What are the responsibilities and job description for the Grammar Dean position at Rhodora J Donahue Academy?
Title: Grammar Dean, Full-Time (2025-2026 School Year)
Reports to: Principal and/or AP Faculty
Location: Rhodora J Donahue Academy | Ave Maria, FL
Classification: Salaried/Exempt
Overview
Donahue Academy is the parochial elementary, middle, and high school of Ave Maria Catholic Church, which serves more than 1,400 households through liturgy, evangelization, formation, education, and ministry activities. Donahue Academy provides a faithful Catholic, classical education, including a robust athletics program, to children from Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12 in a tight-knit community environment. At Donahue Academy, we believe that the pursuit of the transcendental realities cannot be separated from Christ, the source of all truth. It is only in the context of our allowing God His due place, according to the teachings of the Catholic Church, that an authentic and rigorous liberal arts education is possible. As such, our Pre-K to Grade 5 program – the Grammar Stage – is ordered toward an acquisition of content knowledge in all subjects that point to a coherent understanding of the universe, finding its ultimate origin and fulfillment in God. The Grammar School Dean supports this ethos by offering guidance to Grammar School teachers in the application of primary, classical, and Catholic education pedagogies to impart knowledge, promote a love of learning, model excellence in behavior, inspire service, and draw students into a vibrant Catholic culture that is visible in words, comportment (including dress) and actions.
Job Responsibilities
- Anthropology of student in this stage
- Proper corresponding educational methods to respond to this stage
- Coordinates and leads faculty meetings with faculty of that stage
- Make schedules and policies clear to all faculty of that stage (both in writing and communicated in person at some level)
- Make it clear how schedules and policies will be promulgated to students and parents, and follow-up to make sure that that has happened as planned
- Lead/model the enforcing of policies
- Lead in being present in the various "stage" activities
- Work closely with the coordinator of student activities of each stage and others to coordinate schedules of academic events, spiritual events, sports events, and social events (perhaps even having a visible master calendar for each stage in the dean's room where big events are listed) so that we're not inadvertently piling events on top of each other
- Communicates with AP about proper admin and Dr. Fabii interaction with students in grammar stage
- Legislates in academic areas that at are specific to level and universal to teachers in grammar stage
- Meet or designate an appropriate faculty member in grammar stage to meet with each prospective student
- Attend demo classes & interview all prospective teachers for grammar stage
- Coordinate Summer Reading for grammar stage
- Coordinate & oversee grammar stage awards voting & speeches
- Articulates identity of this stage
- Assumes other duties as assigned by the Principal or his designee.
- Minimum of Bachelor's degree, from an accredited college or university, applicable to a teaching assignment.
- Current 5-year renewable Professional Florida Educator Certificate, or a 3 or 4-year non-renewable Temporary Florida Educator Certificate, or eligibility for certification required.
- Understanding and knowledge of Catholic pedagogy (i.e., Gravissimum Educationis) strongly preferred.
- Familiarity with Singapore Math, Reading Mastery, FOSS Science desired; for a sampling of our primary education curriculum please refer to https://donahueacademy.org/curriculum-guide/.
- Must be a practicing Catholic.
- Must be familiar with the classical model of education.
- Must have strong written and verbal communication, planning, and organizational skills.
- Willingness to undergo a FDLE Level 2 background check.
