Middle School English Teacher (Full-Time) (Bellevue)

WHO WE ARE Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart provides a diverse and rigorous college preparatory environment that inspires young women to become confident, compassionate leaders. As a member of a global network of more than 150 schools, we educate to the core of our 200-year tradition through the Sacred Heart Goals and Criteria: a personal and active faith in God, a deep respect for intellectual values, a social awareness that impels one to action, the building of community as a Christian value, and personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom. Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart educates young women to think critically, embrace challenges, model resilience, confront injustice, seek equality and lead globally in the pioneering spirit of our foundress. Our graduates change the world. THE ROLE Forest Ridge seeks a talented, passionate and engaging Middle School Humanities Teacher to teach middle school humanities and serve as a member of a grade-level team. Underpinning the humanities curriculum at Forest Ridge is the belief that effective communication skills empower students to flourish as capable leaders. We believe that a love of reading and the skill of being a discerning, critical and appreciative reader are intrinsic attributes of life-long learners. In middle school, writing is emphasized at every grade level. With an emphasis on process, students practice expressing ideas clearly to a variety of audiences for a variety of purposes. Focusing on critical and creative thinking, each girl develops her own writing voice and practices cultivating powerful responses. Through our skills- and analysis-based reading program, students learn to appreciate the aesthetics of the written word as well as its power to transmit ideas and give voice. We are looking for an educator who is passionate about teaching adolescent girls, who works well both independently and with a team and who employs a variety of teaching strategies to meet the diverse needs of our students. In addition, we are looking for faculty who are excited by the opportunity to build an integrated curriculum, working alongside members of various departments to build lessons, units and courses of study that unite concepts, topics, themes and skills often taught isolated from one another. Furthermore, Forest Ridge seeks faculty and staff whose philosophies align with our Sacred Heart mission and who enthusiastically believe in educating the mind, body and spirit of each student. TEACHING AT FOREST RIDGE • Forest Ridge offers an intellectually invigorating, interconnected and experiential curriculum. • The entire Forest Ridge experience is designed to support the growth of girls, particularly in the academic and leadership spaces more traditionally held by boys. • The curriculum at Forest Ridge has been developed and updated by the faculty who teach it. • Forest Ridge teachers work collaboratively across disciplines and grade levels to integrate learning experiences for students. • The Sacred Heart Goals and Criteria guide faculty and staff in their interactions with families and colleagues. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES The Middle School English Teacher, reporting to the Director of Middle School, will join a collaborative team of colleagues to build a creative, engaging and student-centered learning environment, employing best practices for educating students in an inclusive setting. Specific responsibilities for this position include: • Teach middle school English: two sections of 8th, two sections of 7th and one section of 6th. • Provide support for students outside of class time (answering homework questions, providing extra writing help, etc.) as needed; • Using formative and summative assessments, collaborate with colleagues to design curriculum and instructional practices to support a wide range of learners. • Update curriculum maps to ensure a realistic and updated scope and sequence of the content, skills and assessments of each course; • Attend grade-level team and faculty meetings as scheduled; • Attend one grade-level overnight: • Participate in the life of the school community by attending school assemblies, divisional gatherings, and school events: • Attend and respectfully participate in communal prayer and other faith services. QUALIFICATIONS A successful candidate for this position will meet the following requirements and qualifications: • Experience teaching middle school humanities courses, including social studies, reading and writing; • A personal understanding of and commitment to the Goals and Criteria of a Sacred Heart education; • A commitment to working in a girl-centric environment, designed to support the development of competent, confident and courageous women ready to lead in a multi-cultural world; • A demonstrated understanding of the age-appropriate needs of middle school students; • A bachelor’s degree in a related field; A master’s degree is preferred. • Prior experience working with a diverse population of students and colleagues; • A demonstrated commitment to culturally responsive pedagogy, including an understanding of themselves and the lenses they bring to interactions, as well as the differing perspectives of others. • A commitment to teaching the whole child; • An ability to work and communicate well with faculty, staff, students and parents; SALARY/BENEFITS: Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart is committed to attracting and retaining outstanding employees through competitive compensation. Salary range(s) based on education and experience. Salary Range: $59,052.60 - $110,361.92. Forest Ridge offers a generous and comprehensive benefits package to benefits-eligible employees. Benefits include: medical/dental/vision insurance (based on FTE); flexible spending account (FSA); employee assistance program (EAP); retirement savings plan with employer match after one year of employment; paid time off for sick, personal, bereavement, jury/witness duty; vacation time off for staff; family leave; life and disability insurance; professional development opportunities; 50% tuition remission. TO APPLY: Qualified applicants should email the following documents: • Cover letter • Statement of Educational Philosophy • Updated CV/Resume • List of three professional references Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart does not discriminate in its employment decisions or practices on the basis of gender, age, race, color, marital status, national and ethnic origin, sexual orientation or any disability that can be reasonably accommodated in the administration of its educational policies and school-administered programs.