First Class: A Resource for New Teachers

Happy Holidays!

Dear New Teachers,

Welcome to the second edition of First Class. The topics in this edition include:

Inclusive Teacher Recruitment & Hiring Initiative (ITRHI)
Department of Library Services
Special Education Office
Human Resources
Self Care
Classroom Content
DOE Acronyms
A+ Course Credits
Professional Development
Employee incentives and Discounts

Thank you for your dedication to teach and support NYC DOE public school students.

We wish you a happy and healthy holiday season!

The New Teacher Support Team

Apply Now for the Inclusive Recruitment & Hiring Initiative’s New Teacher Cohort!

The Inclusive Teacher Recruitment & Hiring Initiative (ITRHI), within the Office of Teacher Recruitment and Quality (TRQ), invites you to apply to the Inclusive Recruitment and Hiring New Teacher Cohort by Friday, December 23rd! ITRHI is an opportunity for passionate, reflective and collaborative new teachers to have a positive impact on their school community.

Through this per-session opportunity, you will assist in reviewing inclusive recruitment resources and hiring practices for all NYC schools. To be eligible for this opportunity, you must be newly employed by the NYC DOE public schools for a minimum of 2 months and a maximum of 3 years.

Apply for the New Teacher Cohort by Friday, December 23rd!

By December 23rd, take the following steps to be considered for the New Teacher Cohort:

Review the per-session opportunity posting here; AND
Send your application materials (including your resume, cover letter, and OP-175 form) to nycmenteach@schools.nyc.gov by Friday, December 23rd.

We hope you are interested in joining ITRHI’s New Teacher Cohort. We understand that your time is valuable and thank you for your continued dedication to learning and supporting diversity initiatives across the DOE. If you have any questions, please email nycmenteach@schools.nyc.gov.

Department of Library Services

Have you heard of the Citywide Digital Library? It is a library of ebooks, audiobooks, and read-alongs that is available for students and staff. With almost 45,000 unique titles, it has become an invaluable resource for students.

The service supports our English Language Learners population, special education population, our multilingual learners and the visually impaired in many ways.

You/students are able to change:

The display font to dyslexic font, the navigation language and the contrast.
The font size, line spacing and text background to sepia, bright, and dark.
The speed of narration.

For the read-along books, the text and illustrations are highlighted as the audio, narrated by professional actors and authors, read along with the text. For many of the ebooks, there is also an audiobook. You can use the audiobooks for the entire class to listen to. This is an ideal support to differentiate for reading levels and different abilities. Advanced search allows users to find books at specific reading levels and books in a specific language. Both audiobooks and ebooks are available in Hindi, Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, Ukrainian, Russian, French, German, and many more languages. Please tell your students about it and borrow a book! Professional titles are also available!

To learn more about the Citywide Digital Library, the Office of Library Services will be hosting professional learning in the five boroughs. The first one will be in the Bronx from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm on Thursday, December 15th. Five hours of CTLE credit will be provided. Visit the professional learning calendar to learn more.

Special Education Office

The Special Education Office invites new teachers of students with disabilities to view the webinars on quality Individualized Education Program (IEP) writing (tis the season for lots of IEP meetings).

What Does the Effect of Disability Mean? The effect of disability is an integral part of writing and implementing a quality IEP. This webinar will review the purpose of an IEP for a student with a disability. It will define the effect of disability and unique needs. Lastly, the webinar will provide an understanding of how the effect of a student’s disability can impact a student’s unique needs so that educators can provide appropriate support.

View the webinar on writing IEP goals:

Writing Quality Social, Emotional, and Behavior IEP Goals How to Write Quality Social, Emotional, and Behavior IEP Goals-This webinar asks that participants have an understanding of how to write quality IEP goals. It provides a basic overview on how to write quality IEPs, from a social, emotional, and behavior lens. This webinar will define social, emotional, and cognitive development to have an understanding of how to choose a goal. It also supports participants with writing a social, emotional, or behavior IEP goal and asks participants to consider how goals will be implemented once written.

View the Present Levels of Performance (PLOP) Quality Checklist to learn more about writing quality social development and academic PLOPS. This checklist will support individuals writing the Present Levels of Performance for an individual student’s (IEP). This resource is aligned to guidance from New York State Education Department (NYSED).

