Founding Teachers

Connect Community Charter School is now accepting applications for K, 1, 2 and 6th grade founding teachers for the 2013-2014 school year. Please spread the word among educators you admire.

Connect seeks educators who will commit to teach with determination, integrity and purpose, embodying these essential qualities:

  • A commitment to Connect’s mission, vision, and core values
  • A passion and ability to instruct and sustain the Connect curricular model in a diverse school setting
  • Reflective, self-aware and adaptable
  • Critical thinker and problem solver who takes initiative
  • Works to build a collaborative culture at Connect

This job description is available in PDF format as well.

 

CONNECT COMMUNITY CHARTER SCHOOL OVERVIEW

Connect Community Charter School is a new school in Redwood City with a mission to prepare students to be self-aware, responsible, life-long learners, motivated to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world. Connect is in its planning phase and will open in August 2013 with 125 students in grades K-2 and 6. At its capacity the school will expand to approximately 300 students in grades K-8. Connect seeks to be representative of the population of the Redwood City School District (72% Latino, 70% low-income, and 45% English Language Learners) and to bring the culture of innovation and resources of Silicon Valley to those that rarely have access to it.

INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL

Connect’s teachers will create and embrace a culture of compassion and perseverance where high expectations are the norm. Connect’s instructional model is grounded in approaches that allow children to learn and grow in ways that suit them best including:

  • Inquiry-based learning. Through inquiry, students have the chance to learn about topics in depth, while teachers make sure children demonstrate true understanding
  • Integrated social-emotional development. Children learn empathy, team-building, problem-solving, and communication skills. We teach, evaluate and practice social-emotional learning as seriously as other core subjects.
  • Multiple ways to learn. Classrooms will include movement, creative arts, play, intentional humor, and other approaches that promote academic mastery. Our students learn by making and doing.
  • Personalization. Teachers will use differentiated instructional practices to ensure all students achieve. Teachers remain with students for two years to foster a sense of community and support personalization.
  • Service Learning. Service learning integrated into the curriculum that connects students to their communities at the school, the city, and the wider world.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Planning for Instruction

  • Use state standards to create comprehensive, cross-disciplinary units and rigorous, objective- driven lessons infused with social-emotional development and consistent with Connect’s instructional model.
  • Differentiate for individual students based on their unique learning needs so all students are appropriately engaged and challenged; including English Learners and students with special needs.

Delivery of Instruction

  • Draw on student’s prior knowledge in instruction, using a variety of instructional strategies and with a focus on mastery.

Assessment

  • Use formative and summative assessments frequently to reflect on effectiveness of lessons and student achievement progress to improve instruction.

Learning Environment

  • Create a focused environment of cooperation, inquiry and respect that encourages students to take risks and strive to reach goals.
  • Communicate and enforce high expectations and standards for behavior and academic performance, aligned with Connect’s school culture.

Family and Community Relationships

  • Communicate openly and frequently with parent/guardians remaining sensitive to different families’ cultures, values and needs.
  • Work collaboratively with parents/guardians, families, and other members of the community to involve them in academic activities and to support Connect’s service learning program.

Professional Learning

  • Collaborate with colleagues to continuously improve personal practice, classroom instruction, and assessment and take a leadership role in building culture, structures and curriculum of our new school.
  • Reflect critically upon the teaching experience; identify areas for further professional development as part of a professional development plan that is linked to teacher assessment and curricular goals. Use feedback to update Individual Professional Development Plan.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

  • Bachelor’s degree required, Masters Degree preferred
  • Teaching experience in a diverse public school or charter school setting preferred
  • Valid California teaching credential
  • CLAD/BCLAD certification or working toward certification
  • Strong desire to work within an innovative curriculum with a diverse student body

TO APPLY

Interested candidates should submit the following materials as separate PDF attachments. Use “Connect Founding Teacher” as the subject line and send to hr@connectrwc.org:

  • Cover letter expressing interest in the position and the unique contribution you make to Connect
  • Current résumé
  • Statement of teaching philosophy and practice