Great Beginnings New Teacher FCPS

[Anonymous]

If you are a brand-new teacher your principal expects you to be there and it will not look good if you aren’t, if they find out about it. If you are moving, and were not given fair warning, then let the principal know. It is never a good idea to just not show up when you are new to any job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like its outside the contract so legally, they can't mandate it but also seem to not exactly advertise that it's optional

Is it for sure, or is it part of a new teacher’s contract?

Do teachers still receive contracts? I have been with FCPS for over 12 years and the only contract I ever signed was to teach summer school three years ago.

You have one. It’s “continuing”. No need to sign anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like its outside the contract so legally, they can't mandate it but also seem to not exactly advertise that it's optional

Is it for sure, or is it part of a new teacher’s contract?

Do teachers still receive contracts? I have been with FCPS for over 12 years and the only contract I ever signed was to teach summer school three years ago.

You have one. It’s “continuing”. No need to sign anything.

I realize that part, but having never signed one, I wouldn’t even know that it says.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like its outside the contract so legally, they can't mandate it but also seem to not exactly advertise that it's optional

Is it for sure, or is it part of a new teacher’s contract?

Do teachers still receive contracts? I have been with FCPS for over 12 years and the only contract I ever signed was to teach summer school three years ago.

You have one. It’s “continuing”. No need to sign anything.

I realize that part, but having never signed one, I wouldn’t even know that it says.

I see.
Maybe it’s viewable in UConnect.

[Anonymous]

Teachers should be paid their salary for this.

[Anonymous]

Teachers need collective bargaining.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like its outside the contract so legally, they can't mandate it but also seem to not exactly advertise that it's optional

Is it for sure, or is it part of a new teacher’s contract?

When new teachers are higher, they are often given an earlier start date by HR. Often times when you accept a job, you accept the start date they give you.

Teacher contracts really don’t explicitly specify start or end dates anymore. They just say, “the school year.”

My offer gave me a start date of August 14, so the August 7-10 dates are before my contract starts. There is still a specified start date, because we are given 30 days after our start date to enroll for benefits.

There you go. Start the 14th.

ES Teacher

So the answer is, it’s not mandatory, but they try really hard to make it look like it is?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like its outside the contract so legally, they can't mandate it but also seem to not exactly advertise that it's optional

Is it for sure, or is it part of a new teacher’s contract?

When new teachers are higher, they are often given an earlier start date by HR. Often times when you accept a job, you accept the start date they give you.

Teacher contracts really don’t explicitly specify start or end dates anymore. They just say, “the school year.”

My offer gave me a start date of August 14, so the August 7-10 dates are before my contract starts. There is still a specified start date, because we are given 30 days after our start date to enroll for benefits.

There you go. Start the 14th.

ES Teacher

So the answer is, it’s not mandatory, but they try really hard to make it look like it is?

So like lots of other jobs.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like a bunch of bullshit. Why bother?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like a bunch of bullshit. Why bother?

Just another FCPS way to save money. Same like when they assign trainings on MyPDE and don’t give you time during work hours to complete them. They expect you do them on your own time. Same as not giving you any meaningful planning time during school hours, they expect you to do planning alongside teaching. Try to do your work with your own kids in the room, being interrupted every minute. Let’s see how far you get. Same as not paying teachers for July and then wondering why so many teachers rather go and choose regular, year-round job outside of public schools. Many of you think that teachers take the summer off and then go and travel the world…only the few that have spouses with the main income (the income that covers the bills). Majority ends up taking summer jobs and work just like any other regular folks out there. I’ve been in public education only a few years, but I already feel it’s not for me. I love the kids, there is nothing more rewarding than helping kids, but I cannot stand the system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like its outside the contract so legally, they can't mandate it but also seem to not exactly advertise that it's optional

Is it for sure, or is it part of a new teacher’s contract?

Do teachers still receive contracts? I have been with FCPS for over 12 years and the only contract I ever signed was to teach summer school three years ago.

You have one. It’s “continuing”. No need to sign anything.

That’s weird. Even with continuing contracts in LCPS we docusign them yearly with our new step level and salary on them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There’s no consequence for missing it.

I switched specialities/positions so had to go through it twice. I opted to skip the summer session the 2nd time, but go to the monthly meetings. I just emailed my Great Beginnings person and that was that. Principals are not directly involved in GB and doubt there are many who really are going to care.

