Job Description
Assignment: Library Media Specialist Teacher
Reporting directly to Highline’s campus principal, our teachers are the heart of our organization - the ones who make the mission come alive for our students. We expect our teachers to be caring about the whole child, great lesson planners, 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. Library Media Specialist is the leader for developing a culture of reading throughout the school. In addition to teaching library lessons to class groups, they will organize school wide celebrations of reading such as Storybook Character Parades, read-a-thons or book character dress up day, Read Across America. The Library Media specialist also collaborated with parent volunteers to maintain and expand the library collection.
Position Schedule: Teachers are paid year round on a salary. Their student contact days (177) and their professional development days and parent conference days adds up to a 195 day work year. However, the work teachers do outside those days planning, reflecting and pursuing professional growth is also an important part of being an excellent teacher. Teachers are expected to be on campus ready for students by 7:30 am and to stay until 4:30 each day school is in session, including Fridays when we have early release days for students followed by teacher P.D. or planning meetings. There are two weeks of professional development every summer before school begins which is part of the accounted professional development days. This is a full time position M-F.
REPORTS TO: Campus Principal
DEPARTMENT: School Faculty
Major Responsibilities: All Highline teachers must show clear competency and reliable practice of the following indicators:
- Create a Positive Classroom Culture and Climate
- Practice Effective Classroom Management
- Plan and implement Masterful Content Delivery
- Practice High-Impact Instructional Moves
- Demonstrate Essential Knowledge of Students and Use of Data
- Demonstrate Effective Collaboration and Engagement with students and colleagues
- Demonstrate thoughtful reflection, learning and development
- Program Administration, works collaboratively with members of the learning community to define the policies of the library media program.
- Library curation and management, inventory, shelf management, and collection development.
- Continued understanding of literacy standards and contemporary knowledge around elementary literature.
All Highline 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.
Specials Teacher Responsibilities:
Specials teachers design and implement a comprehensive program for all grades in the school that reflects the students’ and broader communities’ interests, and reinforces Highline Academy’s school culture.
- For our technology teachers creating a curriculum based on Colorado state standards that emphasizes STEM. Creates, manages and controls all student technology inventory and systems. Manages student login credentials for various programs.
- For our music teachers, instructing children on how to play instruments and sing, as well as teaching them basic music theory is the core objective of our program.
- Highline’s art teachers teach basic art history, principles and techniques while encouraging creative expression and nurturing artistic abilities.
- The goal of our physical education at Highline Academy is to teach students how to maintain a healthy lifestyle while engaging in physical fitness.
- The library media specialist teacher at Highline empowers students to be critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers, skillful researchers, and ethical users of information.
Specials teachers embody the core mission and vision of Highline Academy, collaborating with their department peers, homeroom teachers and the school’s families to provide a rigorous and yet supportive education for every student in the school. Specials teachers provide engaging, motivating, and rigorous instruction in whole-class and individual settings. They teach and reinforce school-wide systems, rules, consequences and rewards at all times.
Specials teachers are expected to meet at least weekly with their team to co-plan themes and concepts in their units and may also be expected to meet with homeroom teachers, special education or interventionist teachers to further support all students. They are responsible for teaching and reinforcing the Reach program and supporting the organization of community events, in which Reach principles are infused.
If a Specials teacher has a Teaching Assistant, they are expected to provide the Teaching Assistant with appropriate assignments for students and tasks in the classroom and also guidance for how to work well with all students in their classroom.
Specials teachers set the tone with their students each day and set up the community expectations for their students. They are expected to build positive relationships with students and also hold them to high expectations. Specials teachers manage their classes 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 SEL and ILT team, admin, other teachers, etc.) if a student is not doing well either behaviorally or academically. At Highline we believe in a student’s first approach at all times, and teachers are the foundation of this work.
Specials teachers are expected to set up a class website and/or collaborate on a department newsletter showcasing student work. They will help create community by engaging parents as volunteers for class events/performances, building relationships with families through phone calls, formal and informal meetings. Specials teachers are expected to show up for at least three evening or weekend events such as the music performances, the Cultural Fair and the Fall festival. Specials teachers are expected to help plan and lead at least one pre-planned event for families during the year.
Specials teachers are expected to attend all professional development as assigned by their principal and participate with respect and attention. They are expected to participate as a member of at least one network, school, board or parent group committee to support the ongoing work of improving our school and supporting school culture.
Qualifications:
- Valid teaching credential appropriate to their teaching assignment; MLS preferred
- Teaching 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
Benefits & Additional Compensation Info
Benefits:
- Colorado PERA/PERA 401K
- Life Insurance
- PTO
- Short Term Disability
- Health
- Gap Insurance
- Dental
- Aflac
- Vision
- FLEX24
The Community
MISSION We exist to foster a diverse community of youths and adults striving together for academic, personal, and civic excellence.
VISION Creating inclusive excellence in public education.
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, Technology, Spanish, Wellness 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. 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.
Highline Academy Charter School proudly values diversity and is an equal opportunity employer.