September 21, 2009

Start Date/Info

Please talk with your Spanish team (if you’re not lead teaching on your own), contact your classroom teacher/s, agree on a day and time for Spanish, and decide on a start date. Start teaching no later than the second week in October. You can start as soon as you and your classroom teacher are ready. Tell the coordinator when you/r team will be teaching Spanish.

*Before you start teaching, go meet your teacher personally. See where the CD player is located, get a class roster, ask about any classroom team/individual awards she uses that you could use, and get a class roster of the children’s names. Give the teacher YOUR name, phone/s, email. Ask the teacher/s to let you know ahead of time if the class will need to be cancelled for any reason.

*Most classroom teachers stay in the room throughout Spanish. You might want to discuss this ahead with your teacher if you are uncomfortable with them stepping out.

Missing a Class, Punctuality, and Planning

*Be on time and leave on time.

* If you cannot make a class, you can schedule a “make up” class directly with your teacher, or if you email me ahead, we might be able to get a sub! If you cannot make it to teach a class, let your teacher know ASAP. Even if it’s a last minute emergency, call the school office and have them notify your teacher/s.

*Try to take the time to plan ahead for your lessons. Some people like to prepare for the next week immediately following a class. Others prefer to prepare at home.

Confidentiality and Communicating with Classroom Parents

*Always maintain confidentiality about the children you are teaching. You need to sign a form in the office that all volunteers sign. Ask at the front desk!

*Ask your classroom teachers if you can send a note or email home with your students, telling the parents about yourself and Spanish. You could do this once or many times throughout the year. You could even send home activities for children to do at home for a reward.

Curriculum and Alphabet Exposure in Kinder

*Follow the Risas y Sonrisas Curriculum (at a glance and by grade level) provided to you. This is important for consistency year to year.

*Kinder Spanish teachers need to check on whether the classroom teachers want them to do the Spanish alphabet or not!!!

Spanish Room (Literacy Library) and Materials

*The Spanish room is also used for teaching and testing students at times. When gathering and returning materials, please be respectful of anyone working in the room.

*Teaching materials (posters, games, etc) need to remain at school unless there is a game or item that needs work to be usable and you don’t have time to fix it at school. We want everyone to have the materials available for their classes! If you organize something and know it’s complete, please write the date on the outside of the baggie for other’s knowledge! If something is missing or you find extra “pieces”, please make a note and put it/them in the coordinator’s cubby.

Spanish Folders, Activities, and Worksheets

*Take a class set of Spanish folders for your students. They can label them and keep worksheets and activities inside. You might want to have them put extra paper inside for future activities.

* There are activity worksheets organized by topic in a box on the Spanish room counter. You can get worksheets out of the YELLOW file folders copied for your students’ use. Please return originals when you’re done. You can use any of the worksheets out of the RED file folders because they are “extras”.

*If you find an activity page for your lessons elsewhere, please do not copy copyrighted materials. If you are allowed to reproduce something, please make 5 extra copies and put them in the coordinator’s cubby to be added to the files.

*Copies can be ordered in the school work room. There are forms in the room and the workers can help you get this done. You place orders in the lower cubby labeled Spanish. Finished orders are returned to the upper cubby labeled Spanish or Specials. You need to allow 2-5 days for orders to be completed.

*Share ideas for new activities (worksheets, games, etc) that your students enjoy. Send an email to the Spanish coordinator with the information and the coordinator will forward it to all the Spanish teachers.

Personal Item Storage

*You may use the upper cabinets in the Spanish room to store your own personal items (preferably in a labeled box or bag).

Reimbursement

* Lead teachers have $40-$50 to spend for each classroom they are teaching. Set aside about $20-$25 for cinco de mayo end of year party funds. The rest can be used for activities or rewards. If not consumable, email the coordinator. We’ll label “stuff” and put it in cubbies for all teachers to use. Tax free forms (in our file box, purple files, in back) should be presented to stores at purchase, as tax cannot be reimbursed. Reimbursement forms (also in our file box, purple files, in back) should be filled out, including the bottom portion, where you check Spanish and put your teacher’s name. You turn them into the president’s “box” in the PTO work room against the far wall. Checks will be placed in the office supply drawer in the Spanish room within about a week.