KINDERGARTEN MATERNITY LEAVE TEACHER

Description

Shady Side Academy’s Country Day School is seeking a full-time kindergarten teacher for a maternity leave position for the end of the 2024-2025 school year. A successful kindergarten teacher engages students in meaningful learning experiences that meet their students’ needs and gives them the confidence to take risks. Shady Side’s teachers cultivate academic skill development and support students’ social-emotional growth. This applicant will work collaboratively within a team of child-focused educators and has a deep commitment to this important time in a student’s educational journey. This teacher will co-teach with another kindergarten teacher to deliver instruction to the class of students. 

Qualifications

Primary Responsibilities 

• Keeps students at the center of their decision making and instructional practice.
• Collaborates with colleagues and supports endeavors that benefit the larger community.
• Cultivates positive partnerships with parents through consistent and transparent communication about their child’s progress.
• Utilizes the responsive classroom approach and desires to cultivate an emotionally safe educational environment for their students.
• Has the ability to support students' social-emotional development through play.
• Implements the Math in Focus: A Singapore Approach curriculum to teach mathematics.
• Implements the Fountas and Pinnell Classroom, Heggerty, and Fundations curriculum to teach reading.
• Has the ability to integrate writing instruction throughout the day, as well as implementing the Simplified Writing curriculum during writing class.
• Utilizes instructional strategies that are engaging, multi-sensory, research supported, and meet students’ individual needs.
• Integrates technology, STEAM, design thinking, and other innovative strategies into classroom instruction.
• Successfully implements formative and summative assessments to inform instructional decisions.
• Will utilize the outdoors year-round to further enhance students’ educational experience.
• Will collaborate with colleagues to continually improve instruction and to ensure instructional consistency across grade levels.
• Performs extra duties such as recess, lunch and arrival/dismissal duties as needed.
• Attends events such as assemblies, field trips, and other community events.
• Can care for the safety of the students by participating in fire, evacuation, and other safety drills. 
• Completes other responsibilities as deemed necessary by the Head of Lower Schools and/or Assistant Heads of Country Day

A successful candidate will have:

• A depth of knowledge and understanding of child development.
• A passion for working with children and developing high quality educational experiences.
• A desire to participate in continued professional development.
• A desire to meet the needs of a diverse community of learners.

Requirements

A bachelor’s degree in elementary or early childhood education is required. Ideal candidates have some experience working with elementary school students, a flexible and team-oriented approach, excellent written and oral communication skills, exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail, superior interpersonal skills, a sense of humor, positive demeanor and a knowledge of 21st Century Skills.

Personal Statement/Cover Letter

Shady Side Academy’s mission is “to challenge students to think expansively, act ethically, and lead responsibly”. Inspired by this mission, Shady Side’s driving purpose remains the development of responsible, transformative leaders for the City of Pittsburgh and beyond. This reason for existing was embedded at our inception, as the pioneers of the American steel industry founded a preparatory school designed to ensure next generation leadership for what they envisioned would become the great, enduring industrial city of the 20th century. As we envision the Academy’s next chapter and consider a changing world, we have the opportunity to reimagine how we deliver on this mission.  Using the linked document as a resource (https://www.shadysideacademy.org/about/strategic-vision), please respond to the following prompt:   Providing past and current examples, how do you practice Relational Teaching, create opportunities for Civil Discourse, and offer Real Word Learning Opportunities within your teaching practices.