The benefits would be networking with people in your curriculum area, outside of your school. Also figuring out how to navigate the FCPS bureaucracy. But otherwise if you are an experienced teacher I would say go to that Friday at your school site and the rest is whatever.

I'm a Lead Mentor at my school. I too switched specialties (within FCPS) and skipped the summer days but went to the role-specific sessions during the year (in the evenings, I think there were 5 of them). It is true that principals aren't directly involved with GB, but I will say that the Lead Mentor(s) will know who attended and who didn't.

Re: the 3 summer institute days, I absolutely agree that they provide networking benefits, help navigating FCPS and for the content-specific day, time with your county specialists. If you are not interested/available for the those, I would at least make an effort to attend the school-based orientation day (Thursday August 10). Whether you are new to teaching, new to FCPS or just new to your school, that day is really important. You meet your Lead Mentor(s) (LMs are tasked with planning and running the school-based orientation), the cohort of new teachers, your mentor, and find out all the school-specific information that you probably want before the whole staff returns on Monday August 14. You also receive your keys to your room, your laptop, and will have time in your room/space before the teacher return week ramps up.

Re: August 11, all employees have a choice: they can work that day, or they can work Tuesday June 18. Both options are work-from-an-alternate-location days. If you choose to work 8/11, it's a good time to do the 48563 online trainings that are required. If you choose to work 6/18/24, that's a good day to close up your room/check out. There are benefits to both days; it will depend on how you think that time will be best spent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like its outside the contract so legally, they can't mandate it but also seem to not exactly advertise that it's optional

Is it for sure, or is it part of a new teacher’s contract?

Do teachers still receive contracts? I have been with FCPS for over 12 years and the only contract I ever signed was to teach summer school three years ago.

You have one. It’s “continuing”. No need to sign anything.

That’s weird. Even with continuing contracts in LCPS we docusign them yearly with our new step level and salary on them.

In FCPS, we just got an email notifying us of our new step and pay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get childcare.

They will go to summer camp on those days. I will have to pay for it, obviously, so I wanted to know if FCPS will pay me for attending the orientation classes.

Totally fair question-in the corporate world you'd be paid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s no consequence for missing it.

I switched specialities/positions so had to go through it twice. I opted to skip the summer session the 2nd time, but go to the monthly meetings. I just emailed my Great Beginnings person and that was that. Principals are not directly involved in GB and doubt there are many who really are going to care.

The benefits would be networking with people in your curriculum area, outside of your school. Also figuring out how to navigate the FCPS bureaucracy. But otherwise if you are an experienced teacher I would say go to that Friday at your school site and the rest is whatever.

I'm a Lead Mentor at my school. I too switched specialties (within FCPS) and skipped the summer days but went to the role-specific sessions during the year (in the evenings, I think there were 5 of them). It is true that principals aren't directly involved with GB, but I will say that the Lead Mentor(s) will know who attended and who didn't.

Re: the 3 summer institute days, I absolutely agree that they provide networking benefits, help navigating FCPS and for the content-specific day, time with your county specialists. If you are not interested/available for the those, I would at least make an effort to attend the school-based orientation day (Thursday August 10). Whether you are new to teaching, new to FCPS or just new to your school, that day is really important. You meet your Lead Mentor(s) (LMs are tasked with planning and running the school-based orientation), the cohort of new teachers, your mentor, and find out all the school-specific information that you probably want before the whole staff returns on Monday August 14. You also receive your keys to your room, your laptop, and will have time in your room/space before the teacher return week ramps up.

Re: August 11, all employees have a choice: they can work that day, or they can work Tuesday June 18. Both options are work-from-an-alternate-location days. If you choose to work 8/11, it's a good time to do the 48563 online trainings that are required. If you choose to work 6/18/24, that's a good day to close up your room/check out. There are benefits to both days; it will depend on how you think that time will be best spent.

DP
How does that work? Why not just work from an alternate location both days since both days give that option?

If one is spending 8/11 completing online trainings will they have time the next week to work in their room?
Looking at the calendar I see nothing listed for August 11. Tuesday and Thursday of the next week are TW days, so that could be spent in the classroom. June 18 is listed as an alternate location TW.

https://www.fcps.edu/system/files/2023-2024-standard-school-year-calendar.pdf