New Teachers

You may be wondering, what are my first steps and what will the onboarding process look like for me?  You can follow this checklist to help you plan and prepare. 

1. Certificates - If you are a new or first year teacher, be sure that you have already started the process of applying for your teaching certificate in order to ensure that you are able to teach on the first day of school.  If you have questions about the process or are in a unique situation, please reach out to the HR team and we can help you through that process. 
2. Summer Onboarding - Summer Onboardings are typically scheduled for mid/late June.  Dellene will contact new staff to schedule with you.  At this onboarding, you will receive your laptop, access to your email, complete important paperwork, and other tasks.  This will give you access to your Google Drive so that you can begin planning for the upcoming year.  Specific curriculum access won't happen until July, after our systems roll over. Stay tuned and watch your email for details regarding access.  We will post those instructions under the "Curriculum" tab on this page. 
3. Specific Trainings -  Your principal or Director might request that you attend specific trainings over the summer.  Just sign in or follow their protocol for reporting your attendance and that time will be paid out in September in your first paycheck. 
4. Keys and Classroom Access - Once the former teachers have left and your building secretaries have inventoried keys they will be ready to assign you to a classroom and issue you your keys and access to the building. Check with them on a timeline for when you will be able to get in our classroom.  It often varies by building based on cleaning and painting schedules, construction and other factors that are building-specific. 
5. Online Curriculums - The Technology team begins the process of rolling over and updating our online curriculums with new students and staff in early July.  You will slowly see your online platforms actively appearing at that time.  Everything will be up and running fully before the New Teacher Days so that you are ready to access those. 
6. New Teacher Days - August 5, 6 and 7 will be New Teacher Days.  During this time you will be given updates from District Leadership, you will attend trainings, meet with mentors and have time to set up your rooms.  Check the schedule on the Back to School Days tab for the specific agenda. 
7. Meeting your Mentor Teachers - Mentor teachers may reach out to you over the summer, but you will meet them during the New Teacher Days.  You will have both building mentors as well as grade-level and content-specific mentors to support your learning and transition.  They will meet with you throughout those first 3 days and be available during your classroom work time to assist with copiers and other building procedures. 
8. Back to School Days - August 10, 11 and 12 are when all teachers return to work. On these days there district level meetings as well as classroom work time.  See the agendas on the tab below. 
9. Ongoing Building Mentor Support - After the start of the school year you will have the opportunity to attend monthly New Teacher Sessions that focus on some content specific as well as District specific information and targets.  You will also have the opportunity to meet with building mentors and your principal to support you along the way. 

New Hire Forms
All of our employee forms are housed in a program called Records. Prior to onboarding, please follow these instructions to start completing your forms.  Complete as much as you can prior to that day in order to expedite the process.  You can save any questions for that day and we will help you complete any additional pieces  To begin working on your forms, follow these steps.

STEPS

• Go to Staff Links on the KPS Website - KPS Staff Links
• Click on Unified Talent Records System (Employee Forms)
• Log in the the following credentials:
  •  Username: your kearneycats email – your kearneycats email is the first three letters of your first name and all of your last name @kearneycats.com
  • Password is changeme! – You will be prompted to create a new password.
• Once logged in, you will click on the 9 squares in the upper right hand corner, and select “Records”
• This will load a list on the My Tasks page – You will work through each document, when you complete the document and save final, the task/form will be removed from your list of tasks.
• If you have already created an account your password is the password you already setup, not changeme!: 

During Onboarding Bring the Following...

• Two forms of identification, 
  • Here is the list of acceptable forms  
• A voided check or printed banking information. 

As you transition to KPS, the following videos will help explain many of the items that are discussed in onboarding as well as New Teacher Days.  You can watch these before the start of the year and reference them throughout the school year as needed. 

Vector Trainings

Entering Leave

Staff Handbook and Professional Conduct

TSEM

The following schedules outline what you can expect for the first days prior to the start of school. We begin with the New Teacher Days that are focused just on new staff and supporting your transition and then move into the Back to School days for all staff. 

Any time when you are not scheduled in a meeting will be work time for you.  

This is the AGENDA for the New Teacher days.  

Kearney Public Schools has a third party provider who conducts our benefits enrollment process. All new employees will schedule a phone meeting with a benefits counselor. The benefits counselor will call you and the meeting will take no more than 20 minutes. If you are declining benefits, it should take less than 5 minutes. All employees are required to complete enrollment, even if you are not electing KPS benefits. Benefits will start September 1.  Please schedule your appointment today on the Benefits Website. Before your appointment, take time to review the Certified Benefit Guide that is linked on that website so that you understand the benefits available to you. There are benefit details and educational videos available for your review on the website and your Benefit Counselor will be able to answer your question during the call.

