Students: Signing Up for Your Clinical Experiences

Before signing up for your clinical experience this semester, review the entirety of the information provided on this webpage.

The first video explains how to sign up and document your clinical experiences with our school partners through the Sonia online portal, and the second video, The 49er Way, explains the Cato College of Education’s expectations of all candidates while they complete clinical experiences in a school site. Once you have watched both videos, you can sign up for a clinical placement.

Student Use of Sonia for Clinical Experiences

Video Note: This video references the Spring and Fall 2024 semesters. You should select the semester that aligns with the current semester you are signing up for a clinical site (i.e., Fall 2025, Spring 2026, etc.)

Video Highlights

Welcome to Sonia (0:45)
How to Sign-Up for Clinicals in Sonia (1:00)
How to Find Available School Sites (3:00)
How to Filter the School Options by School Name, City, or Content Area (4:10)
How to Find my School’s Site Contact Person (9:15)
How will school personnel use Sonia? (10:00)

This Clinical Sign-Up Instructional Guide contains a step-by-step walkthrough of the registration process modeled in the video above.

The 49er Way

The 49er Way video explains the Cato College of Education’s expectations for all students completing clinical experiences.

Please read all of the following information before you proceed.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR CLINICAL STUDENTS:

  1. The Office of School & Community Partnerships arranges clinicals in the following counties: Cabarrus, Catawba, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell-Statesville, Kannapolis, Lincoln, Rowan-Salisbury, Stanly, and Union Counties.
    • If you book a school in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, you MUST register as a volunteer. On the CMS website (www.cms.k12.nc.us) under the “Community” tab, click “Volunteer” then “Volunteering in CMS.” Students not registered as volunteers will not be permitted to enter the classrooms. IMPORTANT: Be sure to select the school(s) you signed up to visit so your name will show on the schools’ approved list.
    • If you would like to book a school in Cabarrus County Schools, all students are required to complete the clearance process through the district’s Human Resource Department. Please complete the Clinical Observation Student Teachers application. The application can be found at https://cabarrus.schoolspring.com/. If you have any questions, please contact Angie McClain at angie.mcclain@cabarrus.k12.nc.us.
    • If you book a school in Lincoln County, when contacting Rachel Frye at rachel.frye@lincoln.k12.nc.us please indicate if your time in the school will total more than 20 hours.
    • If you booked a school in the Mooresville Graded School District, all students are required to complete the clearance process through the district’s Human Resource Department. You will contact Dr. April Kuhn at aprilkuhn@mgsd.k12.nc.us.
    • If you booked a school in Gaston County Schools, all students are required to complete the clearance process. You will contact Melissa Buchanan at mmbuchanan@gaston.k12.nc.us with your specific requirements for clinicals. For example, how many hours are needed, observations only, teaching lessons, working with small groups, subject area/grade level.
  2. The contact person in all other districts (not listed above) may be emailed once the clinical portal opens. Instructions to locate this persons contact information can be found in the video at the top of this page.
  3. Students requesting placement in the following districts must contact OSCP at sonia-placements@charlotte.edu: Avery, Buncombe, Guilford, New Hanover, Randolph, Wake, and Winston-Salem Forsyth. When you email OSCP, provide the following information: Preferred School and grade level/content, number of hours required for class and activities (e.g., 3 hours of observation). OSCP will facilitate the placement for these counties
  4. Distance education students requesting clinicals in all other counties not listed above should use the Employed or Distance Education Form.
  5. The confirmation page, provided when you register for your clinical site in Sonia, serves as permission to contact the selected school through the contact person listed. Email templates for establishing contact with your clinical site are provided on the Field Experience Resource Hub.
  6. Print your confirmation page for your reference and take it to the school.
  7. Take your driver’s license or government-issued photo ID when you travel to your clinical site.
  8. Search online for directions to your school site(s). Please do not call the school for directions.
  9. Dress professionally. Some schools have turned students away when they arrived in typical campus attire. Please refer to our “Professional Dress Code” policy in the Field Experience Resource Hub.
  10. The Sonia Portal will open on August 25th at 8am. When it opens, you can sign up for clinicals here.

For questions or issues regarding clinical sign-up up please email sonia-placements@charlotte.edu. Thank you.