Join Us on an Exciting Journey at Peninsula School!

Are you ready to be a part of something truly extraordinary? Peninsula School is calling for

fearless, passionate educators to be the next generation of progressive education trailblazers.

Why Peninsula School?

Imagine a place where intellectual curiosity, social and emotional learning, and social justice

intertwine to create a dynamic learning environment. Peninsula's wooded, 6-acre campus is not

just a setting; it’s a place where children thrive and develop to their full promise as confident

contributors in the world, learn about themselves and others, discover their passions, and grow

in an inclusive community rich with choices, exploration, and play. In addition to intellectual

development and social and emotional learning (SEL), we educate for democracy, student

choice and voice, and social justice.

Your Role: Lower School Head Classroom Teacher (Grades TBD, K-2nd Grade Range)

As the Lower School Head Teacher, you'll play a pivotal role in nurturing students through a

journey of exploration, inquiry, and learning. Working closely with our dynamic lower school

team, you'll be a vital contributor to an environment where math, literacy, integrated social

studies, and social/emotional development are taught within a progressive framework.

Collaboration with specialist teachers across various disciplines—including Art, Woodshop,

Ceramics, Weaving, Music, Library, Spanish, Science, and Physical Education—creates an

unparalleled opportunity to cultivate rich, cross-disciplinary learning experiences for students.

This framework honors and celebrates play, prioritizes student choice and voice, and centers

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) practices. Lower School teachers work

collaboratively on a team with the support of the Associate Head of School (AHOS) and literacy

and math specialists. Teacher creativity is encouraged and celebrated as teachers address the

needs of their students, while remaining steadfast to the school's mission, values, and

progressive educational philosophy.

What Awaits You:

Competitive Compensation: Earn between $83,200 to $95,400, depending on your experience.

Benefits: Enjoy a comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, and retirement

savings and plans, because your well-being matters to us.

Inspiring Community: Immerse yourself in a supportive, inclusive community dedicated to

learning and engaged citizenship.

Room for Growth: Grow both personally and professionally in an environment that values

diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Peninsula School | 920 Peninsula Way, Menlo Park, CA, 94025 | 650-325-1584 | www.peninsulaschool.org

Join Us in Shaping the Future!

Peninsula School actively promotes the principles and practices of diversity, equity, inclusion

and belonging throughout the school community. We are an equal-opportunity employer and

encourage people from under-represented groups to apply.

At Peninsula School, we believe in the power of every individual to make a difference. Whether

you're a seasoned educator or newer to the field, we welcome your application. Come join us in

shaping the future, one student at a time!

The start date for this position is 8/1/24. Please fill out an employment application and send it

with a cover letter and resumé, to HR@peninsulaschool.org

General Responsibilities

● Support and promote Peninsula School’s mission and values

● Provide a progressive program for children using instructional methods and materials

that are responsive and appropriate to the intellectual, social and emotional needs of

students and that fosters their positive learning and personal growth

● Maintain a cooperative classroom environment that encourages problem solving,

creativity, critical thinking, and intellectual curiosity

● Create and maintain a welcoming, safe, equitable and respectful learning environment

that honors and values a diversity of learning, cultural, ethnic, racial and sexual identities

and lived experiences of the student population

● Manage and monitor student learning, including ongoing assessment that informs

instruction

● Remain current on educational research, topics and progressive practices

● Participate in and contribute to the school’s process of continual reflection and evolution

of its program

● Collaborate and communicate constructively with other teaching staff, AHOS, Learning

Specialists, and all staff members

● Integrate anti-racist principles and practices into teaching and learning

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

● Teaching and Learning:

○ Recognize and address the unique needs and varied learning styles of all

children, ensuring each child’s progress in all areas

○ Develop and implement teaching units that explore and examine multiple

cultures, ethnicities, perspectives, lifestyles, lived experiences and identities

○ Deliver a math curriculum that is age-appropriate and that aligns with the scope

and sequence of the overall school program

○ Deliver an integrated social studies program, and collaborate with other

specialists to make connections to your program.

○ Monitor and document student learning

○ Build class community by fostering students’ social/emotional learning

Peninsula School | 920 Peninsula Way, Menlo Park, CA, 94025 | 650-325-1584 | www.peninsulaschool.org

○ Assess student learning and use data to inform instruction, differentiate practice,

and promote learning

● Additional activities:

○ Organize and lead school overnight(s) and/or camping trip(s) (not including

nursery through first grade classes)

● Communications with families:

○ Prior to the start of the school year, connect with families and students to

welcome them to the class and begin to get to know them (could include but is

not limited to a home visit, phone call, zoom meeting, feedback form, etc.)

