This spring the CATDC facilitated a new PD workshop called Onboarding for Belonging and Connection. During this 3 hour workshop two educators from VistaMar High School shared their process for onboarding new faculty and staff and invited others to reflect and share best practices support their newest members of the faculty and staff.

This was a terrific opportunity to think about Burke's Orientation and Mentoring program. I often seek out resources to answer my guiding question for this process - How is Burke's helping new faculty and staff feel a sense of belonging and connection in their transition to their new community/school?

I found the framework they provided for thinking of this helpful - they divide the onboarding of new folks into 6 categories:

• Structure: What elements of your program will you model? What are your essential mission aligned voices? What existing models do you want to include?

• Time: When will folks participate? How will you use time effectively?

• Resources: What written resources do you need to provide?

• Faculty & Staff: How will you differentiate while also building connections?

• Support + Information: How will you center belonging while also give the information folks need to function at school?

• Buy-in: Whose buy-in do you need and how will you get there?

This workshop was affirming in many ways and I think we are especially strong in the resources and support/information areas. So much of what was recommended as good practice are things that we already do. AND there was a lot of food for thought and many terrific new ideas. In this year's orientation I want to think about the aspect of time - pacing of orientation, frequency of mentoring meetings.