Assistant Head of School

Tessellations seeks an Assistant Head of School to begin Fall of 2022 (Preferred start date: July 1, 2022 – earlier is fine, too). The Assistant Head of School serves as a key administrator at Tessellations, overseeing school operations, as well as the academic curriculum and pedagogy, teacher support and development, student support and communications for kindergarten through 8th grade. The ideal candidate has a strong educational background and a deep understanding of school life. The person in this critical leadership role, reporting to the Head of School and serving as a member of the Administrative Leadership Team, will ensure Tessellations is thriving and operating in accordance with our mission, vision, values, and beliefs. Tessellations is a growing school and the future possibilities for someone in this position are fully expected to grow as the school continues to mature.

About Tessellations School

Tessellations, a K-8 independent, progressive school tailored for gifted students, was created in 2020 by a group of like-minded educators and parents dedicated to serving the needs of the whole child.

Anne Beneventi, a nationally recognized gifted specialist and visionary educator, guides Tessellations with the enthusiastic support of the entire staff and parent community. Our dedicated staff specialize in and have experience educating gifted children.

Our staff builds Tessellations’ curriculum from the ground up. Our outstanding teachers do a tremendous job of keeping their classes engaged, strongly facilitated by our intentionally low student-teacher ratio (approximately 5.5:1).

Qualifications:

Required:

• MA/MS/PhD Degree – Educational Leadership and/or Curriculum preferred
• 3 years classroom experience as a Lead Teacher
• 3 years supervisory experience in Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, Middle School, or school administration
• Experience mentoring/coaching teachers and cultivating/fostering leadership
• Prior administrative experience in a progressive school
• Experience with DEI (or DEIJ) issues/initiatives
• Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing
• Familiarity with trends in progressive schooling
• Technical literacy

Nice to have:

• Strong social-emotional skills
• Counseling experience
• Familiarity with HR functions and facilities management
• Familiarity with Project-Based Learning
• Familiarity with gifted education

The new Assistant Head of School will:

• Oversee daily operations, including facilities, Human Relations, the daily schedule, and Health/Safety.
• Collaborate with the Head of School and board for setting and implementing the budget.
• Provide faculty support and mentoring, including supporting curriculum development, execution of a performance evaluation process, teacher onboarding, and staff development.
• Ensure highest quality and standards in instructional implementation, project-based, thematic learning and classroom management, providing mentoring when needed.
• Ensure that students’ physical, social and emotional needs are effectively met, collaborating with the school counselor and other outside support resources, and families as needed.
• Chair the school’s Student Support Team meetings and processes.
• Collaborate with the Head of School to collect and analyze data related to program effectiveness and satisfaction, overseeing progress reporting processes and information gathering.
• Implement and execute highly effective parent-teacher conferences.
• Be a transparent and effective communicator to parents and the community-at-large about the school’s programs, expectations and provide other information related to admissions and other processes.
• Foster positive, supportive relationships with parents and the parents’ association/community, and a culture of collaboration, transparency and integrity.
• Support staff and faculty in communicating to parents, especially when these address challenging topics.

To Apply

Interested candidates should submit the following materials to careers@tessellations.school, preferably by April 15, 2022:

• A cover letter expressing particular interest in this position
• A current resume
• A one-page writing sample that outlines your philosophy as an educator and your philosophy as a leader
• A list of five professional references with name, relationship, phone number, and email address (references will not be contacted without the applicant’s permission)