Elementary Teacher

Instructional

Mission

Sela Public Charter School (Sela PCS) offers children of all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds in the District of Columbia, from Pre-K to 5th grade, the opportunity to achieve academic excellence in a safe, nurturing environment that focuses on Hebrew language immersion, promotes the value of diversity and provides the skills for taking action in the world.

Philosophy

Sela PCS is founded on a steadfast commitment to ensuring that all of its students experience the diverse offerings of the District of Columbia while ensuring high levels of academic achievement for its students in a dual-language immersion setting.

School Culture

Sela PCS’s vision is of a community of learners striving towards excellence, where children of all backgrounds and abilities are valued members of a safe, nurturing community, in which differences are appreciated, and families are active participants in school life.  Through exposure to the Hebrew language and contemporary Israeli culture, students learn broad lessons about how to appreciate and participate in cultures that are different from their own.

Instructional Approach

Sela PCS integrates a model of differentiated instruction as a methodological foundation for all teaching in the school. Differentiated instruction is a key element in ensuring academic success for all students and is particularly crucial because we anticipate that students arrive at all grade levels, at a variety of skill levels, and that we will serve students with disabilities and English language learners. Differentiated instruction is one tangible educational expression of the school’s diversity.

Sela PCS uses the Proficiency Approach to language instruction. The Proficiency Approach aims to assist learners in developing their ability to perform in the learned language in all four language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing).  With this approach, learners acquire the language, which allows them to engage deeply with the language and enables the language to become part of the learner.

Responsibilities of Sela PCS Classroom Teachers:

Student Achievement & Character Development

  • Create a classroom culture that represents Sela’s high expectations for every student and its core values.  Teachers are expected to provide specific and timely feedback on student effort, behavior, and work quality, display recent high-quality student work, and maintain a classroom that is designed and organized for optimal student learning
  • Set and hold students to extremely high academic and behavioral standards
  • Deliver measurable student academic growth and increase each individual student’s achievement

Core Instructional Excellence

  • Plan and deliver effective differentiated instruction on a daily basis, based on Sela PCS’ rigorous academic standards, student assessment data, and Sela PCS’ curriculum framework
  • Develop and implement daily lessons that engage all learners, fit in with a long-term learning plan, follow the Sela PCS lesson plan format, and are aligned to the Common Core State Standards
  • Conduct and organize ongoing assessments of student performance using multiple assessment tools, including standardized tests, performance assessments, anecdotal records, portfolios, and individualized assessments as appropriate
  • Assess every student’s mastery of the content and diagnose areas of student misunderstanding
  • Expertise in content knowledge; all information conveyed to students is factually accurate
  • Model responses and provide visual anchors; lead students through guided and independent practice and regularly check for understanding
  • Ensure academic rigor by asking increasingly difficult questions, accepting only high quality student responses and posting examples of high quality work
  • Use high-engagement strategies (e.g., rapid fire questioning, non-verbal responses, etc.).
  • Meet the needs of a range of students, providing extra support, enrichment, or variation of work
  • Use highly interactive, multi-modal and developmentally appropriate teaching and classroom management practices.

Classroom Culture

  • Create positive, achievement-oriented and structured learning environment in which  students are excited about, and invested in, their academic excellence
  • Set and reinforce clear expectations and routines that are aligned with the school’s overall vision
  • Discuss, celebrate, and reinforce character skills
  • Embrace and use school culture systems
  • Design classroom space to reinforce school values and culture with obvious, posted examples of outstanding academics and character

Planning and Data Analysis

  • Set measurable, ambitious yet attainable goals for the year and for each interim assessment cycle
  • Use data from interim assessments, quizzes and informal assessments to inform instruction
  • Internalize standards and scope and sequence (for own grade/subject and the grades one year before and one year after) and know how standards are assessed
  • Thoughtfully plan lessons and develop and implement specific strategies to ensure that each student achieves dramatic gains

Student and Family Relationships

  •  Engage parents and families in their child’s academic success
  • Foster a relationship with families beginning with an introductory phone call at the start of the year and maintained with a monthly newsletter that keeps parents abreast of classroom activities, academic units, and other announcements
  • Prepare student progress reports and report cards 4 times a year and conduct parent-teacher conferences 3 times per year for the purpose of sharing assessment data, student work, and recommendations
  • Invest parents and families in their children’s academic success through regular communication
  • Build rapport with students outside of class (e.g., lunches with students, special events)
  • Personal Organization and Effectiveness
  • Reflect on successes and areas of growth around all areas of teaching; seek to improve performance; receive feedback eagerly
  • Work with school team to constantly evaluate and improve mastery of instructional, culture building, and leadership skills
  • Use system to capture and check action items and prioritize work appropriately
  • Enthusiastically participate in structured and informal learning and development opportunities

Contribution to Sela PCS and the School Community

  • Participate in Sela PCS professional development workshops, including the Summer Professional Development sessions
  • Participate in weekly grade-level planning sessions that involve planning, discussion of student work, and curriculum development
  • Collaborate with colleagues to ensure a rigorous, joyful, and safe environment across the entire school
  • Assume responsibility for every single student’s success by holding all students accountable during transitions, meals, trips, etc.
  • Maintain an accurate and up-to-date record of student attendance and inventory of classroom materials
  • Follow school-wide procedures for attire, behavior, and punctuality
  • Attend and participate in occasional school events outside of regular school hours

 

Skills and Characteristics

  • Strong instructional skills and classroom management
  • Demonstrated mastery of subject matter
  • Unyielding commitment to students, self and school’s constant learning and development
  • Relentlessness - doing whatever it takes to ensure success
  • Team player
  • Highly organized
  • Belief in Sela PCS’s mission, educational model, and core values
  • Maturity, humility, strong work ethic, sense of humor, and “roll-up-my-sleeves” attitude
  • Knowledge of and training in the Workshop Model and Responsive Classroom

 

Educational Background and Work Experience:

  • Three years of teaching experience with a record of high student achievement
  • Competent use of technology
  • Bachelors degree from a competitive college or university
  • Highly-Qualified Teacher status, with grade-level and subject area passing Praxis scores (Praxis scores to be submitted prior to hiring)
  • Demonstrates ability to use data to assess student learning, with evidence of student growth
  • Familiarity with the Balanced Literacy model and the Responsive Classroom model preferred
  • Experience developing rigorous, research-based and student-centered curricula
  • Research and evaluation experience, including qualitative and quantitative data analysis; evaluation experience in an educational setting preferred
  • Superior written and verbal communication skills
  • Demonstrated success with team collaboration
  • High level of expertise with Microsoft Office, including Word and Excel
  • Strong project planning and management skills and experience

 

Compensation

Salary for this position is very competitive and commensurate with experience.  Additionally, Sela PCS offers a comprehensive benefits package.