WELCOME!

To all of you, the newest corps members to join Teach For America Greater Philadelphia: welcome to the Philly Pham and to the 2015 TFA Philly corps!We are Alex Leader-Smith and Becca Rossi and for the next few months, we will be your primary points of contact as you get ready to start teaching in Philadelphia.Alex is the Director of Matriculation and Onboarding for Greater Philadelphia. He writes most of what's in the weekly e-mail blast and other TFA Philly communications. You will hear a lot from Alex regarding placement, among other topics. Alex has been on the Teach For America team for eight years, and while he's now visited 35 states and (more importantly) 18 MLB teams ballparks and counting, he's always been proud to call the Greater Philly region home.Becca is the Associate for Community and School Partnerships. You will hear a lot from Becca regarding testing and paperwork, in particular. Becca grew up in Jersey City, NJ, but has loved living in the Philly area for the past eight years.

Were both so excited to begin working with you to move our city towards educational equity. We're already counting down the days until regional induction begins on Thursday, June 18 - when we'll all meet in person to lay the groundwork for everything you'll be doing over the next two years and beyond.In the meantime, we'll be keeping in touch virtually. Starting next Tuesday, May 12, you'll begin receiving an "e-mail blast" from us every Tuesday up through the summer. These e-mails will contain important to-dos and critical information about placement, summer programming, and more. We ask that you read these e-mails carefully, keeping an especially close eye on items that are required actions. Well also be regularly updating the TFA Philadelphia 2015 corps site with useful info and resources.You can also always e-mail us at GreaterPhillyInfo@teachforamerica.org. Or if you have a more complex question especially involving testing or paperwork you can sign up to have Becca call you during her regular office hours.Congratulations again, welcome to Philadelphia, and welcome to Teach For America. -Alex and Becca

SIXTEEN THINGS TO DO RIGHT NOW...

1. Register for Your Praxis and/or PECT Exams -- required by Tue. 5/5Then forward your registration to the GreaterPhillyInfo mailbox.2. E-Mail Us a Headshot Photo of Yourself required by Sun. 5/10For our office photo wall. These can go to GreaterPhillyInfo too.3. Add Some TFA Style To Your Resume! required by Sun. 5/10Step 1: Review these TFA resume guidelinesStep 2: Update your resume in the TFA style and e-mail it to you guessed it, GreaterPhillyInfo.This is what well eventually send to schools considering interviewing you.4.Sign Up for a UPenn Webinar-- required by Sun. 5/10Hosted by the Penn GSE team, this will discuss the benefits youll receive as a Penn student, the structure of the Penn program, and a tutorial on applying for financial aid.Please RSVP here to select a date or let us know that you cant attend and will listen to a recording instead:

1. Tue. 5/19, 3:00-4:00pm Eastern

1. Wed. 5/27, 6:00-7:00pm Eastern

In advance of each webinar, we will send out details for how to join it. This will require you to log into a website on a computer and simultaneously dial in on a phone.5.Listen to the TFA Philadelphia Overview of Placement required by Sun. 5/10Thirty minutes all about how youll get your teaching position in a school. To access:

1. Log into Cornerstone: http://www2.teachforamerica.org/e/29012/29012-2015-01-22-mpqd-14169749/qzxx/19618979 (make sure pop-up blockers are off!).

0. Username: The e-mail address you used when you applied to TFA

0. Password for first-time users: tfa12345

1. Click on the Learning tab on the upper left hand corner of the homepage. Under Learning, select View Your Transcript.

1. The 2015 TFA Philadelphia Overview of Placement will be listed at the top of your transcript. Click Launch to start.

1. After youve finished listening, click Submit so we know you were able to listen successfully

Note that as a corps member joining TFA in May, its likely that first your opportunity to interview will be on our Saturday, June 27 interview day.6. Complete Your Placement Survey required by Sun. 5/10This will take about 20 minutes and will help us greatly as we arrange interviews for you over the months ahead.7. Begin Studying for the Praxis and/or PECTThese tests can be hard, so early preparation is key. Here are a few basic resources to get you started. The Certification Test Keys document is an absolute must-read.8. Review Your Summer Calendar and Submit Summer Leave RequestsStep 1: Review the Summer Training CalendarStep 2: If you anticipate an irresolvable conflict with induction (June 18-20, 2015), e-mail GreaterPhillyInfoStep 3: If you anticipate an irresolvable conflict with institute (June 21-July 24, 2015), review the TFA Summer Institute Attendance Policy and submit a Summer Leave Request as soon as possiblePlease note that completing the form does not guarantee your request will be approved.9. Volunteer to be an Induction Driver optionalWill you be bringing your car to induction? Are you willing to be a driver for yourself and a group of other corps members for minimal distances on induction Thursday 6/18 and Friday 6/19? If so, please send an email to Emily Ewing indicating the number of spots you have in your car. Note: All mileage will be reimbursed by TFA.10. Explore the Philadelphia Institute CM HubCurrently under construction, but will eventually contain all the logistical details youll need to be prepared for summer institute.Important note: you can ignore all items listed as due May 22 on the institute hub. These same items are already included in your matriculation packet (item #14)11. Provide Us with Your Summer E-mail Address - required by Sun. 5/10This will allow you to retain access to the Philly Institute Hub after it becomes password-protected in mid-May. Note: because the institute hub is a Google website, if your summer e-mail address is not a Gmail account, you will need to take 5 minutes to link your e-mail address to a Google account using these instructions.12. Complete the Institute Accommodations Request Form - optional, but recommendedTeach For America strives to accommodate the needs of corps members with disabilities during institute. Please let us know if you have a disability/condition that will impact your housing, mobility, medically-dictated dietary needs (e.g. diabetes), learning materials during summer training, etc. so our Disabilities Accommodations Officer and institute staff can follow up.13. Complete the Institute Personal Information Form - required by Fri. 5/10Close sibling of the above form. Will take about 15 minutes to complete and includes space for you to share non-medically dictated dietary needs and other crucial info that will help the Philly institute team support you this summer.14. Complete Your Paperwork Packet required by Fri. 6/5Best to start on this ASAP! This will require advance planning so you can schedule appointments to get fingerprinted, get a TB test, and complete other legal requirements for teaching in PA schools. Once complete, you will need to mail selected documents to our office so we receive them by June 5.15. Dig Into Your Summer Pre-Work required by Fri. 6/5This work will take about 13-14 hours and is entirely self-paced. Just be ready to upload your completed reflections by Friday, June 5. Later this week, you will receive a link to the Google site where you can upload your completed pre-work16. Join the 2015 TFA Philly Facebook Group - optionalThe best way to get connected to other 2015 TFA Philly corps members.

In this Issue

May 4, 2015

WELCOME!! SIXTEEN THINGS TO DO RIGHT NOW...