Chattahoochee Elementary School

Teacher Mentor & Mentee

Handbook
Revised 2015

Table of Contents
Mission and Vision

Overview of the Mentor Program

4
Qualities of an Effective Mentor Program
4
Roles and Responsibilities of the Mentor Teacher
5
Roles and Responsibilities of the Mentee Teacher
6
Entry Year Needs Assessment
7-8
Documenting Meetings (Discussion Template)
9-10
Monthly Topics for Discussion (August-May)
11-20

MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission is to establish a professional learning community where
new teachers acquire the skills necessary to positively impact
student achievement.
VISION
Our vision is to retain exemplary teachers who will implement
positive social change in the classroom, local school, and within the
global community.

Overview of the Mentor Program

3

Teaching is a profession that is cooperative and collaborative. It is a complex

and demanding profession that requires an individual to gain experience in
order to become knowledgeable and effective in their role.
New teachers and teachers transferring into a new school have the additional
challenge of becoming familiar with their new school environment and all of
the systems and practices that make the school culture unique.
In order for new teachers to be successful, it is imperative that they have a
system of support in place in order to guide them through the complex task
of navigating curriculum, while working to build personal and professional
relationships with staff, parents, and students.
Understanding this unique challenge for new teachers, Chattahoochee has
implemented a Mentor Program to help and assist new teachers with their
transition into the culture of Chattahoochee and the complex role of an
educator. Our hope is that this program will provide a foundation of support
that will help to retain and grow effective educators.

Qualities of an Effective Mentor Program

Our goal for the mentor program is to create an opportunity for the mentor
and mentee to meet regularly to discuss topics and concerns that directly
effect teaching and learning or the mentees transition to Chattahoochee.
Ideally, the mentor and mentee will cover topics for discussion each month
as they conduct bi-weekly meetings. The first meeting each month will
specifically address the topics for discussion and additional concerns of the
mentor/mentee. While topics are provided, the mentor and mentee will have
the freedom to be flexible in the topics chosen for each meeting.
The second meeting will be used to continue topics for discussion and to
follow-up on items addressed during the first meeting of the month. The
discussion that occurs will allow the mentor and mentee to gauge the
progress of items for action and allow reflection for the following months
meeting.
A template will be provided to help the mentor and mentee document the
topics for discussion and the results of items identified as items for action.

Roles and Responsibilities of the Mentor Teacher

Mentor Teachers are selected based on their history of being skilled in their
role as an educator. They have been identified as teachers who have the
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skills and knowledge to serve as a Teacher Mentor to new and transferring

teachers.
Mentor Teachers have shown a history of being knowledgeable and effective
in the areas of instruction, assessment, relationship building, and positive
ethics practices. Therefore, we believe that their expertise and guidance is
and will be instrumental in helping Chattahoochee to retain and grow a
quality staff of educators.
An Effective Mentor:
Is regarded by colleagues as an outstanding teacher
Has excellent knowledge of pedagogy and subject matter
Has confidence in his/her own instructional skills
Feels comfortable being observed by other teachers
Maintains a network of professional contacts
Understands the policies and procedures of the school, district, state
Is a meticulous observer of classroom practice
Collaborates well with other teachers and administrators
Is willing to learn from and collaborate with their mentee
Roles and Responsibilities of the Mentor Teacher Include:

Provide Instructional Support. This includes conferencing with the

new teacher
Provide Professional Support. Mentors should be a resource for
information on evaluation, professional practice, and policies and
procedures.
Provide Personal Support. Mentors can help relieve the stress by
helping the new teacher to put problems into perspective with support
and encouragement.
Maintain a Confidential Relationship. It is important the new
teacher be able to discuss problems openly with the mentor, so that
they may be addressed in an informed and caring manner.
Ensure a Strong Start to the Year. Mentors can help new teachers
launch into a productive year by making sure they know where to obtain
all needed materials and ideas for lesson planning & classroom
management.
Serve as a Liaison. The mentor should have the knowledge and skills
to refer the new teacher to other teachers and educational resources.

Roles and Responsibilities of the Mentee Teacher

5

A mentee teacher can be a new teacher or a person transferring from

another school, district, or state. What makes the mentee unique is their
task of becoming acclimated to a new school and its culture. Being a new
teacher means becoming familiar with the students, staff, and community
that the school services. In addition, the new teacher must adjust to new
schedules, practices, policies & procedures. All of these things must be
accomplished while also juggling the responsibilities of serving students in
the classroom setting.
While the mentees task is daunting, with the help and support of the mentor
teacher along with the schools administrative team, the mentees ability to
be successful is maximized.
An Effective Mentee Is Encouraged To:

Be present and committed to learning and improving

Listen to others, be open-minded, and be accepting of honest feedback
Identify needs and ask for help
Observe and make request to observe experienced teachers
Offer Reflections on his/her own practices
Participate in Professional Development offered by GCPS
Become knowledgeable of district programs and instructional practices
Become knowledgeable of the AKS (Academic Knowledge and Skills) for
each subject area
Be willing to research
Become familiar with the Teacher Duties and Responsibilities & Teacher
Evaluation Criteria
Maintain Confidentiality: All discussions between mentor and mentee
will remain private and confidential

