Lower Elementary Homeroom Teacher (January 2025)

Responsibilities:

• Planning for instruction at the yearly, unit, weekly, and/or daily level, implementing school mandated programs, strategies of instruction, and assessment to work with students to achieve the Learning Standards of the British Columbia Canada Ministry of Education Curriculum
• Using effective teaching strategies, learning, and professional resources available for the grade to support instruction within curriculum guidelines and with the use of school-mandated instructional frameworks and programs to create opportunities for differentiated learning for students with different skill levels or learning styles
• Providing enrichment events and activities, including but not limited to field trips, showcases, concerts, plays, and productions. Events may be organized at a class level and/or a school-wide level
• Communicating assignments and objectives to students in a well-organized manner, using clear and precise language
• Sending homework assignments that are an extension of clearly defined school activities, appropriate to the age, ability, and independence level of students, to provide opportunities for students to enrich, apply, and review lessons and practice skills they have learned, including open-ended student activities
• Diagnosing, instructing, and evaluating the specific needs of students who are struggling to meet grade expectations and seeking assistance as necessary from the School Support Program
• Using As Learning and For Learning Assessments to monitor student progress to plan instruction and provide feedback regularly to students, their parents, and the school administration
• Actively engage in discussions and planning that take place at the Grade Level Team level and within Teams across different grade levels to enhance consistency of practice and student achievement
• Preparing formal report cards and engaging in parent conferences according to the set dates
• Establishing and maintaining fair and just standards for student behavior, with the guidance of the school Code of Conduct, to create an effective and safe learning environment
• Supervising students in the classroom, on the school campus, and off-campus at school-related activities
• Guiding, motivating, and supervising the classroom assistant, if one is assigned to the class you are teaching
• Maintaining accurate, complete, and legible records as required by the school policy
• Attending and taking an active role in staff meetings, including those focused on analyzing student assessment and data for growth planning
• Communicating concerns, ideas, and information with colleagues, students, the school administration, parents, and the community in a professional and constructive manner
• Maintaining a positive professional relationship with parents for the benefit of their children, including but not limited to informing them of upcoming-week lesson summaries, behavioral issues, and their children’s progress
• Displaying a willingness to understand the local culture and handle the cultural nuances in a caring and respectful manner
• Participating in professional development organized by the school
• Attend Saturday school, not to exceed eight sessions for the school year
• Working hours: The official working hours are from 6:30 am to 2:20 pm. All classes start at 7:00 am. Except for K2, BC Program classes end at 2:00 pm. K2 classes end at 1:10 pm. Classroom teachers are expected to stay with their children until they are picked up, which normally is between 20 - 30 minutes after the end of classes. The first bus ride to school accommodation is at 2:30 pm. Therefore, teachers who are residing in the school accommodation and are using the school bus are at the school from 6:30 am until 2:30 pm.
• After-school collaboration meetings are conducted once a week from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm, where attendance is required.
• Meetings with parents of at-risk students would take place after the official working hours as needed.

Duties carried out when you are not teaching:

• Prep using the Library, IT Lab, or one of the Curriculum Instruction or staff rooms
• Entry assessment for new students applying to the school. Entry assessment normally takes place between January - June and September - October of the following year. During peak months, a teacher may have to do 3-4 entry assessments a week. Each entry assessment lasts for 30-40 minutes on average. Peak months are April - May and September - October of the following year
• Staff meetings or other staff/administration events
• Substituting for another BC teacher, if requested by the Principal, to address emergencies. (Note: the school has a full-time substitute teacher)
• Performing other related, similar, or logical duties as required or assigned. This may include a change of the teaching assignment based on the school's needs and taking into consideration your experience, competencies, and subject of specialty.

Start the process of getting British Columbia teacher certification immediately upon signing a letter of job offer. Provide and arrange for all required documents promptly to make sure certification is obtained as quickly as possible. Report progress on achieving certification to the school in detail to help the school follow up on the certification with the BC Ministry of Education Teachers Regulation Branch. The school has the right to terminate the contract if this duty is not fulfilled or if British Columbia teacher certification is not obtained due to the teacher not providing the required documents or meeting any of the certification requirements.