Northern Light School
Kindergarten Teacher
Northern Light School – Oakland, California
Northern Light School (NLS) serves students in Pre-K to 8th grade. Our mission is to provide a high quality education for children from all socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. At Northern Light, we understand that rigorous academics alone are insufficient to prepare our students for success in a world in which innovation, problem solving, and the ability to work collaboratively are more prized than ever. Our small class sizes (capped at 20) mean that every Northern Light student feels supported and valued by their community and develops the character, creativity, critical thinking skills, and compassion that are the hallmarks of our graduates.
NLS is a teacher-powered school: Teachers work together to drive decisions concerning curriculum, academic schedules, school calendar, discipline, and take collective responsibility for the success and growth of the school. Teachers at NLS embrace the creative and collaborative nature of a teacher-powered model, because it allows us to make changes that are in the best interests of our students. Northern Light is currently searching for a teacher to join our passionate community of educators and learners and who understands and supports our school mission.
Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Days: Monday to Friday
General Duties and Responsibilities, listed but not limited to:
Teaching:
● Plan, prepare, and deliver lessons to assigned grade level graders in Math, Reading, Writing, Social Studies, Science, Art, Technology, and others as determined by PLC Team.
● Demonstrate mastery of related subject matter, instructional skills, and resource materials for course(s) taught.
● Organize and lead activities designed to promote physical, mental, and social development such
as games, arts and crafts, music and storytelling.
● Use available technology and instructional media to enhance students’ learning experiences.
● Create lesson plans, aligned with current standards, which establish clear objectives and drive instruction through formative and summative assessments.
● Create a scope and sequence curriculum, specific content area curriculum maps, and lesson plans for grade levels and subject areas taught.
● Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units and projects and communicate those objectives to students.
● Differentiate instruction for students based on their educational needs and abilities.
● Keep accurate records of school property including classroom curricula materials, workbooks, classroom technology, etc.
● Engage parents and guardians in the education of their children.
Classroom:
● Foster, monitor, and maintain a safe, positive, and nurturing classroom environment in which
students are engaged and demonstrate mutual respect.
● Utilize a variety of effective instructional and management techniques that support the school-wide behavior expectations.
● Maintain a tidy classroom environment that promotes student learning.
● Plan and supervise class projects, field trips, visits by guest speakers or other experiential activities and guide students in learning from those activities.
● Organize, plan, and execute Kindergarten Graduation ceremony.
Assessment:
● Observe and evaluate students’ performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
● Create a variety of formative and summative assessments for units and use those assessments for planning and instruction.
● Evaluate students’ performance based on school-wide assessment systems and submit scores by deadlines outlined in handbook.
● Keep accurate records of student assessments throughout the year.
● Complete progress reports and report cards each Trimester and submit them to the Director by deadlines outlined in handbook.
● Lead Parent-Teacher conferences for all Kindergarten grade students.
● Communicate with parents and the Director of Student Affairs when students need academic or behavioral support.
Schoolwide:
● Participate in the school wide Morning Circle and supervise an assigned Rainbow Group consisting of mixed grade level students.
● Supervise snack and lunch in the homeroom class.
● Supervise lunch recess and afternoon recess, as needed.
● Monitor homeroom class during rainy day schedules.
● Monitor and clean faculty room, as equally assigned among faculty and staff.
● Participate weekly in Professional Learning Community (PLC) collaborative team meetings for grades K-2 and help develop and adhere to norms established by this team.
● Attend and participate in weekly Faculty Meetings and daily morning check-in meetings.
● Attend and participate in extracurricular/school related activities and committees, as required and assigned.
● Demonstrate a commitment to continuous professional growth and actively seek out professional development opportunities.
● Maintain a professional appearance, and demonstrate behavior that is conscientious and responsible.
● Appropriately communicate and interact with other professional staff in academic planning and school committee work.
● Establish and maintain appropriate relationships with students, parents, staff, and community members by communicating in a tactful, courteous, and confidential manner.
● Support the school and its leadership.
