Happy Spring! Dear New Teachers, Happy spring! As we reach the close of the 2021-22 SY, we would like to say thank you for supporting our students, their parents, families and for all your efforts this year. In the coming month, be on the look out for the New Teacher End of Year Survey. Check your DOE email for your personalized link. This 15 minute survey helps Central office teams better understand your experience as a first year teacher and gives us insight on how to better support future teachers. Please note that this will be the last content edition of First Class for the 21-22 SY. We hope that this resource has been helpful, and we wish you a relaxing summer and great start to the next school year. As always, please reference the New Teacher Tool Kit for all of your first-year teaching needs. The below topics are included in this newsletter: Special Education Self-care Tips Mentoring Support Library Services (curriculum support) Classroom Content Extended Certification Programs A+ Course Credits Professional Development Employee Incentives and Discounts Best, The New Teacher Support Team

Special Education The Special Education Office (SEO) invites you to attend asynchronous webinars on developing instructional practices for progress monitoring IEP goals.     Behavior  The SEO behavior team created a professional learning series titled; Behavior Supports for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Community Schools. This asynchronous series is designed to build instructional practices in community schools who support students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Each asynchronous session provides participants with an overview of the designated topic and related strategies that participants can implement in their classrooms.   Topics include:  Overview of ASD Classroom Set Up and Supports Executive Functions Sensory Processing Social Skills Communication   Quality IEPs  Please take a moment to review Progress Monitoring IEP Goals, an asynchronous webinar that reviews progress monitoring and how it impacts student achievement. Participants will practice developing a plan to monitor IEP goals and review how reporting progress can contribute to a student's baseline or current performance. Other topics will include: Expectations for documenting student progress in SESIS Best practices for reporting progress to parents Office hours are available virtually or in person during a variety of days and times. Registered participants will receive a link to sign up. Participants can ask questions and get feedback on progress monitoring practices.

Self-Care Tips The coronavirus has reached all corners of the world, and many of us continue to feel worried and overwhelmed by it all. It is normal to feel stressed and anxious and it is important that we manage our stress by practicing self-care. Below are activities and practices that can help support your well-being and help you sustain positive, long-term self-care. Create a daily self-care contract Engage in 10 minutes of gratitude exercises each day Meditate Reach out to the NYCDOE Mindfulness ERG Take breaks from the news Have video calls with friends and family to avoid feelings of social isolation Check in with your colleagues to share how you are feeling We have also heard from teachers like you, who have recommended self-care apps that helped them manage stress and prepare for the upcoming school year. Calm Stop, Breathe & Think Wahoo Headspace Remember, self-care is a necessary strategy for our physical and mental health.

Mentoring Support Before the school year ends, reflect on what you want to keep and what you want to adjust for this upcoming September. Use your mentor as a thought-partner to explore some of the following questions.    What helped you most this past year?  What supports do you wish you had access to?  What did you do to get to know your students, families, and the community you teach in? What do you wish the previous year’s new teachers had told you?  How can you support your new teacher colleagues when they come on board this September? (For example, you might want to start an informal new teacher discussion group that meets for lunch one day each week.)    Consider how you can have some input into decisions about how your school supports new teachers. Talk to your Principal, Assistant Principal or members of your New Teacher Induction Committee. Share with them what worked for you and what you would suggest to make the first year experience even better for your future colleagues.

Library Services By now, you may have already heard of the Citywide Digital Library (CDL) from your school librarians. CDL is now available on the Sora app. It was developed by OverDrive, a company that provides e-books and audiobooks to school and public libraries. The platform is accessible for all students and teachers with a single sign on using DOE email credentials. The CDL on Sora provides access to over 25,000 curated fiction and nonfiction trade books ranging in interest and grade level (PK-12th) including a large array of professional titles. They also offer specialized collections curated by NYCDOE school librarians on a variety of topics including: STEM Feminism and Women’s History LGBTQ Immigration Modern Space Exploration American Presidency Cooking Spoken Word and Poetry Graphic Novels Social Emotional Learning There are also eBooks, audiobooks and read-along's available in multiple languages including Spanish, Ukranian, German, Hindi, Russian, and Chinese. In addition, all Mosaic Grade Level Collections are available with multiple copies of each title. Training and promotional materials, as well as student and family facing information is also available. You can access the platform from an iPad, laptop, desktop, or smartphone and is perfect for sharing a diverse, culturally reflective selection of books with your students on an interactive whiteboard.

Classroom Content WeTeachNYC is NYCDOE’s website for educators to find curricular and instructional resources. This platform will remain a continuous resource for you as long as you are a DOE teacher. If you have questions, email WeTeachNYC@schools.nyc.gov.

Extended Certification Programs For the 2022-23 school year, the NYC DOE is offering Extended Certification Programs for current DOE teachers to pursue a Students with Disabilities (grades B-2, 1-6, or 7-12) certification, or a Bilingual Extension (grades PK-12) through the completion of fully subsidized graduate-level coursework. By earning one of these additional licenses, you can increase your professional flexibility, while also gaining the skills and training to serve some of your highest-need students more effectively.  Accepted candidates will either enroll in a cohort through a partner college or university or will be a part of the NYC Specialized Teacher Enhancement Pathway’s (NYC STEP) school-embedded certification program. After completing your certification program, participants commit to teaching in their new license area for the following two years.  Due to the added funding from the federal stimulus, program coursework will be fully subsidized for qualified participants for the 2022-23 school year.  NOTE: Participants will still be responsible for the cost of NYSED certification exams. .  Express your interest in participating in the Extended Certification Programs by visiting TeachNYC. NYC STEP qualifies for A+/p credits/salary differential!

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.

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