BEST Tips for Mentors: October2023

Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction sent this bulletin at 10/02/2023 02:15 PM PDT

Beginning Educator Support Team (BEST)

BEST Events

Registration is open for our 2023-2024 BEST Academies for the ENTIRE YEAR! Click here to get to our Events & Trainings page. All academies are free to attend.

*Registration closes 48 hours prior to the academies.

Foundational

Mentor Academy 101
Mentor Academy 201

Specialty

Using Instructional Frameworks in Observation & Feedback
Mentoring Teachers of Special Education
Mentoring ESAs
Mentoring School Nurses

NAKIA Academy applications are open and close on October 5th!! Apply here today!

Roundtables

*The 2023-2024 Mentor Roundtable Schedule is available on our website.

After attending Mentor Academy 101, mentors can choose an on-going learning community to engage with others throughout the school year.

Roundtable content will remain consistent across all Roundtables, however, the emphasis will vary. Please choose and register for the roundtable that best fits your needs, interests, and schedule.

*Prerequisite for Mentor Academy 201, Mentor Specialty Opportunities, and Roundtables is prior attendance of Mentor Academy 101.

BEST will continue to provide all events online.

Contact BEST

E: best@k12.wa.us

P: (360) 725-6430

Tips for Mentors
October 2023

Dear Mentors,

Welcome to October! This is a new month with new possibilities. Elena Aguilar is the founder of Bright Morning Consulting, which provides professional development for educators around the world focused on equity, coaching, mentoring, emotional resilience, and more. Through Elena's monthly newsletter, she asks us to look forward.

"What would you really love to say bout this month when it ends?" -Elena Aguilar

Take some time to think about this for yourself and with your mentee. Elena reminds us this kind of prompt invites action, and even if we do not meet our goal or plans require adjustment, the initial act of goal-setting or planning serve as intentions. And intentions help us make progress.

Cheers to a wonderful month and fall season!

Sincerely,

Your Friends at BEST

Mentor Tools

Here are some tools that will be shared at next month's Roundtables. We hope you find these tools useful, and we hope you sign up for a Roundtable. We have several offerings at different days and times ready to accommodate your schedule.

Check our BEST website for more information on Roundtables and how to register.

The following tools come from Bright Morning Consulting:

Developing a Coaching Vision and Mission Statement

Teacher to Student Interactions: Tracking Tool

Planning for An Equity-Focused Conversation

NAKIA Academy Application is Open!

NAKIA Academy is a mentoring and leadership academy by people of color and open to people of color. The training covers Mentor Academy 101 content that is specific for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) educators and can be taken in place of Mentor Academy 101.

We are excited to offer the next statewide NAKIA Academy to certificated educators (teachers and ESAs) across WA. This is a continuation of the partnership between OSPI's BEST program and WEA’s AOC: Early Career Educators where we are currently engaging authentically with 500+ POC member leaders/organizers as they continue to lead, organize, and create equitable spaces for all stakeholders in education around WA. This is not a "program" but a community who is in continuous growth and support.

Application closes Thursday, October 5, 2023.

2023 OSPI/WEA Fall NAKIA Academy Application

BEST Events in October

Please check out website for our full up-to-date list of events and trainings. We offer Mentor Foundational Opportunities, Mentor On-going Opportunities, and Mentor Specialty Opportunities.

Beginning Educator Support Team Website

Some of our specialty offerings in October include the following:

Mentoring Teachers of Special Education

Oct. 3 & 5, 8-3pm

Using Instructional Frameworks in Observation and Feedback

Oct. 11, 8-3pm

Mentoring School Nurses

Oct. 20, 8:30-3:30pm

Mentoring ESAs

Oct. 23, 8-3pm

New Teacher Spotlight

BEST is looking for new teachers to interview for our New Teacher Spotlight section in Mentor Tips. Know someone? Email us!

best@k12.wa.us

We are looking forward to hearing from you and meeting new teachers around the state.

BEST Announcements

BEST is taking a sabbatical from our annual symposium.

Academy event registration will close 48 hours prior to the academy.

This allows for facilitators of academies and program staff time to intentionally prepare as well as send reminders to accurate participant rosters. We are unable to register participants past the cutoff time. Please view our full calendar of events on our website and plan for the best time that works for you. Thank you.

Got questions? Ask OSPI!

OSPI has launched a new publication that invites all Washington residents to ask OSPI questions directly and get answers publicly. Called The Study Session, this publication is an opportunity for families and community members to engage with OSPI on all things public education. It is published once per month on the OSPI Blog. Click to learn more about The Study Session, including how to submit questions.

OSPI’s website address is changing!

Effective September 1, 2023, OSPI is changing the current website address from k12.wa.us to ospi.k12.wa.us. This change is required for improved security.

Please make sure to update your bookmarks, links, and saved pages to reflect this change, as redirects will only be in place for a period of 6 months. Rest assured, all the content and functionality you've come to rely on will remain intact at the new URL.

All OSPI email addresses will remain unchanged. If you encounter any issues or have any questions about this URL change, please reach out to OSPI’s support team at webteam@k12.wa.us. We're here to assist you and ensure a seamless transition.

ALL STUDENTS PREPARED FOR POST-SECONDARY PATHWAYS, CAREERS, AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.
Led by State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, OSPI oversees K-12 public education in Washington state. Our mission is to provide funding, resources, tools, data and technical assistance that enable educators to ensure students succeed in our public schools, are prepared to access post-secondary training and education, and are equipped to thrive in their careers and lives.

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