Teacher ICT Special-Education Teacher
Job Description
Seeking Special-Education Classroom Teachers for First & Fourth Grade ICT classroom
Become a part of our school community
Heketi Community Charter School is a small school that opened its doors in the South Bronx in fall 2012. We seek dedicated and progressive educators who are committed to making knowledge accessible to all students, engaging with families and the community, and critically examine their practice for continued professional growth. Candidates with experience teaching in a high poverty urban school are encouraged to apply.
School Mission
“The mission of Heketi is to provide an exceptional educational solution through an integrated educational design with high expectations, extensive academic and social-emotional support, and a high level of family and community engagement.”
“Heketi” is the Taíno word for ONE. Taínos are the indigenous people of the Caribbean, representing the heritage of a large portion of the Spanish-speaking population in the South Bronx. Heketi was borne out of a desire to honor this heritage and embrace the power of multilingual literacy and reading skills for success and leadership. The meaning of Heketi, ONE, is also a recognition of what it takes to create an educational environment that ensures each child’s success. Heketi’s educational design integrates families, school staff, and community members-all invested and united in building a community focused on achievement.
Role
Teachers will work in cooperation with the School Director, Director of Curriculum and Assessment, and Instructional Specialists in carrying out program goals in order to create a supportive, individualized learning environment.
Responsibilities
Collaboration with Staff
- Attend regular staff development meetings;
- Engage in curriculum planning during weekly Crew Team meetings;
- Share professional knowledge and strengths for team’s edification;
- Meet with the school social worker to attend to the social-emotional needs of individual students;
- Meet with Student Support Teachers to implement RTI model, and
- Meet and work with instructional coach and other leadership team members as needed.
Collaboration with Families
- Build rapport with families;
- Participate in Heketi community events;
- Encourage participation in the school’s family involvement program;
- Involve families through classroom celebrations;
- Communicate proactively with families;
- Provide home visits for new families at the beginning of the school year;
- Assist in communicating with families through weekly school-wide envelope communication, progress reports, phone calls, and meetings as necessary;
- Assist in coordinating special events to encourage family involvement and dialogue about students;
- Meet with families for report card conferences.
Curriculum and Instruction
- Participate in an intensive staff orientation and professional development for up to two weeks prior to the school year;
- Assist in planning and/or augmenting curriculum units for the grade level team;
- Ensure students identified as students with disabilities are receiving the services in which they are entitled;
- Maintain a good rapport with the Committee on Special Education;
- Maintain appropriate and required documentation on every student in the special education program;
- Design project-based social studies and science units;
- Ensure students participate in regular fieldwork experiences to enhance learning;
- Provide individual students with academic and behavioral support as needed;
- Deliver higher order questioning based on Bloom’s Taxonomy;
- Support the design of a culturally relevant curriculum;
- Model and instill a love of learning and inquiry.
Assessment
- Know each student well;
- Administer a variety of assessments—informal, formal, and standardized—to inform instruction and provide summative data;
- Analyze student work and assessments to inform instruction, grouping students for re-teaching and differentiated instruction; and
- Demonstrate an ongoing commitment to performance-based accountability.
Management
- Promote and reinforce strong systems, routines and high expectations to ensure 100% on task behavior and adherence to the school’s code of conduct;
- Follow school-wide routines when students transition throughout the school day;
- Use effective behavior management techniques based on Responsive Classroom model; and
- Create and follow up on individual behavior plans when needed.
Qualifications:
- A passionate belief in Heketi’s mission, values, and educational model;
- An eagerness to set ambitious, challenging, and tangible goals, and a relentless drive to achieve them;
- An ability to thrive in a fast-paced, adult learning environment and a capacity to remain calm and focused when faced with unexpected challenges;
- Bachelor’s degree is required;
- Two years of teaching experience preferred;
- A valid New York State Teaching License for the appropriate grade level and special education;
- An ability to meet all state and federal guidelines in order to be fully licensed and “Highly Qualified” according to NCLB.
Compensation
We offer a competitive compensation package, including, when relevant, a salary equal to (and in some cases above) the district scale, and comprehensive health benefits.
