ELA Teacher

The ELA Teacher will support the Schoolhouse Instructional team at St. James and report to the Asst Head of School for Curriculum & Instruction & Asst Head of School for Student & Family Engagement. The role will act as the designated coverage person for staff absences and extended leaves serving students grades 4 through 8. It is a great opportunity to help support our team of amazing educators and contribute to St. James' mission.

St. James is seeking engaging and passionate educators motivated by an opportunity to bring high quality, intentional instruction to our school community, serving students grades 4 through 8. St. James is a holistically framed school, prioritizing the opportunity to offer top of the line, community based middle school education to our neighboring students and families. We are so much more than a school, join our team!

Responsibilities:

• Able to adhere to the hours of the position’s schedule
• Implements curricular resources to develop responsive lesson plans for a variety of student ability levels.
• Uses authentic and varied forms of assessment
• Creates a warm, palpable classroom environment
• Able to problem solve, think critically and keep students in the forefront of planning
• Communicates often with parents/guardians, especially about student success
• Schedules and attends parent/guardian conferences and home visits
• Identifies student needs and cooperates with other professional staff members ( counselors, teachers, nurse, chaplain, support staff ) in a one team effort to assess and help students reach success
• Disciplines effectively, compassionately and consistently
• Teaches 4 days of Saturday school per school year
• Teachers are encouraged to serve on school committees/groups (e.g. School Culture Committee, Racial Equity Team, Student Services Team, Talent Recruitment Advisory Committee, Faculty Staff Choir, etc…)
• Required to attend school wide events, including, but not limited to: Board Meet & Greet, Fall Staff Retreat, All Saint's Day Full School Mass, Thanksgiving Family Feast, Advent Family Event, Christmas Mass, Epiphany Mass, MLK Day of Service, Absalom Jones Mass, Ash Wednesday Service, Palm "Sunday" Mass, Maundy Thursday Mass, Good Friday Service, Easter Mass Monday, Feast of St. James the Less, Pentecost Mass, Baccalaureate, Commencement, Staff Retreat, and all weekly Masses (majority of these are during the school day)

Content Area Information - High Quality ELA instruction

• Plan, develop, and implement an engaging English Language Arts curriculum aligned with standards and school-wide instructional goals.
• Use assessment data to inform instruction, track student progress, and adjust teaching strategies to meet learning targets.
• Differentiate instruction to support a wide spectrum of learners, including advanced, struggling, and English language learners.
• Foster critical reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills through varied instructional methods and authentic learning experiences.
• Collaborate with colleagues, families, and support staff to promote student growth, literacy development, and a positive classroom culture.

Qualifications/Requirements:

• Master's Degree or Bachelor's Degree (education degree preferred)
• Middle School Teaching Experience preferred
• Desire to work in a small school community that values hard work and long hours
• FBI, Child Abuse and PA Criminal Clearances

About St. James School

• Mission Statement: St. James is a faith-based educational community deeply rooted in transformative loving relationships.
• Vision Statement: A world without inequities.
• Values Statement: St. James…

Believes … that every person is a child of God

Recognizes … that every moment is an opportunity for learning

Understands … the value of listening, discerning, and growing together

Strives … to create disruptive change around educational, wealth, health, and other disparities

Honors … the dignity of every human person

Partners with … other advocates for social justice

• The School serves students and families who are most in need, providing a full scholarship to every student. Students benefit from small class sizes, an extended day, robust music programs, extensive social-emotional support, and 11-month school year (Sept. - July).
• The Graduate Support Program is a lifelong commitment to every child. It prepares students for future success and supports them along the way – through high school, college, careers, and beyond.
• The Welcome Table designs community actions and creates spaces for members of the school and broader community to access essential needs and experience a community of sharing.
• The Church of St. James the Less seeks to be a place to encounter God, build community and grow personally with weekly mass and worship services.
• Learn more at: www.stjamesphila.org
• Commitment to Anti-Racism Education: So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:17-18). St. James School is committed to partnering with others to dismantle systemic racism and to build an antiracist multicultural diversity within our school community and beyond. Through teaching a more complete and unbiased history, St. James School will arm students, graduates and employees with the tools and knowledge to better engage complex issues like systemic racism and privilege and to hopefully solve them rather than contributing to them.

Application Requirements:

Qualified candidates should submit a resume, cover letter and salary requirements for consideration. We regret that we cannot respond to every applicant. Only those of interest will be contacted.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

St. James School is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit. St. James School seeks to have the best available person in every job. St. James School policy prohibits discrimination based on race, color, creed, sex, marital status, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, medical condition, ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local law, ordinance, or regulation. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including hiring, training, promotion, discipline, compensation, benefits, and termination of employment. All unlawful discrimination is expressly prohibited.

• St. James School offers competitive salaries that are based on experience and qualifications
• Spiritual and Religious resources (e.g. spiritual direction, theological study, school and community masses, community building)
• Free Lunch Benefit available daily as part of the School’s school-wide community lunch program.

Full Time Employees are eligible for the following benefits.

• Medical/Prescription/Dental/Eye Care Insurance Coverage through a group health maintenance organization (HMO) health insurance plan (PAISBOA HBT); St. James covers 92% of premium, with employee covering remaining 8%
• Defined Contribution Plan through The Church Pension Fund; St. James contributes a minimum of 5% of annual salary and potentially as much as 9%, based on level of employee contribution
• Life Insurance through The Church Life Insurance Corporation valued at 2Xs employees annual salary; St. James covers 100% of premium
• Fertility & Family-Forming Support Benefit through Maven
• Mental Health Supports through PAISBOA HBT
• Available Professional Development and Continuing Education funds
• Available Interest-Free Hardship Loans (after one year of service)
• Available Tuition expense coverage, for qualifying courses of study (with dollar limits and after one year of service)
• Paid breaks and holidays include Labor Day, Thanksgiving (3.5 days), Christmas break and New Year’s Day, President's Day (2 days), Spring Break (1 week), Memorial Day (2 days), June Break (1 week) and August Break (3 weeks)
• Health & Wellness paid time off
• Wellness Benefit covers expenses for gym membership (Kroc Center, Philadelphia or Planet Fitness)
• Personal Leave
• Parental Leave