Entry Year Needs Assessment

Name:____________________________________
Indicate your degree of need for assistance in the following areas by circling
the response that best indicates your need level. Use the following scale in
responding to each item.
6

LN
Low Need

SN
Some Need

1, Finding and understanding

curriculum guidelines and
materials
2. Obtaining instructional
resources and materials
3. Planning for instruction
4. Classroom organization and
management
5. Management for student
behavior (Student Passports)
6. Effective instructional
techniques
7. Monitoring and evaluating
student performance
8. Dealing with individual student
needs and abilities
9. Understanding expectations of
the principal and administrative
team
10. Understanding how to
collaborate with support staff
(ESOL, Coaches, etc.)
11. Effective communication with
parents
12. Interpreting district policies,
rules and expectations
13. Planning and managing my
time and work
14. Communicating with other
staff (teachers, secretaries,
custodians, etc.)
15. Professional growth
opportunities
16. Understanding the teacher
evaluation process

MN
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Moderate Need High Need

VHN
Very High Need

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(Optional)
Number of Teaching Years: __________
Elementary: ______ Middle: ________
Middle ___________
Other
(Specify):_______________________________________
Entry Year Needs Assessment (Continued)
7

List other areas in which you may want assistance or feedback.

Describe your single greatest concern as a new teacher. Try to write at least
three or four sentences which detail the concern.

Extra Tidbits: (Optional)

Birth Month & Date: __________________________________________
Hometown: _________________________________________________
Hobbies: ____________________________________________________
Other Interesting Info:
_____________________________________________________________________

Monthly Meeting Discussion Template

The mentor and the mentee should agree upon a mutually convenient time to meet and
make attendance for the meeting a high priority. During each meeting, it is suggested
that the mentor and mentee make use of the Monthly Topics for Discussion sheet as well
as the Monthly Meeting Discussion Template. The discussion template will serve as a
tool for documenting topics discussed and actions taken as the results of the discussions
held.

Meeting Notes for the Month of: ________________________

First Meeting
Date:

Second Meeting
Date:
8

Time:

Time:

Topics:

Topics:

Materials Used:

Materials Used:

Persons Invited:

Persons Invited:

Monthly Meeting Discussion Template (Page 2)

Key Points of the Discussion:

Items for Action (Items to Be Implemented or Identified for Follow-Up):

Additional Information:

Monthly Topics for Discussion

July/August

Introductions Introduce Staff Members

Staff handbook
Facility Tour of the School & Location of Materials
Room Arrangement Organization of materials and supplies.
Small group and large group areas
10

 Procedures Daily schedule, homework, discipline (referrals),

emergency plans, and emergency red bag
Technology Lotus Notes/ Email, Collaboration Tool, Parent
Portal, attendance, Eclass course page and grades (PinPoint)
Grading policies
Management Establishing expectations, class rules and
procedures, and transitions
Lesson Planning and AKS (Curriculum map and calendars)
Parent Communications
Curriculum Night
Norms and Expectations for the classroom (workshop models,
small group instruction, and instructional artifacts)
Select good times to meet on a regular basis
Discuss/Model how to conduct a Fountas and Pinnell
Assessment
Monthly Topics for Discussion

September

Model and discuss a guided reading lesson

Setting Up a Sub Folder
Grading- The importance of feedback, report cards, progress
reports
11

 Conference Reports/Contiuums & Conferring with

parents/guardians
Reading and Writing Strategies
Teacher Evaluation Process
Academic Contract and ELPPS plan
Formative and Summative Assessments
Conduct shared scoring of writing using GCPS writing rubrics
Maintain an Open Door Policy

Monthly Topics for Discussion

October

First nine weeks progress reports

SST Referral Process (RTI/Kidtalks)
Debrief parent/teacher conferences
First Nine Weeks DDA Assessments

12

Monthly Topics for Discussion

November

Revisit Academic Contracts

Midterm Progress Reports
Revisit Curriculum Calendars
Snow Day/Cyber Day expectations
Develop plan/strategies for teaching based on DDA results

13

Monthly Topics for Discussion

December

Discuss Winter Party

Revisit Best Practices for Instruction
Share Successes/Opportunities for growth for 2nd semester

14

Monthly Topics for Discussion

January

Revisit classroom expectations

Process for Retention
Fountas & Pinnell testing (mid-year)
Winter Conferring
RBES Interim Evaluations
Update Continuums

15

Monthly Topics for Discussion

February

Conferring (2nd Parent Conference)

Midterm Progress Reports
Update Academic Contracts/ELPPs )

16

Monthly Topics for Discussion

March

Third Nine Weeks Progress Reports

Testing Concerns/Questions

Monthly Topics for Discussion

17

April

Testing Review Calendar/Schedules

Testing strategies
End of the Year Inventory

Monthly Topics for Discussion

May
18

Fourth nine weeks progress report

Preparing class lists (pink/blue cards)
End of the Year Checklist
End of the year data on shared drive
Finalize continuums, ELLPs, and Academic contracts
RBES Results & Conclusions
Celebrate, Celebrate, Celebrate!

19