Sierra Expeditionary Learning School, Truckee, CA

Truckee is located in North Lake Tahoe, home to world-class skiing, biking, hiking, and adventure.

Title: 8^th Grade Teacher, self-contained classroom

Start Date: mid August, 2014 to mid June, 2015 (on-going position, starts again mid Aug, 2015)

Salary and Benefits: Competitive, based on experience (starting at $44,000); medical stipend

About Sierra Expeditionary Learning School: SELS opened in the fall of 2010 as an independent public charter school serving 64 K-5 students. Over the past three years, SELS has expanded and now serves 210 students in grades K-8. SELS offers a small school environment (class sizes from 22-24) dedicated to academic excellence, diversity, and the building of character and community.

Job Description: Drawing on the principles, strategies, and resources of Expeditionary Learning, the 8^th grade teacher will continue to develop a creative, innovative classroom and a high performing, engaging middle school. The teacher will work with middle school colleagues to help provide vision and direction for the recently completed middle school through curriculum decisions and the designing of interdisciplinary, locally-based expeditions. Rigorous academics and strong character/culture development will be enhanced with adventure education and service-learning. All teachers are required to participate in extensive Professional Development and as collaborative members of a twenty person staff.

Roles and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Leadership:

• Guiding students to success and high achievement while fostering an atmosphere of collaboration, safety and equality.

Governance:

• Advising and making recommendations to the director on educational programs, policies, and other educational matters.

• Attending staff development, committee and other meetings relevant to teaching at SELS.

• Reporting to the director on student progress, programs and other issues of education.

• Acting as liaison between students, their families and the director.

• Educating within the policies and mission established by the SELS Board and Founding Members.

• Developing and implementing short and long term classroom planning goals.

Public:

• Informing and enlisting the support of the families within the classroom community.

• Providing content, direction, and feedback to keep the SELS website informative and current, and submitting classroom news for publication and communication.

• Attending Parent Teacher Organization meetings and acting as liaison to the director.

• Establishing a rapport with students, parents, teachers, and community leaders.

• Contributing personal talents to enrich the school and community.

Personnel:

• Assisting in the evaluation of the director’s performance.

• Assisting other teachers in evaluation of students and teaching techniques.

• Collaborating with other SELS teachers to improve your own and others' instructional practices.

• Working with school leadership to evaluate school performance and set school improvement goals.

Instruction:

• Offering every child, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, or home language, an opportunity to enter the curriculum at the child's own level.

• Developing and implementing learning expeditions consistent with SELS principles and California State Standards.

• Employing a range of effective instructional practices addressing various learning styles to give students the support they need to complete expeditions and meet standards.

• Developing and implementing a curriculum that is inquiry and project-based, utilizing views from multiple perspectives, purposeful fieldwork in the community, and service to others.

• Creating a classroom culture where character is taught, modeled and measured.

• Working with students to showcase culminating projects and create student portfolios that clearly demonstrate achievement.

• Providing students and families clear and instructive information about student progress.

• Working with other staff to implement special service programs including Special Education and English Learner programs.

• Participating in student discipline and student-led conferences.

• Assisting in the development and implementation of student intervention plans.

• Participating in student assistance teams which could also include parents, other educators, law enforcement personnel, social service agencies, other community members and the student to resolve serious academic, attendance, or behavior issues.

Personal and Professional Development:

• Participating fully in professional development with other SELS teachers, school director, and Expeditionary Learning staff.

• Setting and actively pursuing professional as well as personal goals with balance.

• Continuing knowledge and implementation of current research based educational trends.

Knowledge of:

• SELS, state, and district curriculum requirements, and Common Core State Standards

• SELS mission and vision of education.

• Expeditionary Learning principles and practices.

Ability to:

• Operate standard office equipment including copiers, computers and related software applications.

• Communicate effectively orally and in writing using patience, respect and self confidence; establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.

• Implement the principles of Expeditionary Learning.

• Insightfully analyze student achievement data, constantly studying, evaluating, and modifying current instructional practice to accelerate students’ academic achievement.

• Conduct objective observation of instructional practices and student learning in colleague’s classrooms and provide follow-up feedback.

• Plan and organize work; meet schedules and time-lines; maintain records.

• Work confidently and knowledgeably with diverse cultures and populations.

Required Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in related field.

• Current California Multi-Subject Teaching Credential (or ability to obtain one).

• (Current CA Single Subject Credentials will work, but only if credentials cover all core subject areas: ELA, Math, Social Studies, Science)

Preferred Education and Experience:

• Expeditionary Learning experience

• Three or more years classroom teaching experience

• Extensive Mathematics or Language Arts/Humanities background/knowledge

• CLAD and Highly Qualified certification (must be obtained within first year if needed)

• Conversational Spanish

• Experience with Special Education and/or English Learner programs

Work Conditions:

Environment: Office/classroom/outdoor environments; subject to interruptions; driving to off-site locations to conduct fieldwork and activities; supervision responsibilities possibly including day and evening outdoor field expeditions. Noise level sometimes moderate to high.

Physical Requirements: Hearing and speaking to exchange information; seeing to perform assigned duties; sitting at desk or on floor for extended periods of time; dexterity of hands and fingers to operate equipment; kneeling, bending at the waist, and reaching overhead, above the shoulders and horizontally, to retrieve and store files and supplies; lifting light objects. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable an individual with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

How to Apply: Visit the SELS website at www.truckeecharterschool.org to download the complete application packet. Please email submissions to: dmanahan@truckeecharterschool.org or mail to: SELS, P.O. Box 2179, Truckee, CA 96160. Call David Manahan at 530-414-5326 with questions. Interviews begin late March and position open until filled.