Cycle 1 Teacher - Grades K-2

Cycle 1 Teacher (Grades K-2)

Position Type: Full-Time, 190-Day Position

Salary & Benefits: Salary per Riverview Charter School Salary Schedule; eligible for South Carolina PEBA insurance and retirement benefits

Reports To: Director of Lower Grades

Position Summary

Riverview Charter School (RCS) seeks a passionate, reflective, and collaborative Cycle 1 Teacher (Grades K-2) to join our mission-driven learning community. Cycle 1 teachers are responsible for designing and facilitating meaningful, experiential learning experiences that nurture the academic, social, and emotional growth of young learners while helping students understand their place within families, schools, communities, and the broader world.

Grounded in Riverview’s philosophy of learning by doing, the Cycle 1 Teacher embraces an interdisciplinary, student-centered approach to instruction aligned to South Carolina State Standards and the school’s conceptual framework of community, systems, patterns, and cycles. This role reflects the expectations of accomplished teaching as outlined in the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) Five Core Propositions.

Instructional Philosophy & Framework

Cycle 1 teachers design instruction using the Understanding by Design (UbD) framework, ensuring vertical alignment across Kindergarten, First Grade, and Second Grade. While teachers do not typically loop with students, collaboration across grades ensures coherence around shared big ideas and enduring understandings related to community.

Teachers have professional autonomy in lesson design while maintaining alignment with:

• South Carolina State Standards
• Schoolwide instructional priorities
• Experiential, service-based, and inquiry-driven learning
  
  

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Commitment to Students and Their Learning
  
  

(NBPTS Proposition 1)

• Foster a safe, inclusive, and responsive classroom environment where all students feel a sense of belonging.
• Demonstrate respect for and responsiveness to students’ diverse backgrounds, identities, and learning needs.
• Implement Responsive Classroom practices, including daily Morning Meetings, to build community, empathy, and strong communication skills.
• Support the development of the whole child—academically, socially, emotionally, and ethically.
• Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy
  
  

(NBPTS Proposition 2)

• Design and deliver developmentally appropriate instruction aligned to South Carolina State Standards.
• Use the UbD framework to plan interdisciplinary units connected to Cycle 1 themes of beginnings, community, and systems.
• Integrate literacy, numeracy, science, social studies, and the arts through experiential and inquiry-based learning.
• Incorporate service learning and real-world applications into instruction.
• Management and Monitoring of Student Learning
  
  

(NBPTS Proposition 3)

• Use multiple forms of assessment, including i-Ready, MAP, KRA (Kindergarten), classroom-based assessments, and student work samples.
• Analyze data to inform instruction, create flexible small groups, and support student growth.
• Participate actively in data meetings and collaborative planning sessions.
• Guide students in curating portfolios and preparing for Portfolio Nights.
• Communicate student progress clearly and consistently with families.
• Reflective Practice and Professional Growth
  
  

(NBPTS Proposition 4)

• Engage in continuous reflection to refine instructional practices.
• Participate in professional development opportunities aligned with school priorities and personal growth goals.
• Demonstrate openness to feedback, coaching, and collaborative problem-solving.
• Complete or actively participate in LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) training, as required.
• Collaboration and Learning Community Membership
  
  

(NBPTS Proposition 5)

• Collaborate closely with grade-level teammates, special education staff, interventionists, ESOL, speech providers, counselors, and administration.
• Participate in schoolwide meetings, committee work, and collaborative planning.
• Maintain consistent communication with families through weekly newsletters, conferences, and school events.
• Actively support and participate in schoolwide community and family engagement events, including Back-to-School activities, Portfolio Nights, service learning projects, and fundraisers.
  
  

Classroom & Student Support Expectations

• Class sizes are limited to 20 students.
• Teachers receive a minimum of 75 minutes of daily planning time with grade-level teammates.
• Teachers collaborate with Riverview’s counseling team, which provides tiered social-emotional and behavioral supports across all grade levels.
• Teachers support and participate in the school’s K-8 Buddy Program and community-based service learning initiatives.
  
  

Qualifications

Required

• Valid South Carolina Teaching Certificate in Early Childhood Education (highly qualified).
• Candidates with Elementary Education certification may be considered for a 1st or 2nd grade position.
• For teachers assigned to First Grade only: Pursuant to the South Carolina General Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2025-26, Proviso 1.54, teachers certified in Elementary Education are eligible to teach First Grade without holding an Early Childhood Education certification.
  

Preferred

• Completion of, or current enrollment in, LETRS coursework.
• Experience working with students from diverse racial, cultural, socio-economic, and religious backgrounds.
• Demonstrated success using experiential, inquiry-based, or project-based instructional approaches.
  
  

Professional Expectations

• Uphold Riverview Charter School’s mission, values, and commitment to equity and community.
• Maintain high standards of professionalism, ethics, and collaboration.
• Model global citizenship and an expectation for lifelong learning for students.
  
  

Working Conditions

• Full-time, 190-day position.
• Occasional evening and weekend commitments for family and community events.
• Physical demands consistent with an elementary classroom environment.
  
  

Application Information

Riverview Charter School is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity in its workforce. We encourage candidates who are passionate about experiential education, community engagement, and whole-child development to apply.

Interested applicants should submit an application according to Riverview Charter School’s hiring procedures.

• This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of duties. Responsibilities may be modified to meet the evolving needs of the school.