If you are a first-year teacher who has not had prior teaching experience, you are entitled to one-to-one mentoring throughout your first year. The mentor assigned to you is an experienced colleague who has been trained extensively in ways to best support you (including doing demonstration lessons, co-teaching with you, offering suggestions about classroom management and helping you plan your lessons). Your discussions are confidential. Your mentor does not report back to your principal.
The mentor will provide a minimum of two periods a week of non-evaluative and nonjudgmental support and is required to log at least 40 hours into the DOE mentoring system. Once the hours are logged in, the information is sent to the State Education Department electronically. When you apply for your professional certificate, you should see the credit you received for mentoring.
To find out what the contract says about mentoring, read Article 8G.