Employment

Current Openings at Westside School

Why would you want to work at Westside?

Our teachers and staff work collaboratively to inspire creativity, innovation, and to deepen our sense of community. Westside faculty are exceptionally qualified in their fields, committed to being lifelong learners, and are passionate about their work. Our academic structure places a high value on integrated curriculum and project-based learning, with intentional administrative support.

Working at Westside offers unique opportunities for enthusiastic teachers to implement an academic program that is challenging, stimulating, and nurturing, in alignment with our core values.

At Westside School, we value different backgrounds and ideas. Individuals from all cultures and communities are encouraged to apply.

Westside School's Diversity Statement: Westside School is committed to promoting inclusiveness, diversity, and cultural competence in its education, employment practices, school community, and governance. It views inclusiveness as a fundamental value, diversity as a key element, and cultural competence as a vital skill necessary to prepare students to participate in and contribute to a global society. Westside uses the term diversity broadly to encompass differences in the attributes of individuals, families, and communities.

Current Openings

HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL

The Head of Middle School is a member of the school’s senior leadership team. The Head of Middle School is charged with the oversight of curricular activities involving students, the supervision of instructional and support personnel, and the day-to-day operation of the middle school division. The successful candidate will participate fully in the life of the school, attend school celebrations and events, and uphold the mission, vision and values of Westside School.

Reports to: Head of School

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Maintain and help focus the school mission, vision and values.
Perpetuate a highly engaged student and faculty culture in the middle school, characterized by high expectations and a strong sense of community.
Foster a commitment to diversity, social justice and service learning.
Be a visible presence for parents, teachers and students.
Work in partnership with the Head of School to coach, mentor, and evaluate middle school teaching staff, giving particular attention to early career teachers.
Support individual teachers and teams to achieve a high quality of collaboration and teaching.
Facilitate curricular and extracurricular planning for the middle school.
Provide positive support for students in achieving academic and personal success.
Oversee and contribute to middle school communications and Student Guide.
Organize middle school teacher meeting agendas and facilitate meetings that both address routine school matters and stimulate an exchange of ideas on educational issues.
Attend ‘special circumstances’ parent/teacher conferences and be available, at teachers’ request, for regular conferences.
Travel on middle school overnight trips in fall and spring.
Serve as the point person for plans to support positive student behavior, working alongside the school counselor and learning support specialist.
Work with the Head of Lower School and the Head of School to focus on increasing opportunities for interconnectedness between the lower and middle schools.
Work with the Director of Technology to maintain Power School and Alma databases and to coordinate MAP testing.
Work with the Head of School and staff to plan staff professional development opportunities.
Serve on hiring committees for hiring middle school faculty.
Serve as the main point of contact for parent questions and feedback related to the middle school program or individual students (after teachers have been consulted).
Assist in the admissions process for assessing, and evaluating applicants for enrollment.
Develop the middle school schedule, class offerings, advisory program, and class lists.
Meet weekly with the Head of School and Lower School Head.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: The Middle School Head oversees middle school faculty, and is responsible for their annual evaluation.

QUALIFICATIONS:
Education/Experience:

Advanced degree in educational leadership, curriculum and assessment, or related discipline
Proven success in a position of faculty leadership
Experience teaching middle school students
A participant in the national conversation about teaching or school excellence, evidenced through authorship, workshop facilitation or conference presentation

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Champion for progressive, whole-child, creative, joyful learning
Deep understanding and appreciation for the intellectual, social, and ethical development of adolescents.
Fluent in the best practices of progressive teaching, curriculum development & assessment
Proven ability to mentor and elevate new and mid-career teachers
Outstanding interpersonal, organizational and facilitation skills
Exceptional written and oral communication skills
Detail-oriented and resourceful
High-energy and enthusiastic about working in a dynamic school environment
Experience working with independent school parents
Adept with technological tools for educational assessment, organization, communication and personalization of learning.
Enthusiasm for working collaboratively with colleagues including the desire to inspire integrative curriculum experiences across disciplines.
A positive attitude and sense of humor.

Start Date: July 1, 2020

Compensation and Benefits: This is a full-time position for the 2020-2021 academic school year. Westside School offers a generous benefits package to full-time employees.

