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= Hello wonderful faculty! = = I am excited to begin another year of learning together with you at Mount Zion. =

To those who are returning to our faculty, welcome back! To those who are new to our faculty, welcome to our team!

Everyone here at Mount Zion is excited that Faculty Orientation  is almost upon us. Soon our halls will be filled with one of our most favorite treasures - our faculty!

Don't forget!! **Faculty Orientation** **Sunday, August 25, 8:00 AM-3:00 PM**

Enclosed in this email is a short assignment. This assignment should take no more than 25 minutes to complete. And, it needs to be completed before attending the Faculty Orientation. No ifs, ands or buts about it!

Keep reading for more specific details, instructions and explanations. And, thanks in advance for your time, effort and energy!! : )

**Welcome to Our Flipped Faculty Orientation!**

By now, most of you are familiar with the term "flipped classroom." The idea behind a flipped classroom is that students can get the content of the information **on their own before class**. They can then come to class and apply the knowledge. This year during Faculty Orientation we have a short amount of time together as a group, and the flipped meeting worked so well last year that we are going to try it again.

We will use the activities, links, and interactive activities below to gather the nuts and bolts of the school year. In the past, we have gone over these details bullet by bullet. This year you will be able to read and consume this information on our own time. In this way, we will then be able to use our time together more effectively.

Hopefully, you will enjoy this format! This technique is meant to present information in a lighter tone than the usual lecture format. : )

Welcome to your assignment… You are responsible for all of the content that follows! Participation is mandatory. You have until ** Friday, August 22 ** to complete this assignment and to fill out the survey below. All surveys received by Friday will entitle you to two extra raffle tickets for prizes given out during Orientation (gift cards, included!).

=1) Religious School Mission=

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The Religious School Committee has been busy for the last two years crafting a meaningful Mission Statement for the Religious School. Please take a minute to read the Mission Statement. At Faculty Orientation you will receive a green Faculty Binder. Inside the binder (behind the calendar) you will find the full Mission Statement and Core Value. Please take some time to read through this entire document.=====

As you read the mission, pause when you read a word that is powerful and think about what it looks like or could/should look like at Mount Zion.

** The mission of Mount Zion Temple’s Religious School is to **** engage students in a quality and inclusive Reform Jewish learning experience **** from preschool through twelfth grade based on three core values: **** knowledge, community, and Jewish identity. **

=2) Positive Greetings at the Door—Proactive Classroom Management=

__**Click**__ on the guy knocking on the door below to read a short, interesting article.

__**Click**__ on the orange and banana below to answer a question about the article.

=3) Collaboration is the Name of the Game!=

Our theme for this year is Collaboration.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines collaboration as "to work jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor."

Below are two creative videos that demonstrate collaboration. Take a look at both videos. (Don't worry, their combined total is less than 2.5 minutes.) media type="custom" key="23600064" align="center"
 * VIDEO 1:**

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 * VIDEO 2:**

__**CLICK**__ on the group of teachers below to answer a question about the two videos.

=4) Details, details, details!=

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__**The Daf Kesher:**__ Once a week (usually on Wednesdays) you will receive an email called the "Daf Kesher - Teacher Weekly Notes" with information for the upcoming week of school. It has special notes you need to be aware of and/or schedule updates. Please read the Daf Kesher **prior to Sunday** so that you are prepared for the week ahead. Thank you! =====

**__Attendance:__** Please take attendance within the first 15 minutes of every class and post outside of your door on the cork area.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">__**Arrive On Time, please!**__ It takes approximately 13 minutes to walk from the parking lot to the building, to the Education Center, and to your classroom. Please plan ahead so that you are in your classroom at least 15 minutes before each class session.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">**__Emergency Plans:__** We will discuss our emergency plans at Orientation. We have some new procedures this year for Fire, Evacuation, and Lock-Downs.

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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We are continuing to work on incorporating Responsive Classroom (RC) into our school. This year we are adding a new component for behavior management called PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports). =====

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A quick translation of PBIS is a clear, concise, and concrete plan to explain and teach appropriate behaviors. We will spend some time at Orientation discussing PBIS and how it connects to RC. Please watch this informative video below. (I know, the video is a bit dull, but it was the shortest video explanation I could find - it's only 1 minute and 16 seconds, and 4 seconds of the video is the intro music and pretty graphics!) media type="custom" key="23588188" align="center"

Click here if you would like to learn more about Responsive Classroom. (Optional for returning faculty. Suggested for new faculty.) media type="custom" key="23600126" align="center"

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 13.33px;">**6)** Need any help?!
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Dana is a part-time employee and is only at Mount Zion certain days of the week (usually Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays). She checks email frequently - even on her days off. She tries to return all messages within 24 hours, but sometimes she needs a little extra time. :)

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The best way to reach her is by email: dprottas@mzion.org. **Send her an email now...**

If you need immediate assistance, you can always call/email Jen Baddin, Education Assistant at 651-698-3881 and jbaddin@mzion.org.

Take a minute right now to enter Dana's cell phone number into your phone. You will need it! Trust us! Her cell phone number is: **952-239-4929**


 * Text Dana now! ** In your message, say, "Hi Dana! It's me, (full first and last name). [Feel free to add anything else you like!]"

**Need a sub?!** Call, email, text or give Dana a note when you will need a sub. If you need an emergency sub, call, text or email her as soon as you realize you need a sub. Please do not leave a voicemail message on her phone at Mount Zion.

7) These are a few of our favorite things...
Mount Zion is a really unique place to work! Whether you are new faculty or returning faculty, all of you appreciate some things about this community and the school. (Once you answer the quiz question and view the results, click the back arrow to return to this page.) media type="custom" key="23593052" align="center"

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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 13.33px;">**8)** Faculty Expectations

(New Faculty—read fully; Returning Faculty—review)
Click on the following link to review the Faculty Expectations. This page is password protected. The password is faculty. This year Dana will be regularly conducting brief evaluations of the faculty through the three-minute walkthrough technique. Additionally, you will receive notes about the visits.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 13.33px;">**Thank you for flipping out with us!!** Please enjoy the following feel good video! It's my way to say thank you for all that you do for our students and our families.

YOU are the reason our school is so successful. Thank you!!

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Please answer the following questions. Scroll down and answer all of the questions. Then click, submit.

No worries! It's not a test or anything!! : )

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