Contact: Heidi Velin
Email: fiddleheadmontessori@gmail.com
Name of School/Organization: Fiddlehead Montessori
School Website: TheFiddlehead.org
Age Group: 9-12 Years Old
Description: Fiddlehead Montessori is a small school with one Lower Elementary, one Upper Elementary, and one Early Childhood classroom. Enjoy working in beautiful Anacortes, WA with all of its historic, small town charm. Surrounded by beautiful parks, beaches and lakes, you have access to hiking, biking, boating and many other nature activities right outside your door. Lead teacher must have recognized Upper Elementary Montessori Certification and at least two years experience working with children ages 9-12. Pay is based on training and experience. Please email resume for consideration. We look forward to meeting you!
Looking to fill the Upper Elementary Lead Teacher position for the 2024-2025 school year and can offer part time work the current school year.
Please visit our website at TheFiddlehead.org
Minimum skills and knowledge required:
Knowledge and skill in instructional principles, methods, and techniques of Montessori program
Skill in obtaining, clarifying, and exchanging information
Skill in classroom management
Skill in handling student discipline
Ability to organize and coordinate activities
Ability to serve as role model and treat students as individuals in a professional manner
Ability to maintain confidentiality
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of people in a multi-cultural, diverse setting
Ability to make supplemental Montessori materials for classroom
Ability to fully participate as a team member in a professional learning community
Ability to embrace and incorporate Montessori philosophy
Technical skills required:
Proficiency with MS Office products and ability to quickly learn and apply new technological skills.
Proficiency with Zoom, email, and other online platforms.
Minimum previous experience required:
Previous experience in teaching in a Montessori elementary setting
Minimum Education required:
AMS or AMI certification in both upper and lower grades
Bachelor’s Degree or higher Bachelor degree from accredited institution, preferably in the fields of Education, Public Policy, Non-profit or Business Management.
Communication skills required:
Excellent customer relations (children, parents, community, fellow staff) and effective leadership skills, motivating various constituencies to be strong stakeholders.
High sense of integrity with ability to maintain composure and relate well to individuals of all levels, experiences, and backgrounds.
Able to effectively manage conflict, set priorities and inform/communicate with proper constituents.
Ability to delegate tasks and kindly supervision classroom assistants
Special training, certification, or licensing required:
Current First Aid
Current CPR
Current Driver’s License with safe record
Montessori Certificate from AMS or AMI institution
Physical requirements:
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear, and see.
The employee frequently is required to stand, walk, sit; use hands to handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
Specific vision requirements include the ability to see at close range.
At times, may require more than 40 hours per week to perform the essential duties of the position.
Fine hand manipulation (keyboarding).
Must be able to lift or move up to 40-60 pounds and remain ergonomically healthy at a job requiring hours of computing.
Ability to concentrate happily while children create a noisy and distracting environment
Planning, Preparation, and Instruction
The teacher creates instruction that supports the development of the cognitive, emotional, social, physical, and spiritual growth of the child and conducts pre-class preparation, including consultation with the Assistant Teacher.
The teacher uses the school curriculum, Montessori albums, and current-research based instructional practices to develop interdisciplinary units of instruction that meet both group and individual needs of students.
The teacher assists students towards self-directed learning and normalization.
The teacher outlines the projected routine of the day, including any special activities, and calmly prepares transition activities. The teacher ensures that the dismissal routine is incorporated as one of the day’s crucial activities.
The teacher identifies a given group of children who might be shown certain materials (or steps for use of these materials).
The teacher uses various assessment tools/strategies such as observations, children’s work samples, continuum of development, portfolios, etc. to help make instructional decisions for individual students.
The teacher assists children who need individual help to choose work.
The teacher protects working children from interference (including adult).
The teacher prepares and makes small group presentations involving a new material or progressive step, as well as giving individual presentations to children.
The teacher withdraws at regular intervals to observe students by unobtrusively monitoring the work of individual children and recording important points briefly, for expansion later.
The teacher treats children with unconditional positive regard and provides individualized care for needs.
The teacher monitors group activities to maximize healthy socialization, fostering of community, and healthy recreation.
The teacher participates in professional activities designated by the Director, which may include workshops, curriculum retreats, meetings, grade reporting, planning, and other professional pursuits.
The teacher tracks attendance and students in/out (unless assigned to Assistant).
The teacher receives and welcomes students and greets parents/caregivers.
The teacher works to maintain health and safety standards with snack, lunch, hand washing, and toileting.
Classroom Environment/Management
The teacher is responsible for preparing an environment that meets the sensitive period/plane of development of the children he/she works with. The teacher must remain in contact with the whole group and sense changing mood or activity.