Westside School prepares students for the world by challenging them to achieve academic success, and by connecting their human spirit and imagination to learning.

To Apply: Please submit a resume, cover letter, statement of educational philosophy, list of 3-5 references, and two professional writing samples to employment@westsideschool.org.

Westside School is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

7TH & 8TH GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS TEACHER

Middle School (7th & 8th grade) Language Arts Teacher
(10 months 1.0 FTE)

Located in the Arbor Heights neighborhood of West Seattle, Westside serves 330 students in preschool through eighth grade. Westside’s Middle School serves 140 students in 5th-8th grade, and is organized into two grade-level teams comprised of 5 teachers who collaborate to both implement and design meaningful curriculum.

The Middle School (7th & 8th grade) Language Arts Teacher participates in the life of the school, attending in-service days and school celebrations, and upholds the mission, vision, and values of Westside School.

Reports to: Middle School Head

Key responsibilities of this role will include:

Perpetuate a highly engaged student and faculty culture, characterized by high expectations and a strong sense of community.
Teaching two sections each of seventh and eighth grade Language Arts
Differentiating instruction to serve both high achievers and those needing extra support.
Serving as an advisor to a small group of seventh and eighth grade students.
Participating in outdoor excursions in both the fall and spring trimesters.
Attending faculty and community meetings and participating fully in the life of the school.

Successful candidates will have the following personal and professional attributes:

Language Arts teaching experience in the middle school grades.
A degree in education, literature, writing, or related field.
Masters Degree preferred.
Fluency in a variety of instructional techniques and approaches.
Experience in developing curriculum and differentiating instruction to serve both high achievers and those needing extra support.
Understanding of high school Language Arts curricula, and what it means to prepare middle schoolers to be successful in high school.
Compassion for the social and emotional needs of adolescents.
Enthusiasm for working collaboratively with colleagues including the desire to plan integrative curriculum experiences across disciplines.
Ability to work and communicate well with all levels of faculty and staff.
Ability to work and communicate well with students and their parents.
An expressed effort to collaborate with colleagues, accept feedback, and conduct oneself in a professional manner.
A positive attitude and sense of humor.

Start Date: August 17, 2020

Compensation and Benefits: This is a full-time position for the 2020-2021 academic school year. Westside School offers a generous benefits package to full-time employees.

Westside School prepares students for the world by challenging them to achieve academic success, and by connecting their human spirit and imagination to learning.

To Apply: Please submit a resume and cover letter, with three professional references, to employment@westsideschool.org

Westside School is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS

Westside School is looking for both teachers and instructional assistants with experience working with children in grades, preschool and eighth grade, to add to our substitute roster. We also need substitutes for music and performing arts, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, physical education, and visual arts.

The ideal candidate will be accessible for early morning calls. Candidates with partial availability during the week are also encouraged to apply. Please submit resume and references to employment@westsideschool.org.

Westside School is an equal opportunity employer.

AFTER-SCHOOL CHILDCARE STAFF

Position Summary: Westside School is seeking a part-time individual to work in our Extended Day Program (EDP). The role of the EDP staff member is to supervise children, coordinate activities and working in conjunction with other staff and the Extended Day Coordinator. This will also include supervising lunch duty three days a week. This position has the potential to be full-time during the summer.

The Ideal Candidate will have:

• A desire to have a career working with children.
• Experience working with elementary school students.
• A willingness to learn about, reflect upon and support initiatives that benefit students.
• An expressed effort to collaborate with colleagues, accept feedback and conduct one’s self in a professional manner.
• A Food Handler’s Permit, First Aid/CPR certification and STARS ID or willingness to obtain.

Hours: Up to 26 hours per week, 12:00-6:00pm 3 days a week and 2:00-6:00pm 2 days a week.

Start Date: ASAP

Compensation and Benefits: This is a part-time, hourly position.

To Apply: Applicants should submit a brief cover letter and resume to employment@westsideschool.org

Westside School is an equal opportunity employer.

Westside School is an equal opportunity employer seeking to build a more culturally diverse workplace. Westside does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, ethnicity, economic status, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability.