Great Oaks Legacy Charter School is seeking a dynamic, mission-aligned educator to join our instructional team as a High School SAT & College Readiness Teacher for the 2021-22 school year.

GREAT OAKS LEGACY OVERVIEW

The Great Oaks Legacy Charter School is a high-performing, innovative charter public school in Newark NJ, serving students from Pre-K to 12th grade on campuses across the city of Newark. Our mission is to prepare Newark's students for success in college and beyond. Currently, the historical college matriculation rate for GOLCS is 79% - nearly twice the national average for economically underrepresented students.

Our model is based on the following guiding principles that guide our work daily -

1. Creating a community that is built upon genuine and meaningful relationships.
2. Being surgical in our approach to differentiation of instruction and support of ALL students and team members.
3. Setting and exceeding high expectations for academic growth and character development for all students, in preparation for success in college and beyond.

We accomplish our mission by:

• Cultivating an environment where all students and staff are known and valued and are provided the support and compassion they need to be successful.
• Delivering individualized academic support to our students daily, through tutoring provided by AmeriCorps Education Fellowship program.
• Pairing rigorous curriculum and teaching with intense personal support and high academic expectations for students. Our students, for example, are encouraged to take multiple AP classes before they graduate high school. Our alumni receive intensive support from our college counseling team, while in college.

Position Overview

The SAT/ College-Readiness Teacher is responsible for helping to fulfill the GOLCS mission of preparing students for college success by implementing the college-readiness curriculum that fosters a eleventh grade student's cognitive and non-cognitive skills, professionalism, and navigating the college application and financial aid process. Due to the outsized influence of SAT scores on college admissions and scholarship money, about 60% of our College Readiness course prioritizes the concepts and skills which will set students up for success on the SAT. The teacher adapts already-created lessons to best meet the needs of our students.

Additional tasks include:

• Create and implement pre-existing SAT/College Action lessons and maintain the gradebooks for the course
• Manage and track students respective progress and completion of Winward Academy lessons
• Manage and track the registration process for national SAT testings for the entire class
• Successfully execute administrative duties related to but not limited to: AP/SAT/ACT official score reporting and management; tracking of enrollment in Naviance and coordinating monthly parent communications student's progress
• Participate in weekly check-ins with the Director of Curriculum and Instruction regarding course progress and student engagement with curriculum content
• Attend weekly grade level meetings and provide updates on student progress within the course
• Assist in the planning and facilitation of family engagement workshops related to preparing for college and financial aid readiness

The SAT/ College-Readiness Teacher will be successful in the following areas:

1) Curriculum & Instruction

• Demonstrating solid knowledge and understanding of the content matter related to college and career preparation.
• Establishing, communicating, and demanding high expectations for student learning, and quality of work.
• Using a multitude of instructional strategies and activities that are academically rigorous and highly engaging.
• Executing detailed lesson plans mapped to a year-long academic plan to address learning needs.
• Taking full responsibility for student failure and constantly working to respond to the students' learning needs through re-teaching content/scaffolding/spiraling.
• Consistently sending the message that this work is important, that the student can do it, and that you will not give up on a student.

2) Data

• Track and analyze student data to identify student learning needs and set ambitious, attainable goals for student progress.
• Planning and implementing strategies to achieve targets related to student learning outcomes.
• Working collaboratively with the Director of Curriculum and Instruction, College Office and other teachers to develop and revise curriculum based on assessment data and SAT preparatory performance.

3) Classroom Environment

• Maintaining an efficient, respectful and positive tone in your classroom.
• Utilizing time to maximize student learning and communicating a constant, tangible sense of urgency.
• Ensuring that all students are on task at all times during a lesson.
• Clearly enforcing and emphasizing school rules, core values and expectations as budding young professionals
• Building relationships with students that demonstrate an open concern and a sense of responsibility for students' academic and personal growth.
• Supervising students during lunch and transition periods.