The teacher is responsible for preparing an environment in which the furnishings and materials are complete and correspond to the needs of the group; for maintaining a clear, orderly, and attractive Montessori environment, including the care and maintenance of classroom materials and equipment; for communicating needs for the classroom in accordance with school policy, i.e., maintaining inventory of classroom materials and any additional materials needed.
The teacher creates an environment that demonstrates rapport with, and respect and kindness for, all students, as well as between students. The teacher models and teaches conflict resolution and problem-solving strategies in the classroom and draws attention to ground rules.
The teacher should promptly report discipline concerns beyond typical classroom strategies to the Director.
The teacher is responsible for the safety of the children left in his/her charge until dismissed to a responsible adult. No child should ever be left unsupervised either inside or outside the classroom, except when directed by the teacher.
The teacher ensures that the physical environment adheres to all health and safety regulations as required by the State of Washington.
The classroom program shall also meet accreditation and licensing standards set forth by American Montessori Society, the Washington Federation of Independent Schools, the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Communication:
The teacher is responsible for communication that supports an understanding of the school’s program, develops positive relationships within the school community, and protects the privacy and confidentiality of each student and family in the school community.
The teacher establishes a positive relationship with parents of the students and works with the Director to maintain regular communication with parents in regard to their child’s specific needs. The teacher provides for parent conferences, meetings, and communication throughout the school year in accordance with school policy. The teacher responds to parent concerns in a timely manner.
The teacher completes required Progress Reports in accordance with school policy.
The teacher assists in the development of and participates in school functions, including Open Houses, Parent Orientations, and others.
Professional Responsibility:
The teacher is involved in ongoing self-assessment and refinement of practice in the classroom as well as collaborative professional growth.
The teacher participates in a regular evaluation process, including classroom observation, feedback conferences, and an annual self-evaluation toward goals set by the teacher and/or in conjunction with the Director and/or Board.
The teacher maintains his/her teaching skills and participates in professional development activities (both within the school community and attendance at conferences, workshops, etc.). The teacher is a member of professional organizations, including but not limited to the American Montessori Society, and is aware of major areas of research in teaching and resources for professional learning.
The teacher participates in collegial activities designed to make the entire school a productive learning environment, for example, age level meetings, curriculum discussion groups, working committees, mentoring, etc. It is expected that teachers attend all scheduled meetings and professional days as appropriate to their level. The teacher participates and shares information from professional development activities with colleagues to benefit the learning community.
Related Duties:
Attends all pre-announced staff meetings and professional sessions, including staff, level, committee, and evening parent meetings.
Participates in parent education sessions and board meetings, as requested.
Conducts new student interviews and hosts prospective student applicants in the classroom, as requested by the Director.
Completes and maintains all records, reports, evaluations, and inventories of student records and tests in a timely manner as may be required by the school, as requested by the Director.
Assesses the needs of the class and prepares requests for materials, furnishings, framework of the budgeting process; updates inventory list and submits to the Director on the last day of school.
The teacher is responsible for reading and adhering to the guidelines as established in the Employee Handbook, Family Handbook, and Working Together at Fiddlehead School handbook, and adhering to all school policies.
The teacher may be asked to participate in the interview process and orientation of new staff members or students.
The teacher prepares notes for conferences as well as preparing for the school’s community activities such as open houses, observation and all general meetings or special events.
Tasks after class:
Make minor material repairs.
Refresh the environment.
Complete daily notes.
Reflect on individual children and group interaction.
Assemble materials for the following instructional day.
Confer with assistant teacher/co-teacher to compare observations, discuss relevant points in Montessori theory, demonstrate a learning material, exchange ideas or alternate ways to cope with a given child (do not just concentrate on problems), and review successful group activities and “invent” new ones.
Review and practice with materials, especially those soon to be presented.
Review transgressions of ground rules by adults and children and try to analyze possible causes; attempt to find counter strategies.
Weekly tasks:
Double-check all learning materials.
Remove all items that need repair replacement or cleaning.
Rotate books.
Note needed janitorial services.
Restructure classroom routine as needed.
Place orders or go shopping.
Plan how to use volunteers, parents or “special resource people” for next week.
Update personal notes.
Meet with co-workers, Director, and/or Board to share ideas, plan, and problem solve.
Perform the following selected duties as needed: update long-range class and children’s records, organize special projects, read professional journals or articles, and confer with the Director as requested.
Phone: (360) 588-4699
School Address: 2702 R Ave, Anacortes, WA 98221