○ Clearly articulate program and developmental goals to parents

○ Clearly communicate student learning to students and parents

○ Maintain open lines of communication with parents

○ Post class schedule for families within one week of the beginning of school

○ Communicate with families to share and preview classroom learning (newsletter,

email, blog) at least once per week

● Provide a model for positive leadership

● Reflect on Practice:

○ Examine and evaluate classroom program and teaching regularly and adjust as

needed

○ Define at least one professional development (PD) goal and complete a PD (in

addition to in-service learning) according to your goals and in agreement with a

supervisor

● Program articulation:

○ Share high level (month by month) curriculum goals and objectives for students

with AHOS/Programmatic Team by the first back to school staff day

● Collaboration:

○ Provide oversight and supervision to Assistant Teachers and Associate Teachers

under the direction of the AHOS to nurture and enrich children’s experiences.

This includes: supporting learning, goal setting, monitoring students, scheduling

planning/prep and support time, providing feedback

○ Support an open door policy for classrooms and meetings for teaching

colleagues and program administrators, appropriate to role

○ Participate in coaching conversations and peer-review on an as-needed basis

● Logistics:

○ Be in the classroom ready to welcome and greet children no later than 8:45am

○ Be available on Tuesdays from 3:15-5pm for meetings and meet with Lower

School Heads one day per week

○ Post a daily schedule for students

Other Responsibilities

● Meet with parents for conferences formally two times a year and provide additional

conferences and communication as required or requested

● Organize and facilitate group parent meetings at least twice a year

Peninsula School | 920 Peninsula Way, Menlo Park, CA, 94025 | 650-325-1584 | www.peninsulaschool.org

● Attend independent learning plan meetings (ILP)

● Attend admission events

● Attend all staff meetings/in-services and contribute positively within those meetings

● Participate in school committees as needed

Qualifications and Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required. 3-5 years of teaching experience preferred. A teaching credential,

advanced degree in education and/or specific training in K-2 is a plus.

Competencies

To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

● Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging - A demonstrated commitment to diversity,

equity and inclusion and an ability to work with and support a diverse population of

students and families. An ability to remain sensitive to the experiences of students,

parents and faculty in all situations and integrate feedback into practice.

● Growth Mindset – Recognizes the importance of learning and adopting and modeling a

growth mindset. Stays abreast of best practices in schools and in supporting positive

child and youth development, enthusiastically seeks out professional growth

opportunities.

● Relational Skills – Ability to relate well to a wide range of people, including building

rapport with students, parents, faculty, staff, and administrators. Willingness to work to

understand the culture of the school. Knowledge of each child’s challenges and

strengths. Skill with conflict resolution, consensus building and decision-making.

● Emotional Intelligence, Regulation, and Maturity – Ability to interact with individuals

in heightened emotional states and navigate complex and emotionally challenging

situations involving children and adults. A high degree of emotional stability, ability to

separate one’s own emotions from a situation, and ability to maintain perspective in the

midst of emotional situations is essential. A willingness to center children.

● Communications Skills – Ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of

constituents. Maintains open communications channels with teaching staff, parents and

administrators. Able to present information formally and informally in an effective manner

both through oral presentations or conversation and through written means. Has a

strong understanding of the power of word choice and the need for a high level of tact

and professional, accurate communication.

● Time Management Skills – Ability to manage many tasks and projects simultaneously

and to prioritize them appropriately.

● Organizational Skills – Ability to balance many tasks and processes, including keeping

track of progress on longer term projects or goals, managing details accurately, and

following through in a timely fashion.

● Problem Solving Skills – Ability to consider a broad range of internal and external

Peninsula School | 920 Peninsula Way, Menlo Park, CA, 94025 | 650-325-1584 | www.peninsulaschool.org

factors when solving problems. Grasps complexities and perceives relationships among

different problems or issues. Uses various solution-focused problem-solving strategies

appropriate to the situation, including enlisting and seeking advice from others when

appropriate.

● Strategic Thinking Skills – Ability to work with others to gather, synthesize, and

analyze quantitative and qualitative information and to develop plans for meeting short

and long-range goals which support student learning and growth and advance the

broader strategic direction of the school.

● Child-Centered: ability to center children, the Mission Statement and the values of the

school.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an

employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable

accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential

functions.

The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities

required by this job include close vision, ability to adjust focus, and sound hearing. The ability to

speak clearly and coherently is required. While performing the duties of this job, the employee

is regularly required to sit; use hands, talk and hear. The employee is frequently required to

reach with hands and arms. On occasion, the employee is required to stand, walk, stoop, kneel,

or crouch. Employee is required to operate a computer and office productivity machinery,

communicate across a variety of media, and work in close proximity to others. The role may

also require the employee to work in inclement weather during special activities and work at a

desk for extended periods of time.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to listen, physically

direct, and speak. The employee is required to sit (sometimes for extended periods); stand;

walk on a variety of surfaces; climb stairs, bend and squat when communicating with younger

students; use hands to finger, handle, or feel and reach with hands and arms. Specific vision

abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision and ability to adjust focus. The

noise and activity level in the work environment is variable, with times of quiet and times of high

stimulation and activity.

Peninsula School | 920 Peninsula Way, Menlo Park, CA, 94025 | 650-325-1584 | www.peninsulaschool.org