Lead 6th Grade Humanities Teacher 2023-2024

ABOUT US

The Primary School is creating a new school model that brings together all of the adults in a child’s life, including parents, educators, and medical and mental health providers, starting from a very early age. We recognize the entrenched racism that exists within our public systems and the unjust impact this has had on families of color. Our aim is that children and families most impacted by systemic poverty and racism receive the multidisciplinary support they deserve to be well, learn, and thrive.

Long-term, we hope to create a game-changing school model that can be replicated across the country. As we continue to learn and grow, we plan to share what we’ve learned and pursue policy and systems change on a local, state, and national level. We are supported by a growing coalition of philanthropic partners, as well as public funding where available.

Our approach has three defining characteristics:

• We start early. We start working with children as young as 18 months and provide full-time school starting at age three to reach them at a critical stage in development.
• We partner with parents. We believe that when parents thrive, children thrive, so we support the wellness and growth of parents alongside the growth of their children.
• We integrate services. Our unique model unites health care and education, building a multi-disciplinary team and holistic system of care around a child’s full needs.

In 2016, we opened our flagship school in East Palo Alto, California, with our first class of four year olds. We have grown to serve over 300 children and their families through a birth to three program, parent wellness program, full-day preschool, and elementary school, which will grow through eighth grade. In 2021, we opened our second site in the East Bay.

ABOUT OUR EAST PALO ALTO SITE

We are continuing to grow our East Palo Alto site and are excited to launch 6th grade for the 2023-2024 school year. In our school program, we currently serve over 350 students across two preschool grades (3 and 4 year olds) and kindergarten through fifth grade. Integrated into our program are the other core components of our model including our parent program - partnering closely with parents throughout their child’s development and providing wellness programming for caregivers; our birth to 3 program - coordinating early developmental screenings and intervention services; and our medical home partnerships - working with existing health care providers in the community to coordinate care for children.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The 6th Grade Humanities Teacher reports to the Principal and is responsible for planning and delivering rigorous, relevant instruction in English Language Arts and Social Studies. The 6th Grade Humanities teacher will partner closely with the 6th grade learning specialist to further develop and curate a comprehensive, effective, and cohesive ELA and Social Studies grade curriculum. The teaching load consists of two sections of 6th grade ELA and two sections of 6th grade social studies, as well as a student advisory. Upper middle school teachers are tone setters for the school and are responsible for high quality instruction, culture building within and across classrooms, and strengthening home-school connections through deep engagement with families. As a teacher at The Primary School, this individual will also serve as an advisor, facilitate an enrichment activity, and participate in various student and community activities and professional development. Additional responsibilities include active involvement in collaborative teacher meetings, supervisory duties, and accompanying students on an annual outdoor education trip.

Optional: For this teaching position you are able to volunteer in a co-teaching model to facilitate instruction in 6th grade ELA classrooms together with a learning specialist. If interested in co-teaching please inform the hiring manager.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Annual, weekly, and daily instructional planning in humanities tailored to the needs of each child
• Instructional delivery in large group, small group, and individualized formats
• Regular assessment and analysis of quantitative and qualitative student data with the goal of tailoring responsive instruction and support
• Collaboration with grade partner teacher to align on grade wide procedures, best practices, parent communication, and jointly problem-solve to best support students.
• Collaboration with other content teachers to practice skills, develop lessons and units and jointly problem solve.
• Annual, weekly, and daily SOUL advisory planning tailored to the needs of each child
• Active participation in pioneering and implementation of the TPS model, particularly the new upper grades, through research, curriculum development, engagement with school and organizational leadership, and focused professional development
• Partnership with special education teachers, behavioral support staff and related service providers to provide personalized supports for students with special needs
• Regular meetings with and outreach to families, including daily documentation and notes
• Proactive collaboration and frequent engagement with The Primary School Parent Coaches and staff, and external health practitioners and partners
• Participation in reflection and coaching, both 1:1 with an Instructional Coach and in group context with colleagues
• Partnering with families and facilitate ongoing opportunities for family engagement

The critical features of this role are described above but are not all encompassing; as our school grows and evolves your responsibilities may shift accordingly. QUALIFICATIONS

• You have a Bachelor's degree in related field
• You have a minimum of 3 years of experience as a classroom teacher (ideally within two grades of your desired position) and hold deep and diverse instructional competence
• Your work demonstrates a practice of creating transformative classroom culture for all kids. You are committed to social justice and take proactive steps to build an equitable classroom practice
• You enthusiastically utilize data to understand what a student needs and to personalize instruction accordingly
• You have a parent- and family-centered mindset
• You recognize the multidimensional needs of children and families, because in your own way, you’ve been trying to weave education, health, and family support services together for your students
• You get that starting a new school and organization is no easy task and are not scared - in fact, you’re energized - by the idea of putting in the hours and deep commitment needed to bring The Primary School to life
• You are unafraid of diversity and engage confidently across differences.
• You are kind, humble, and collaborative

A Plus If

• Expertise and background in teaching humanities
• Master’s Degree
• You speak fluent Spanish
• You have ties to the East Palo Alto Community

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear, and communicate with both adults and children. The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is frequently required to stand, walk, sit, and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus. The noise level in the work environment is moderate to high.

COMPENSATION

Annual salary range begins at $73,000 (Y1) - $101,725 (Y25). Compensation is commensurate with qualifications and experience, plus excellent health benefits (health, dental, and vision), 401k retirement plan, flexible spending account (FSA), dependent care FSA, and generous paid time off, including a competitive paid parental leave benefit. TPS will cover 93% of the total premium cost for individual team members in our HMO and PPO plans, and 95% for individual team members in our HDHP plan. TPS also covers 50% of enrolled partners and/or dependents' costs on all three of our medical plans (HMO,PPO, HDHP).

To ensure fair and equitable compensation for all of our employees, The Primary School has a no-negotiation policy on all offers extended. Final offers are determined using role descriptions, job market data, internal parity, and semi-annual benchmarking. We hope that this policy, paired with ongoing transparency in our compensation process, will make TPS a more fair, inclusive, and diverse culture.