Building relationships was a theme shared at the Webutuck Central School District’s new teacher orientation. Five new teachers and one new social worker – Katie Burch, Aaron Howard, Candace Lynch, Keelin Sepp, Kyra Galantich and Jenn Anderson – attended the full six-hour session Aug. 28.

Anderson was a teaching assistant in the high school, who now will be teaching seventh and eighth graders in Eugene Brooks Intermediate School.

“I’m looking forward to the change of subjects, the challenge of it, and meeting the students,” said Anderson. “I’ll miss the high schoolers and the familiar faces because I do have the bond with them, but I’m looking forward as well to building new relationships.

“I’m excited to see what younger siblings I’m going to run into from the kids I have had and making those connections as well.”

Teacher Sarah Martin opened the orientation with a welcome and introduction. Martin serves as the mentor director, which has a Webutuck Teachers’ Association member serve as a mentor to a new WTA member. Martin will meet with the new teachers each month and will meet regularly with their mentors.

“It’s been very successful. It is nice for them to have someone they can always go to. I’ve always gotten really good feedback,” said Martin.

Superintendent of Schools Raymond Castellani introduced administrators and shared the importance of building relationships. He led an exercise where new teachers and staff worked in groups, sharing their favorite songs. The groups used their phone to play a favorite song of each group member, and members of other groups had to guess which group member chose that song.

“Relationships are so incredibly important and I think they can see that today with the WTA and the administration working together,” said Tammy Nethercott, president of the WTA.

Following lunch, the new teachers toured the buildings with their mentor, went through the handbook with their mentor and were assisted by their mentor in preparing for the first week of school.

“I hope that they realize what a team effort we put forward with teaching,” said Nethercott. “We talk about our teachers union, our administration, working together to care about and for our students, and building relationships with our students.”