:30

All unsupervised students to have vacated the building by the 2:45 pm bell.

Tardy policy

1st Tardy Verbal Warning

2nd Tardy Tardy letter sent home via student from teacher

3rd Tardy Parent called by teacher and notified that student will serve 1 full period of ASD as assigned by administrator

4th Tardy Two periods ASD – Assigned by Administrator

5th Tardy All Day OSS – Assigned by the Administrator

6th Tardy Parent Conference with student and Administrator.

Attendance policy

¶ A 9-12 student is expected to attend school for 180 days unless absent for lawful reasons. High school students should be in attendance a minimum of 83 days per semester or 166 days per school year to receive credit for a course.

¶ Any student who accumulates and exceeds 7 absences for any course during a semester is in immediate jeopardy of receiving a failing grade and receiving no credit for the course.

¶ Students with more than 7 absences will be required to complete an attendance portfolio in order to be eligible to receive credit for the course. Portfolios are designed by the teachers of the course and should require about 15 hours of work for the student.

¶ The attendance committee will evaluate the work and send out a list at the end of the semester to tell you if your perpetually absent student(s) will receive credit for the course.

ADMIT SLIPS

EARLY DISMISSAL SLIPS

Page | 9 New Teacher Suggested To-Do List (in no particular order)

 Set up your classroom phone and voicemail box. See Mrs. Michelle White if you have questions or if it needs to be reset.

 Prepare your room. We want these in good shape for Open House.

 Have a short letter or list to hand out on Open House night. You might want to have a sign in sheet to see who was actually there.

 Have your course syllabus ready to hand out to students on day one.

 Complete your five days of emergency lesson plans. See if your colleagues, especially those who teach the same course, have anything they will share with you.

 Label your desks to create a seating chart.

 Compile your homeroom packets; students receive a lot of information on day one. It’s usually easier to have all the papers put together.

 Make sure you have secured enough desks for your largest class plus a couple extra. We want every kid who walks in the room to have a home.

 Gather all your technology—make sure you have a laptop, projector, DVD player, document camera, and/or whatever you else you need to do your best. See the Media Center facilitators for these materials.

 Familiarize yourself with the schedule; know your lunch, duty station, etc. Know the temporary beginning of school schedule.

 Prepare your lessons for the first week of school.

 Make your copies for the first few days/ first week of school.

 Assign calculators, laptops, and/or textbooks to specific students and post the lists near your calculators and laptop carts for reference.

 For BT 1, 2, & 3’s:

. Meet with your mentor

. Complete your Optimum Working Conditions

. Complete your Voluntary Acceptance of Extracurricular duty sheet (if applicable)

Page | 11 A Dozen Keys to being a Professional: WHHS’ Expectations for its Teachers

Make a good first impression Every time you face someone for the first time—whether it’s a student, another colleague, a parent, or a county official, make sure that you always leave them with positive thoughts about you. One unfortunate snarl or eye- roll can ruin your relationships with individuals.

 Dress professionally How you dress is a reflection of how seriously you take your job, your profession, and your students. Not only should you refrain from inappropriate dress (low-cut blouses, holey pants, clothing that’s too tight, etc.), but you should also refrain from any clothing that makes you less of a professional. Even on “dress down days,” you should dress your best.

 Be on time A very wise woman once said to me, “Early is on-time; on-time is late; and late is unacceptable.” As a teacher who will face the eyes of 30 students at the beginning of the day, you need to be prepared when those bells ring—which means you can’t walk in at the last minute and expect to ready for the day.

 Be prepared You only have 90 minutes each day to teach what seems like an endless curriculum. This means that you must be planned and prepared for each one of those 90 minutes each day. This also means that you think ahead about potential problems you might have, difficulties students might have with the material, and come up with ways to combat those. You have a technology back up plan because you know as great as it is, it’s also dreadfully unreliable. Your class time is not wasted because you were not prepared.

 Maintain deadlines and expectations As a teacher you will have many deadlines, duties, and expectations, and you must do your very best to adhere to all of these. You don’t skip a duty because you don’t think it’s important or because you have something better to do. You don’t procrastinate on IEP paperwork, inputting grades, or handing out progress reports. You understand and follow through on what’s expected of you.

 Be a mentor & role model—not a buddy Your goal is to ensure that students learn, and building relationships is a huge part of that student learning equation. Your rapport with your students is essential to success in your classroom. However, you cannot be their buddy; you cannot be their friend. You must maintain that adult-child relationship. Your goal is not to be the cool teacher; you will, in fact, gain much more of their respect if you act like the adult.

 Maintain confidentiality You will find out many things about your students—some positive and some negative. Despite what you may learn, you must keep those tidbits of information to yourself. Do not go around talking about your students; don’t use their names, and always be aware of who you’re talking to (and always think about who might be listening). Grades, attendance, family histories are all bits of information that you must keep to yourself. However, if you find out information that has to do with a student being in harm’s way, you have a legal obligation to make sure the proper authorities know about the situation.

 Always put safety first Parents entrust us with their children each and every day, and they believe that we will keep them safe by providing a safe and nurturing environment. We cannot disappoint them. This means that we are diligent with our supervision, making sure that we look out for things that can endanger kids—fights, weapons, drugs, bullying, etc. We make sure our students know what to do in the event of an emergency, and we maintain order in our classrooms so that safety is maintained at all times.

 Support your colleagues and administration It is crucial that you have the backs of the other adults in your building. Sure, students will talk about other teachers—what they like and what they don’t like. It is neither your job to listen to what they have to say nor to condone any badmouthing. You should not gossip about other teachers—about their classroom performance or their personal lives. You should also support your administrators. They are essential to maintaining order in the school, and you should not do anything that diminishes their authority, especially to students.

 Be competent Know your content, know your standards, know your students, know your pedagogy. Students respect a teacher who knows what he/she is doing. Learn your students’ names the first day. Any cracks in your armor of competency can be very hard to mend.

 Be ethical In all things in your teaching career, you should have the highest sense of ethics. You must be fair and equitable to every student—because every student deserves the chance to learn and succeed. When you assign grades, make sure they are justified and earned. Don’t favor certain students over others. Don’t make up information or forge documentation in order to meet a deadline. Do your fair share so no one else has to make up for your slack. Follow the school rules. Do what is right.

 Be aware Always have an awareness of your surroundings and your students. Be aware of individual student needs, situations, circumstances, and even beliefs. You don’t want to end up with your foot in your mouth because you said something offensive or inappropriate. Be understanding of the fact some students may have difficulty with certain topics or may be opposed to learning or discussing something. Also, be aware that as a teacher, you sometimes live in a glass house, and everything you do can be seen by others. Don’t buy beer at the grocery store where your students work; don’t post things on Facebook that might get your into trouble—pictures or comments. Additionally, be aware of your settings. Don’t close the door if you’re tutoring a student one-on-one.

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