Highline Academy

www.highlineacademy.org

Highline Academy Teacher Assistant Teacher

HASE Job Description 

MISSIONWe exist to foster a diverse community of youths and adults striving together for academic, personal, and civic excellence.

VISIONCreating inclusive excellence in public education.

Assignment: Teaching Assistant

Reporting directly to Highline’s campus Assistant principal, our staff are the heart of our organization - the ones who make the mission come alive for our students. We expect our staff to be caring about the whole child, strong and nurturing at classroom management, and excellent collaborators with teammates and families. We look for people with good communication skills, dedication to do everything it takes to make a difference for each child, and a growth mindset.

Position Schedule:Assistant Teachers are paid year round on a salary. Their student contact days (177) and their professional development days adds up to a 189 days work year. Assistant teachers are expected to be on campus ready for students for 5.5 hours a day based on the needs of the school that year or, if teaching assistant is full time they should be on campus from 7:30 - 4:00 daily. Specific schedules will be provided one week prior to the start of the school year. There is one week of professional development every summer before school begins which is part of the accounted professional development days.

REPORTS TO:Campus Assistant Principal

DEPARTMENT: Elementary School Faculty

SUPERVISES:N/A

HIGHLINE OVERVIEW:Highline Academy is a community of diverse youth and adults striving together for academic, civic, and personal excellence. Founded in 2004, Highline is committed to inclusive excellence. In 2013, we launched our second school in Green Valley Ranch. Our students come from fifty countries, speak 26 different languages, represent a full range of socio-economic backgrounds, and previous educational experiences. Our diverse and integrated community has already begun to achieve excellence. Highline students have consistently out-performed district and state averages. Strong faculty and student retention rates are emblematic of the school’s positive culture and strong community. 

Highline has a commitment to a liberal arts education which includes Art, Music, Spanish and P.E. instruction for our students. We have high expectations for all of our learners, with an understanding that some learners need more or different instruction. We have Performance Group teachers at each grade level which enable us to give smaller group instruction for the core content areas of math and language arts. Additionally, we have a robust intervention program with additional supports available as students show they need them. We are a fully inclusive organization for students with special needs, who are integrated into the general education classrooms. We have a character education program designed by Highline called Reach. This teaches, practices, and celebrates the Reach values of responsibility, empowerment, aspiration, citizenship and honesty. All our students are taught to Reach Out to support and care about their classmates and community, Reach In to learn about themselves and reflect about their learning and Reach Up to their very best academic achievement. We are a students’ first, growth mindset organization and we expect all of our employees to model these values. All Highline employees are expected to read and follow all policies as written in the employee handbook and to review it annually for updates.

Major Responsibilities:All Highline assistant teachers must show clear competency and reliable practice of the following indicators:

• Create a Positive Classroom Culture and Climate
• Practice Effective Classroom Management
• Practice Restorative Justice Protocols
• Effective student management in all school areas, inside and outside
• Demonstrate Effective Collaboration and Engagement with students and colleagues
• Demonstrate thoughtful reflection, learning and development

All Highline assistant teachers are also expected to demonstrate the Highline Internal Commitments for Professional Practice.

• • We will take responsibility for student learning by valuing diversity, needs, learning styles and through shared ownership. 
  • We will commit to being clear and purposeful in our objectives and instruction while continuing to reflect and revise learning strategies by frequently monitoring student assessment data and ensuring that it is used as a tool for learning. 
  • We accept and embrace diversity within our community of faculty, students, and parent/guardians by valuing each other for who and where we all are in life as learners and as people, and we commit to providing a safe place for all to succeed. 
  • We will be direct, intentional, timely, and graceful in giving and receiving communication without judgment and for positive and proactive purposes. 
  • We will create an environment that empowers faculty, students and parent/guardians to be active participants in student success. 
  • We will create a focused and sustainable adult community by focusing on what is most essential to student success and staying focused on Highline’s goal.
  • We will consistently model and enforce Highline’s academic and behavioral expectations. 

Assistant Teacher Responsibilities:Teaching assistants are responsible for ensuring that teachers are supported and ready to teach and students are supported and ready to learn. Teaching assistants are responsible for completing all duties assigned by their supervising teacher including making copies, preparing materials, providing materials for the character education program, and creating bulletin boards. Teaching assistants are also responsible for supporting supervising teachers by entering data into our LMS or google docs as they are asked. Teaching assistants may also be responsible for leading DEAR classes, during this time teaching assistants should have a planned read alouds for grades K-3 for at least 20 minutes of DEAR. Finally, teaching assistants are responsible for lunch and recess, with the support of the assistant principals, teaching assistants must set up rituals and routines in the lunchroom and directly hold students accountable if expectations are not met. Teaching assistants are expected to actively monitor lunchroom and playground and intervene in behavior situations as appropriate. Teaching assistants may be used as internal subs and should be prepared to support with coverage for teachers on an as needed basis. 

Assistant teachers set the tone with their students each day and set up the community expectations for their students. Assistant teachers are expected to build positive relationships with their students and also hold them to high expectations. Assistant teachers should manage students with positive proactive systems and strong rituals and routines. They are also expected to seek out more information and support from other staff members (the homeroom teacher) if a student is not doing well while under their supervision. At Highline we believe in a student first approach at all times, and the assistant teacher is the foundation of this work.

Assistant teachers should be welcoming and supportive of families and work to support a thriving home to school connection for our students. Assistant teachers are expected to attend all professional development as assigned by their principal and participate with respect and attention. 

Qualifications:

• An AA or BA in a related field
• Experience appropriate to the assignment;
• Demonstrated commitment to and understanding of the Highline mission;
• All teachers will be hired based on being highly qualified per No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

specifications.

• Strong communication and collaboration skills

Minimum Physical Requirements

• Be able to walk quickly, bend, kneel, crouch, sit, stand, grab or hold with one or both hands.
• To be able to lift up to 40lbs without difficulty
• To maintain appropriate demeanor and professional classroom behavior when working with

children and adults

• The ability to sit for extended periods during group training

Highline Academy Charter School proudly values diversity and is an equal opportunity employer.