4) Additional Responsibilities

• Putting in an extraordinary amount of time and effort to contribute to student and school success.
• Independently assuming additional responsibilities when necessary and demonstrating leadership.
• Working with the college counseling team to ensure that students are on track to attend college and/or identify additional post-secondary pathways.
• Occasionally leading professional development sessions.
• Other duties that may be necessary to fulfill the mission of the school.

Qualifications

• Relentless work ethic. and can-do attitude
• Belief that all students have what it takes to be successful.
• Bachelor's degree from a competitive college or university. GPA must meet minimum requirements for NJ DOE certification.
• Demonstrated mastery of content knowledge and ability to drive student growth.
• Prior teaching experience in an urban No Excuses school setting strongly preferred.
• Extremely strong classroom management abilities.
• Evidence of NJ Department of Education certification (CE/CEAS/Provisional/Standard) or out of state certification.
• Experience developing curriculum or potential to lead curricular development strongly preferred.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIP:

The SAT Prep and College Readiness Teacher reports to and receives weekly coaching from our Director of Curriculum and Instruction.

The SAT Prep and College Readiness Teacher may also connect with the College and Career Office by taking part in monthly team meetings.

GREAT OAKS LEGACY PHILOSOPHY

Our students rise to conquer challenges with the help of individualized, whole-person support from the Great Oaks Legacy Charter School community including educators, tutors, peers, families and staff. Our mission is that each child ultimately graduates from college.

The Great Oaks Legacy Charter School ensures its students are ready to take on the world, therefore:

1. We give our students the academic skills and socio-emotional support they need to build upon their own strengths and abilities in order to be ready and able to achieve their dreams.
2. Our employees agree to take responsibility for their part in reversing negative outcomes for students, to work relentlessly to support our efforts to engage each and every student, and to uphold our mission to prepare every student to succeed in college to the extent possible.
3. It is a given that all staff work very hard. Our employees acknowledge that they will do more than just work hard. Employees agree to seek - through feedback, professional development, and coaching - to continue to develop and improve their job performance while employed by the School. At Great Oaks Legacy, an ongoing quest for improvement is considered essential for all staff members.

As Great Oaks Legacy continues its journey towards anti-racism, we can be certain that our school community is ready for the work. As an organization, we are striving to be more intentional and connected to a larger, clearer mission for an educational experience that empowers scholars to be the change they want to see in the world.

Additional Information

GOLCS is committed to building a talented team that reflects the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our students. Our staff and student population is diverse and culturally rich. We believe that racial justice and equity is critical to our mission of preparing students for success in college and beyond. We strive to be an organization that is diverse, equitable, inclusive, and elevates our student voices in preparing them for life and college.

Great Oaks Legacy Charter School offers competitive salaries commensurate with experience and a comprehensive benefits package, including rich health insurance plans, professional development and coaching, and retirement benefits as part of the state pension plan.

Great Oaks Legacy provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

Great Oaks Legacy Charter School Vaccination Policy

Great Oaks Legacy Charter School continues to be committed to the health and safety of staff and students. As we've done throughout the pandemic, we're constantly examining and adjusting our existing policies with two goals:

1. To ensure healthy and safe working and learning environments;
2. To maintain our educational commitment to GOLCS students and families.

Vaccines are the best way to protect our community's health and safety against COVID-19, and to maintain our educational commitment to our children. With that in mind, and in review of recent developments, including the full FDA authorization of the Pfizer vaccine, Great Oaks Legacy has made the decision to mandate staff vaccination against COVID-19. By October 15th, all GOLCS staff must have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. New staff hired after October 15th will be required to submit evidence of at least one dose of a vaccine (Moderna, Pfizer, or Janssen) prior to beginning employment. If applicable (for Moderna or Pfizer), proof of the second dose must be submitted according to the applicable vaccine schedule.

Candidates who believe they qualify for a medical or religious accommodation from this policy, can request the GOLCS Request for Exemption Formby reaching out to HR@greatoakslegacy.org.