The Nueva School

Upper School Biology Teacher

The Position

We seek an experienced high school teacher with expertise in teaching biology to teach in our core 10th grade biology course through an inquiry-based lens. Nueva’s courses are lab-based, hands-on, and aim to have students engaging in science. For some students, this is their primary biology course, for others, it serves as a foundation for advanced elective based neuroscience, individual research, and public health courses.

The ideal candidate will have experience in the applications of the biological sciences in research, industry, and/or engineering. Due to the varied and deep offerings in our science program, the ability to teach chemistry and or environmental science, as well as biology at an advanced level are desired. In addition, the candidate will have interest and experience in a variety of modes of teaching and be highly skilled at differentiated instruction. The candidate will have taught several years at the high school and/or university level, and will have knowledge of more than one academic discipline, as well as experience in and passion for building integrated, interdisciplinary programs of study. As a school which has graduated our first four senior classes, we seek dedicated educators who have an interest in collaborating with our current faculty as partners in the ongoing design and implementation of Nueva’s curriculum and programs.

General Responsibilities

• Develop and teach your courses expertly with the highest standards for each student
• Convey enthusiasm for intellectual inquiry and model lifelong learning
• Design instruction that emphasizes critical thinking and real-world problem solving
• Collaborate with colleagues in the development and execution of curriculum
• Create hands-on, inquiry and project-based learning experiences
• Collaborate effectively with students, parents, teachers and administrators
• Model flexibility in implementing best learning practices
• Support the well-being of all students
• Demonstrate a commitment to social justice, equity and inclusion through pedagogy and incorporate an anti-racist and anti-oppressive lens into teaching practice
• Cultivate and develop inclusive and equitable working relationships with students, faculty, staff and community members.
• Demonstrate social and emotional intelligence and a willingness to hold multiple truths including diverse perspectives and approaches
• Demonstrate interest and ability to serve as an advisor to students, lead student activities, serve as a club advisor, and contribute beyond the classroom to support school programs and activities
• Actively participate in other aspects of the student experience and school functioning: chaperoning trips and events, serving on committees, and developing new programs at the school
• Lead by example in your commitment to Nueva’s mission: “Our school community inspires passion for lifelong learning, fosters social and emotional acuity, and develops the student’s imaginative mind.”

Position Qualifications

• Demonstrated mastery in area of study and ability to teach within and across academic disciplines
• Bachelor's and advanced university degree
• Minimum of three years’ teaching experience
• Successful teaching experience in secondary school and/or university
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• A desire to integrate curriculum with other subjects and to teach collaboratively
• Flexibility and creativity in working in a dynamic environment where new ideas, mistakes, and iteration are embraced.
• A profound openness to feedback and improvement, modeling lifelong learning of practice as well as subject area.

To Apply

Please send a cover letter, resume, and the names and contact information of three references at http://nuevaschool.applytojob.com/apply. To address specific questions, please email Claire Yeo, at cyeo@nuevaschool.org or Liza Raynal, at lraynal@nuevaschool.org.

Applications will be screened on a rolling basis beginning early-March.  Nueva’s goal is to hire for the position by the end of March/early April.

The Nueva School is an Equal Opportunity Employer — we do not discriminate against any employee or job applicant on the bases of race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, or sex. We encourage people of color and those with experience outside the education field to apply.

About The Nueva School

The Nueva School, an internationally-recognized, nonprofit, independent day school, has served gifted and talented students since 1967. Today, Nueva serves nearly 1000 students PK-12. Nueva is located in the neighboring towns of Hillsborough and San Mateo, equidistant between San Francisco and Silicon Valley, serving six different counties throughout the Bay Area of Northern California.

A constructivist school, Nueva is known for its distinctive inquiry-based interdisciplinary studies, project-based learning, and pioneering work in social-emotional learning and design thinking. The Nueva community instills a passion for lifelong learning, fosters social and emotional acuity, and develops the imaginative mind. Our school has received the US Department of Education National Blue Ribbon Award and the American Institute of Architects Award for School Design and Sustainability, has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished Program and appointed an Ashoka Changemaker School, co-founded the Common Ground Speaker Series, hosts the biennial Innovative Learning Conference, and was highlighted by the Pulitzer Prize–winning and New York Times best-selling author Thomas Friedman in his book, That Used to Be Us, in the chapter “Average Is Over.”

Nueva’s Upper School

True to Nueva’s founding principles, our Upper School offers opportunities for deep, rigorous learning that includes inquiry-based, interdisciplinary studies as well as mastery of traditional disciplines. We offer accelerated and extended experiences where gifted learners design, discover, reflect, and apply their ideas in practical and real-world contexts. The physical proximity and institutional connections to world-renowned universities, cultural organizations, high-tech companies, healthcare institutions, and the can-do spirit of Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area offer a dynamic entrepreneurial community for collaborative partnerships.

We prepare our graduates to be leaders in their chosen fields, certain of what drives them, and ready to pioneer new paths to success. We have designed a high school that responds to the pressing social, emotional, and learning needs of today’s teens, preparing them to direct their college educations and to live well as responsible human beings and global citizens. Nueva students learn to address difficult challenges with optimism and resilience. Our community is a personal and curricular partnership, where students encourage each other as they, alongside their teachers, continually think, construct, create, and re-think the best ideas and opportunities to explore their own passions and connect deeply with themselves and others.

Nueva’s Upper School opened in August 2013 after many years of discussion and comprehensive study, demographic analysis, feedback from alumni, consultation with educational and industry thought-leaders, and visits to more than 50 model high schools across the country and around the world. A seminal point of validation came from Nueva's 2011 Presidents' Roundtable, during which university presidents and college deans from some of the country's most respected institutions convened at our Hillsborough campus to discuss the future of education and affirmed the need for a new high school model like ours to better prepare students for this new century. The opportunity of a lifetime, to reimagine high school, is now a reality. We welcomed our inaugural ninth-grade class of seventy-seven students in 2013.  This year, we have a total of 436 students comprising of four full-enrolled Upper School grades. Our extraordinary faculty models a spirit of deep inquiry and inspires students to be active and passionate learners. Teachers serve as mentors, guides and partners in the learning process, crafting and facilitating experiences through which students deepen their understanding and build transferable skills.