Text Link

Human Resources

W-2 and 1095-C Forms Distribution

Each tax year, the Office of Payroll Administration (OPA) provides a W-2 to all DOE employees during the month of January. Your W-2 is a record of your earnings and taxes withheld for the year. All full-time employees will also receive a 1095-C form (Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage). You use the information provided on your W-2 and 1095-C forms to file your federal, state, and local tax returns.

Your tax forms will be delivered via mail to your address on file with OPA if you did not enroll in electronic delivery. For instructions to enroll in electronic delivery, review the links at the bottom of this section. Please note that regardless of whether you selected electronic delivery as your preference, you can still download electronic copies of their tax forms via NYCAPS Employee Self-Service (ESS).

To access your tax forms via NYCAPS ESS:

1. Log in to NYCAPS ESS.

2. Click on Electronic W-2 Delivery.

3. Under the Tax Summary, click on the year 2022.

Note: You will not be able to access your 2022 W-2 until the second week of January 2023.

4. Click Print Tax Forms.

5. Type the last four digits of your SSN and select the form you would like to open: W-2 or 1095-C (if applicable).

6. The PDF will open, allowing you to view or print the selected form.

If you do not remember your NYCAPS ESS password or would like to change it, you can reset your password via the NYCAPS ESS "Forgot My Password" page. If you are unable to reset your password and need further assistance, please call the NYC DOE NYCAPS password reset line at (718) 935-4001. This phone line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

For more information, log in to the HR Connect Web Portal with your DOE User ID and Password and review the following links:

W-2 and 1095-C Forms Distribution (9577)

W-2 and 1095-C Forms - Requests from Previous Years, and Requests for Corrections (9611)

For assistance with logging into the HR Connect Web Portal, email portalsupport@schools.nyc.gov

The Onboarding Roadmap is a step-by-step seven page guide to all HR items and steps you will need to complete as a new DOE employee. Please review the guidance thoroughly and refer to this document a often as needed.

Self Care

One of the simplest ways to incorporate self-care into an overflowing schedule is by practicing conscious breathing exercises. This is a practice you might consider incorporating into a meeting with your mentor. You can begin your mentor/mentee interaction by setting an intention for the session followed by a few deep breaths for centering. This will increase engagement and connectedness. By inhaling slower and exhaling longer, you will improve oxygen flow to the brain and entire body, relax your central nervous system and increase your energy level.

The following are some strategies to help you care for yourself more effectively:

Start your day on a positive note—do something, read something or listen to something that lifts you up and makes you feel good. This can help set the tone for how you manage your entire day. Take brain breaks—you will be amazed by what a quick break will do. Whether it is spent gazing out a window, meditating, grabbing a quick snack, intentional breathing, stretching or exercising you will be rejuvenated so the work you do is more efficient. Set a goal to schedule brain breaks throughout the day. Rest is a catalyst for productivity, not a break from it!

Ask for help when you need it. Allow others the gift of helping you!

Self-care is neither wasteful nor selfish. Taking care of yourself means that you have more to give to your students. Staying up late writing that perfect lesson will not help you feel energetic and present the next day in the classroom. Kids benefit from healthy, happy, balanced teachers. Here is some wonderful Advice to New Teachers From a 20-year Veteran teacher. You can find additional tools online, such as resources in mindfulteachers.org and CultofPedagogy.com

Give yourself the gift of self-care this holiday season.

Classroom Content

Check out WeTeachNYC! It’s the NYCDOE’s website for educators to find curricular and instructional resources. Popular search terms include:

Black history curriculum
Civic education
Instructional leadership

If you have questions, email WeTeachNYC@schools.nyc.gov.

DOE Acronyms

As you acclimate to the DOE, feel free to reference this document to assist you in the meaning of all of the acronyms you may have heard. Please note that this list is not all inclusive but to support teacher learning.

Do you have an acronym that is not listed that you would like to share? Let us know!

A+ Course Credits

For information about A+ course credits please visit the HR Connect Employee Web Portal and search: “MA+30 Differential and A+ Courses” for more information.

Professional Development Opportunities

I Teach NYC provides the latest career development and professional learning opportunities for educators in New York City. Subscribe to I Teach NYC notifications by entering your email address in the right-hand side bar of the I TeachNYC home page.

Employee Incentives & Discounts

Click here to find a listing of special discounts, incentives, and offers available to DOE employees. Find everything from discounts on virtual activities to cell phone carrier discounts.