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Prospect Sierra
Overview of School
Prospect Sierra is an independent, coed TK–8 school located on two campuses in El Cerrito, California, serving 470 students. Prospect Sierra gives students the tools to build a better world by integrating rigorous academics with a deep understanding of human emotions. Every day our exceptional teachers connect students’ academic experiences to ethics, empathy, and social and emotional intelligence. The result is deeper intellectual engagement, greater self-knowledge, and compassionate relationships. Prospect Sierra students develop the courage to become more than great students, but great people. Please visit our website, www.prospectsierra.org, for more information.
Overview of Position
This position is for a kindergarten-2nd grade full-time Learning Specialist. This teacher will report to the Elementary Division Head. The Learning Specialist works closely with kindergarten, first, and second-grade classroom teachers to ensure adequate academic and social progress within our lower elementary program. As the lower elementary Learning Specialist, the successful candidate will be responsible for the following:
Student Support
- Work 1-2 times per week in both kindergarten classrooms to help teachers differentiate instruction, provide academic support, and get to know all students.
- Run weekly remedial reading groups 2-3 times per week in both first-grade classes, in collaboration with classroom teachers.
- Push-in to reading, writing, math, or humanities classes in first and second-grade classes on an as-needed basis to ensure needed accommodations are in place and provide additional one-on-one support for students.
- When necessary, provide direct support in reading, writing, or math in second grade.
When necessary, organize spelling or handwriting small group pull-outs to provide additional - instruction for those identified as needing more support in these areas.
Write mid and end-of-year reports for all students instructed that semester in any small group pull-out work.
Case Management
- Interpret, advise, and assist faculty and parents with implementing recommendations for accommodations for students with identified learning differences.
- Act as a liaison between faculty and outside professionals to support students with learning differences who receive outside support.
- Participate in student team meetings which include teachers, parents, and outside professionals.
- Participate in information-sharing meetings to collect data about how individual students are doing across the program and disseminate notes from the meetings to necessary support staff.
- Update digital Learning Support HUBS with current information on students’ learning needs to ensure important history and current information is communicated to teachers at each grade level.
- Meet and communicate with parents for consultation and discussion of individual students’ learning needs on an as needed basis.
Curricular Support & Team Collaboration
- Join team meetings when necessary in order to support teachers with needed accommodations and to support differentiated curriculum needs.
- When needed, provide support in designing and implementing sensory diet plans and/or accommodations to the learning environment in order to address sensory needs of individual students.
- In kindergarten, team with the classroom teachers to identify needed phonics, phonemic awareness, handwriting/fine motor, or numeracy activities to push-in and teach to all kindergarteners or select students weekly.
- Collaborate weekly as a member of the learning support team, made up of all Learning Specialists, the Elementary Head, and the Elementary Psychologist/Counselor.
- Implement in-house screenings (language, processing skills, memory, etc..) when needed, and follow up with parents and teachers.
- Recommend outside evaluation and services to students/families as needed, and keep referral lists up to date.
Faculty and Community Education/Resources
- Design and execute faculty education opportunities on topics of learning diversity and differentiation in a variety of formats, several times per year.
- Required to attend all kindergarten admission visit days, including on weekends.
Join the Head and Division Head at K-2nd grade parent coffees. - Work in collaboration with the Learning Specialist team to create communication to current and prospective families around learning differences, support, and resources on the school website.
Duties school-wide include:
- Participation in Learning Specialist weekly meetings.
- Participation in Elementary campus weekly faculty meetings.
- Ancillary duties include responsibilities that are part of elementary school life, e.g., attendance at school functions, occasional full faculty professional development training, and recess duties weekly.
Qualifications
The candidate must have:
- Master’s degree in education, or relevant coursework or certification indicating advanced knowledge in areas related to the responsibilities of the job.
- Strong emotional intelligence represented in both verbal and written articulation of student needs.
- Three or more years experience in a school setting preferably at the elementary school level.
- Specific training in or expertise in providing interventions for students with learning differences, attentional challenges, executive functioning weaknesses, sensory integration needs, and/or fine/gross motor challenges.
- Extensive experience with assessment and screening tools for early elementary-aged students in the areas of reading, phonics, writing, math, and fine/gross motor development.
- Ability and willingness to work collaboratively.
- Ability to effectively communicate with parents.
- Strong organizational and record keeping skills.
Initiative. - Desire to work within a classroom setting.
- Willingness to have a flexible schedule in order to accommodate meetings with parents, shifting times to work individually or in small groups with students, and meeting with teachers.
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
- Sense of humor.
- Confidence in managing digital databases and using technology.
- Interest in a trauma-informed, healing-centered approach to student services.
- Commitment to neurodiversity affirming educational practices and principles.
Salary
The salary is competitive. Benefits included. You can find our 2023-24 pay scale here.
How to Apply
Send a résumé (including written recommendations and/or contact information for three references) and one-page cover letter to:
Quise Rodriguez, Elementary School Head
Email: tapscottjobs@prospectsierra.org
Prospect Sierra School is an equal opportunity employer. Our community is diverse in many ways, inclusive of race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender spectrum, age, ability, and more. We welcome and value the same in our faculty and staff.
