Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Posted: 03-Dec-24
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Type: Full Time
Salary: $190,000-$220,000
Categories:
Preferred Education:
POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT: Head of the Lower School
Saint Ann’s School, an independent, non-sectarian day school enrolling approximately 1100 students in preschool through 12th grade, seeks a visionary, dynamic, experienced, passionate, and nurturing leader for its next Head of the Lower School, which encompasses 1st–3rd grade. We seek an individual who is learned but not pedantic, serious but with a capacious sense of humor, someone who possesses the ineffable qualities necessary to form meaningful relationships with gifted and boisterous Lower School students who hold a multiplicity of identities and come from myriad backgrounds and who has the qualities that make for a natural leader amongst a cadre of extraordinary teachers.
ABOUT SAINT ANN’S SCHOOL
Since its founding in 1965, Saint Ann’s has embraced a commitment to education for its own sake, oriented to the capacities of each individual student and free of the encumbrances of formal grading, prizes, and rankings. At the same time, we are unabashedly committed to excellence in all that we do. With a faculty and staff numbering close to 400, and nearly 1100 students, Saint Ann’s is among the largest and most selective independent schools in New York City. The lives of our graduates speak powerfully to the potential of an education based on these principles to ignite a love of learning and sustain creative energy in every field of endeavor. We accomplish this by bringing together talented teachers with creative and motivated students. Saint Ann’s is committed to centering anti-racism in the life of the school. Seeking to create a community rooted in trust and equity, we invite each other to take risks, pursue knowledge, and celebrate growth.
THE POSITION AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The Head of the Lower School is charged with the comprehensive responsibility for all activities involving approximately 240 students in first, second, and third grades, and the faculty and staff who teach and work in the division. Most of our students come to the Lower School from our smaller Preschool and Kindergarten programs, and a few students join us for the first time as new first graders.
The Lower School is structured around twelve intimate home classrooms, each led by a Head Teacher and an Associate Teacher. These teachers are tasked with the preparation and teaching of effective and inspiring curricula to support both academic (reading, writing, math) and social and emotional learning. A hallmark of Lower School classrooms is The curriculum topic: the teacher must take a personal, intellectual passion and build a compelling course of study out of it. The Head of the Lower School works closely with these teachers to ensure that The curriculum, and the related academic studies, are adequately rich and sophisticated and that teachers are responsive to students’ needs. The curriculum content must sustain months of in-depth study; it must fascinate the teacher and young students alike; and, it must be multifaceted enough for the teacher to integrate the teaching of core academic skills, artistic expression, and meaningful discussion. Some recent examples of curricula are: Ancient Egypt, World Folklore, Greek Mythology, New York City, India, and Shakespeare’s The Tempest. The Head of the Lower School mentors and evaluates the twelve Head Teachers in their leadership of all aspects of the classroom, including classroom management, knowledge of their subject matter, delivery of effective and engaging lessons, responsiveness to students’ needs, communication with families through reports and conferences, and professionalism, among other areas. The Head of Lower School also supports the Associate Head of the Lower School in the mentorship and evaluation of Associate Teachers.
The Lower School is also working to prepare students for a very different future structure — a unique fourth grade, where students will experience a completely departmentalized schedule and the increased independence and choice that comes with such a structure. In addition to working with the cadre of Lower School classroom teachers, Lower School students also take specialty classes taught by teachers in the departments of Art, Music, Theater, Science, Mathematics, Library, Poetry, and Recreational Arts. The Head of the Lower School works with Department Chairs of these departments in hiring and assigning Departmental Teachers to Lower School classes, and helps mentor and evaluate these teachers.
The Lower School Student Support Team includes three Learning Specialists, one Mental Health Counselor, and a School Psychologist who supervises the team. The Head of the Lower School collaborates with this team on the ever-evolving structure of the Student Support model, which includes academic intervention for students as well as advising and collaborating with teachers on curriculum and pedagogy. The Head of the Lower School also collaborates with the Student Support team and classroom teachers on regular assessment of students in order to inform instruction and differentiation.
The Head of the Lower School also has overarching responsibility for the daily operations in the Lower School, including supporting students, communicating with parents, overseeing the physical plant, reviewing twice annual teacher reports on each student, making and maintaining the daily schedule, and attending to other matters and projects as they arise.
The Head of the Lower School reports directly to the Head of School and is a member of the School’s Core Administration, which is a body of Division and Department Leaders across the school. The Core Administration gathers approximately monthly to collaborate on institution-wide initiatives and issues and to advise the Head of School in decision-making. Members of the Core Administration also participate in special projects and initiatives at the direction of the Head of School, such as committees or working groups related to school culture, programming, and policies.
