ANTICIPATED OPENING FOR THE 2024-2025 SCHOOL YEAR

FUNDING CONTINGENT ON TOWN MEETING APPROVAL MAY 22, 2024

BELLINGHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS

BELLINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS

TITLE: Elementary Teacher

POSITION SUMMARY:

Elementary Teacher plans curriculum and instruction appropriate for students in primary grades. Teachers work with student interactions with one another and observe and evaluate their abilities, strengths, and weaknesses.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Plans Curriculum and Instruction

• Draws on content standards of the relevant curriculum frameworks to plan sequential units of study, individual lessons, and learning activities that make learning cumulative and advance students' level of content knowledge.
• Draws on results of formal and informal assessments as well as knowledge of human development to identify teaching strategies and learning activities appropriate to the specific discipline, age, level of English language proficiency, and range of cognitive levels being taught.
• Identifies appropriate reading materials, other resources, and writing activities for promoting further learning by the full range of students within the classroom.
• Identifies prerequisite skills, concepts, and vocabulary needed for the learning activities.
• Plans lessons with clear objectives and relevant measurable outcomes.
• Draws on resources from colleagues, families, and the community to enhance learning.
• Incorporates appropriate technology and media in lesson planning.
• Uses information in Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) to plan strategies for integrating students with disabilities into general education classrooms,
• Uses instructional planning, materials, and student engagement approaches that support students of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, strengths, and challenges.

Delivers Effective Instruction

• Makes learning objectives clear to students.
• Communicates clearly in writing, speaking, and using appropriately designed visual and contextual aids.
• Uses engaging ways to begin a new unit of study or lesson.
• Builds on students' prior knowledge and experience.
• Uses a balanced approach to teaching skills and concepts of elementary reading and writing.
• Employs a variety of content-based and content-oriented teaching techniques from more teacher-directed strategies such as direct instruction, practice, and Socratic dialogue, to less teacher-directed approaches such as discussion, problem solving, cooperative learning, and research projects (among others)
• Demonstrates an adequate knowledge of and approach to the academic content of lessons.
• Employs a variety of reading and writing strategies for addressing learning objectives.
• Uses questioning to stimulate thinking and encourages all students to respond.
• Uses instructional technology appropriately.
• Uses effective strategies and techniques for making content accessible to English language learners.
• Demonstrates knowledge of the difference between social and academic language and the importance of this difference in planning, differentiating, and delivering effective instruction for English language learners at various levels of English language proficiency and literacy.
• Assigns homework or practice that furthers student learning and checks it.
• Provides regular and frequent feedback to students on their progress.
• Provides many and varied opportunities for students to achieve competence.
• Accurately measures student achievement of, and progress toward, the learning objectives with a variety of formal and informal assessments and uses results to plan further instruction.
• Translates evaluations of student work into records that accurately convey the level of student achievement to students, parents or guardians, and school personnel.

Manages Classroom Climate and Operation

• Creates and maintains a safe and collaborative learning environment that values diversity and motivates students to meet high standards of conduct, effort, and performance.
• Creates a physical environment appropriate to a range of learning activities.
• Maintains appropriate standards of behavior, mutual respect, and safety.
• Manages classroom routines and procedures without loss of significant instructional time.

Promotes Equity

• Encourages all students to believe that effort is a key to achievement.
• Works to promote achievement by all students without exception.
• Assesses the significance of student differences in home experiences, background knowledge, learning skills, learning pace, and proficiency in the English language for learning the curriculum at hand and uses professional judgment to determine if instructional adjustments are necessary.
• Helps all students to understand American civic culture, its underlying ideals, founding political principles and political institutions, and to see themselves as members of a local, state, national, and international civic community.
• Collaborates with families, recognizing the significance of native language and culture to create and implement strategies for supporting student learning and development both at home and at school.

Meets Professional Responsibilities

• Understands his or her legal and moral responsibilities.
• Conveys knowledge of and enthusiasm for his/her academic discipline to students.
• Maintains interest in current theory, research, and developments in the academic discipline and exercises judgment in accepting implications or findings as valid for application in classroom practice.
• Collaborates with colleagues to improve instruction, assessment, and student achievement.
• Works actively to involve parents in their child's academic activities and performance and communicates clearly with them.
• Reflects critically upon his or her teaching experience, identifies areas for further professional development as part of a professional development plan that is linked to grade level, school, and district goals, and is receptive to suggestions for growth.
• Understands legal and ethical issues as they apply to responsible and acceptable use of the Internet and other resources.

SKILLS/ABILITY:

• Knowledge of current Massachusetts ELA and Mathematics Curriculum Frameworks.
• Deep understanding of scientifically based reading research and evidence-based practices for teaching 1-6 in literacy, math and science. Knowledge of best practices for assessing student progress toward achievement of standard.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Successful completion of a Criminal Record Check (C.O.R.I.) and fingerprint check.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES and/or DEGREE REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s Degree required, Master's Degree in elementary education preferred.
• A minimum of 3 years of successful 1-6 teaching experience is preferred.
• Must be SEI Endorsed.

SALARY: As Per BTA Contract

CLASSIFICATION: BTA

PHYSICAL WORKING CONDITIONS:

You are required to be physically capable of escorting students from the building in case of a practice drill or emergency situation in a safe and timely fashion.

Must be able to move about the classroom and have the ability to bend, sit or stand frequently.

REPORTS TO: Building Principal

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: Students, Paraeducators

OUR MISSION:

The Bellingham Public School District’s enrollment is approximately 1,930 students and an organizational staff of 400 employees. The district is split into the following building grade levels:

DiPietro Elementary (Preschool – Grade 3), Stall Brook Elementary (Preschool – Grade 3) Bellingham Memorial School (grades 4-7) and Bellingham High School (grades 8-12), and Keough Memorial Academy (grades 7-12) is our therapeutic day school for students with special needs.

Our core mission is to foster an environment in which students and staff have opportunities to reach their full potential. The Bellingham School District is committed to providing a challenging and academically motivating education where all students, staff and families accept responsibility for education within their schools.

The School Committee and the Administrative Team support the District Improvement Plan and Strategic Plan. Our goal is to always reach for our vision: The Bellingham Public Schools, in collaboration with students, their families, and the community, will provide a safe learning environment, where the unique strengths of every learner are enhanced and celebrated. We will work together to build a shared sense of pride in the Bellingham Public Schools by amplifying academic excellence, increasing communication, cultivating a positive climate, improving social and emotional well-being, and enhancing technology use and implementation.