BENEFITS WEBSITE

INSTRUCTIONS

• Vector houses all of our mandatory trainings to remain in compliance with state statue and with federal law regarding training of staff. 
• It also has speciality sections for training and videos related to a variety of KPS specific issues and topics. 
• Vector accounts are ready in early to mid-July for the upcoming year and teachers can begin working on them at that time. 
• Your login will be your email and the password will be the first 5 letters of your username (email) until and unless you change it. 
• You will automatically be assigned the training that are mandatory for your position. 
• Time will be given in August for all Certified staff and classified new hires to complete these trainings.  Classified staff who are hired in the middle of the year should complete them as part of their onboarding process.
• If you need to have your password reset, email stagibreal@kearneycats.com

ACCESS VECTOR HERE

INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO HERE

Entering an Absence Step by Step

1. Select the date: Be sure you are on the correct date of absence
2. Substitute Required: If your position requires a sub or the day requires a sub request.  
   1. If you are entering hourly leave and have secured coverage internally, the teacher must move Sub Required to NO and select Custom from the drop-down menu under “Full Day”
3. Select the Absence Reason: See the list below to determine the appropriate leave code to use.  If you select the incorrect code, your leave may not be approved to find a sub.
4. Full or Partial Day or Custom: In the Absence Management System, you will only need to enter a full day or partial day.  This will secure a sub. 
   1.  For hourly leave, those will be reported to building secretaries and logged in the spreadsheets, and submitted by HR and Finance for both leave and payment for teachers who cover. See the hourly leave section of the Leave Page for more information. 

*School Activity would be the only exception to this.  In those cases, teachers will select “Custom” and enter the time when they will be absent due to the school activity and list the activity. 

5. Notes to Administrator: Please enter clarifying information about your leave.  We can use this information to collect data on leave. 
6. File Attachment: Upload your sub plans here.  Many subs find it helpful to be able to review the plans before arriving in the building. 
7. Troubleshooting : If you are denied, it is a RED day and you need to see your principal. You could have the wrong leave reason selected. Remember that for leave less than a half day, you should find coverage in your building and select custom time and no sub needed

FOR SCREENSHOTS AND LEAVE CODES CLICK HERE

This overview provides some basic information about the model and what to expect as a new Staff.  You can find the full document for review HERE.  You can also watch the video under "Orientation Videos" for a more detailed explanation. 

KPS Teacher Supervision and Evaluation Model Quick Overview

1. Danielson Model - Intended to be a reflective model focused on 4 Standards and each standards includes components where you will rate yourself and receive feedback from an evaluator.
   1. Planning and Preparation: Knowledge of content and students, assessment, goals and lesson design
   2. Learning Environment: Respect and rapport with students, culture for learning, classroom procedures, managing student behavior.
   3. Instruction: Using principles of learning, clear and accurate communication, questioning and discussion techniques, engaging students, and instructional theory.
   4. Personal and Professional Practices: Contributing to students, building and district, demonstrating appropriate personal qualities, communicating with families, demonstrating professional qualities, growing and developing professionally, maintaining accurate records. 
2. Levels of Performance
   1. Unsatisfactory: Indicates a need for growth.  Will often result in a plan of assistance to help the teacher grow.
   2. Basic: Introductory level skills and abilities in each category.  A teacher is expected to improve with experience and support.
   3. Proficient: Teacher is demonstrating understanding of concepts and skills and implements them well. 
   4. Distinguished: Teacher demonstrates mastery of all concepts and makes contributions to the field. 
3. 3 years as a probationary teacher
   1. Year 1-3 - Probationary Teacher
      1. 1 observation each semester
         1. Pre and Post Observation written by the teacher
         2. Observation written by evaluator
      2. 1 summative evaluation each semester
         1. Summative self-reflection written by the teacher
         2. Summative evaluation written by the evaluator
   2. Year 4 - Permanent Teacher
      1. 1 observation each year
      2. 1 summative evaluation every 4 years

If you are asked to attend summer trainings by your principal, Director of Supervisor, just be sure that you sign in and document that time per the instructions of the trainer.  

You will see compensation for those approved trainings in your September paycheck.  This also includes your attendance at New Teacher Days in August. 

We know that the mentoring process is a critical part of our staff’s success and happiness in their position.  Therefore, we have developed a three-tiered approach to how we view mentoring in KPS.  The following details outlined the 3 areas of our mentoring program. 

District - As you begin your career with KPS, our District Mentor Team will support you with initial activities to get you off and running!  The first stop is your New Teacher Onboarding.  During oinboarding you will be issued your device, and complete important and necessary paperwork to get you active in our systems. 

As the year begins we will also welcome you to our New Teacher Days.  During the first 3 days prior to when teachers start, we will off curriculum training sessions, additional onboarding activities, the opportunity to work directly with your building principal and time dedicated to working in your classroom and with your mentors.  

Building - Your first opportunity to work directly with your building will take place during the Welcome Days in August.  You will have dedicated time with your principal to learn the ins and outs of your building.  

Throughout the year, your principal and mentors will also organize opportunities to collaborate, touchbase and learn from and with each other.  

District Mentors and Partner Teachers - Throughout your first year, we will intentionally introduce you to various individuals who will serve as mentors.  You will first meet members of the District Mentor team during the Welcome Days in August.  At that time they will be available to answer questions and help you become acclimated to KPS.  You will also meet some of our grade-level and content leads who will help you become comfortable with content and curriculums used throughout the district. 

As the year goes on, not only will the District Mentor teams check in on you, but they will also ensure that you have found a content mentor within your building who can serve as your “go to” person on a day-to-day basis.