.Specific responsibilities of the Head of the Lower School include:
- Ensuring the academic, physical, social, and emotional well-being of all of the students in the Lower School, by observing them in class, discussing their progress with their teacher and members of the Student Support Team (Learning Specialists, Lower School Counselor, School Psychologist), parents, and the Lower School Nurse.
- Communicating with teachers, specialists, and parents on academic, social-emotional, and health-related issues; helping make recommendations for outside interventions that may include: tutorial sessions with a learning specialist or tutor, speech therapy with a speech-language pathologist, OT with an occupational therapist,
- Working closely with the Lower School Student Support team on student assessments and academic intervention, and on curricular and pedagogical initiatives to support students in the classroom.
- Leading the planning and presentation of Lower School events that bring the school together around our values of the arts and diverse perspectives, such as concerts and performances, and keeping the school community informed and involved in these activities.
- Supervising the Assistant to the Head of the Lower School.
- Supervising and mentoring the Associate Head of the Lower School; providing input and feedback on key responsibilities of the Associate Head of the Lower School, such as the supervision and evaluation of Associate Teachers and the Associate Head of Lower School’s work with teachers and students of a chosen grade.
- Mentoring teachers in the writing of narrative reports; reviewing and editing these reports, as well as the reports from the eight departments that write reports for Lower School students; assuring the timely completion and mailing of these reports.
- Assisting in the admission process for the testing, interviewing, and evaluating of applicants for enrollment in grades K, 1, 2 and 3; making admissions decisions for entry into these grades; visiting schools and/or calling teachers about students when additional information is needed; participating in outreach programs that inform parents from different communities about the school and lead to applicants from a broader pool of parents.
- Working with the Office of Diversity and Institutional Equity to spearhead strategies and activities to become a more inclusive and equitable Lower School consistent with the diversity and equity vision for the school as a whole.
- Working with Department Chairs of the eight academic departments that teach in the Lower School, meeting new applicants, weighing in on hiring decisions; observing, mentoring, and evaluating specialty teachers, and discussing which teachers are suited to teach in the Lower School.
- Hiring new Associate teachers, promoting Associate Teachers as Head Teachers when there are openings; assigning classrooms and grade levels to each teacher, pairing Head and Associate Teachers for each year, all while keeping in mind teachers’ strengths and professional needs.
- Supporting teachers in their own professional growth, encouraging them to learn new content area, teaching techniques, and to do whatever is necessary (travel, study, attend workshops and classes, etc.) to achieve this.
- Overseeing the Lower School building; helping plan and oversee building repairs, renovations, and cleaning.
- Working with the kitchen staff in serving nutritious and appealing lunches and snacks; helping run the dining room during lunch and ensuring students have a positive, healthy communal eating experience.
- Being a visible presence in all areas of the school; working toward a resolution of all problems – both routine and unique – as they arise; meeting regularly with other core administrators and department chairs; advising the Head of School on school policies and programs.
PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL REQUIREMENTS
- Education: BA required; advanced degrees preferred
- Work Experience: Minimum of ten years experience in a relevant position that includes work with children in this age group, including teaching, administrative and supervisory experience, and student advising.
- Communication Skills: Superb written and oral communication skills that capture and effectively communicate the school’s mission to all constituencies and that enrich the school’s culture.
- Interpersonal Skills: Superior interpersonal skills, the ability to engage effectively with students, parents, faculty, and other members of the school community in a way reflective of the school’s culture and to project professional competence, leadership capability, discretion, judgment and personal maturity.
- Leadership: Proven track record as a leader of faculty, students and programs in independent schools.
- Charisma, wit, intelligence, empathy, humor and equanimity are expected.
COMPENSATION
Full time salary range: $190,000–220,000 commensurate with experience and degrees. Compensation package includes competitive benefits.
TO APPLY
A cover letter, writing sample, and resume should be submitted here. Candidates who identify as members of historically underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply. Applications must be submitted by January 10, 2025 in order to ensure full consideration. This position has an anticipated start of July 2025.
NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY
Saint Ann’s School hires employees of any race, color, religion, creed, gender, disability, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation or any other category protected by applicable federal, state or local law, to all the rights privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to employees at the School. The School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender (which includes a person’s actual or perceived sex, as well as gender identity and expression), age, marital status, disability, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, familial status, predisposing genetic characteristics, actual or perceived domestic violence victim status, unemployment status, caregiver status or any other category protected by applicable federal, state or local law, in carrying on its educational activities or in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, employment policies, financial aid programs, and athletic and other school administered programs.