Email to Buddies

Subject: New Teacher’s Buddy

Hello, Teachers- Thank you for agreeing to buddy a teacher who is new to our campus this year. Your assigned teacher has experience that could be one year or many years, and their previous experience may have been in HISD, another district, or another state. Knowing this information will help you to determine the kind of support they will need. If you have not been given contact information on your buddy, ask for it from (school secretary’s name), and email or call them as soon as possible. Try to make them feel welcome, assure them that you will help orientate them, and let them know that you will offer your support throughout the year. These things are crucial for them to know so they will feel good about becoming a member of our school family. Give them your contact information and let them know that you are available when they want information or have questions. If you are going to be on campus to work in your room before teachers are to report, perhaps you could invite your buddy to meet you there. You could begin to introduce them around, help them get into their room, and show them where to find things like bulletin board paper and supplies provided by the department or school. There will be a new teacher welcome orientation on August __, from ___ to ___. This will be a relaxing and enjoyable break from district training they will have been attending, and a time for you to get to know each other, some of the key campus folks, and other teachers who are new to your campus. Please let me know ASAP if you cannot attend the orientation, so that I can find someone to accompany them. All teachers new to your campus will need information about campus policies and procedures. If they are also new to the district or new to the state, they will have much more to learn. The attached document is a list of things that your assigned teacher will likely want to know just to get started. The format is a word document that you can edit, so you may want to add your own thoughts about what information your teacher might appreciate having to plan for the first day or week of school. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

(Give contact information if something other than your email) INFORMATION FOR YOUR NEW TEACHER

Logistics First day schedule/procedure First week schedule Details on parking options Distribution of mail Location of bathrooms and lunchroom and any relevant details Where to get supplies Copy machine policy Field trip policy Contact information for important staff members (nurse, custodians, maintenance) Substitute procedures Teacher dress code Teacher sign in/out

Instructional Resources Department head Grading policy/reporting grades Recommended/required professional development workshops and opportunities Lesson plan policy Opportunity to set up classroom List of assigned students with parents’ contact information Resources available at the school (SPED services, ELL support) Content TEKS/curriculum guide

Administrator Expectations Teacher duty (hall, lunchroom, before/after school) Procedure for reporting student behavior problems How often will I be observed and by whom? Campus/district achievement goals