Kindergarten Dual Language Teacher (SY26-27)

DISTRICT OVERVIEW

Holyoke Public Schools is a PreK-12 public school district serving nearly 4,800 students, of whom 80 percent are Latino/Latina, in 11 schools. We employ nearly 1,300 people who together educate and support a richly diverse community of learners. We are committed to recruiting and retaining top-quality educators who believe all children can and will learn and who strive daily to make school a joyful place of discovery, support, and belonging.

Holyoke Public Schools' strategic plan, "Moving Forward Together," builds on the strengths of our past while serving as a call to action to accelerate student learning by thinking differently about how we teach, how we work together, and how we support students' well-being.

Many successes contributed to Holyoke's return to local governance after 10 years in state receivership. These include:

• The highest graduation rate on record of 77.1 percent, an increase of more than 15-points over 10 years
• Meaningful, applied learning opportunities for high school students, including theme-based academies, career vocational technical education programming, work-based learning, and advanced coursework
• A comprehensive approach to early literacy that includes strong core instruction and one-on-one tutoring, contributing to more students reading at grade level
• A thriving dual language English/Spanish program, where nearly 900 students are on their path to becoming bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural
• More than one-third of Holyoke teachers identify as people of color, a 19-point increase over 10 years. Many partnership programs support staff to earn licensure or additional certification.

Please visit the Holyoke Public Schools website to learn more about us, our recent accomplishments, and our commitment to equity.

• PERSPECTIVA GENERAL DEL DISTRITO

Las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke son un distrito escolar público que cuenta con 11 escuelas de prekínder a 12.° grado y acoge a casi 4 800 estudiantes, de los cuales el 80 % se identifica como latino o latina. Empleamos a casi 1 300 personas que, en conjunto, educan y apoyan a una comunidad de estudiantes altamente diversa. Estamos comprometidos a contratar y retener educadores de alta calidad que creen firmemente que todos los niños pueden aprender y aprenderán, y que se esfuerzan diariamente por hacer de la escuela un lugar alegre de descubrimiento, apoyo y pertenencia.

El plan estratégico de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke , "Avanzando Juntos", se basa en nuestras fortalezas previas y, al mismo tiempo, sirve como un llamado a la acción para acelerar el aprendizaje estudiantil a través de una nueva perspectiva sobre cómo enseñamos, cómo trabajamos en colaboración y cómo apoyamos el bienestar de los estudiantes.

Existen numerosos logros que permitieron a Holyoke recuperar el control local después de 10 años de administración judicial. Entre estos logros se encuentran:

• La tasa de graduación más alta registrada, del 77.1 %, lo que representa un aumento de más de 15 puntos porcentuales en 10 años
• Oportunidades significativas de aprendizaje práctico para estudiantes de secundaria, que incluyen academias temáticas, programas de educación técnica y vocacional, aprendizaje basado en el trabajo y cursos avanzados
• Un enfoque integral de la alfabetización temprana que combina una sólida instrucción básica con tutorías individuales, lo cual ha contribuido a que más estudiantes lean a nivel de grado
• Un próspero programa bilingüe de inglés/español, en el que casi 900 estudiantes avanzan hacia el bilingüismo, la biliteracidad, y la biculturalidad.
• Más de un tercio de los maestros de Holyoke se identifican como personas de etnicidad diversa, lo que representa un aumento de 19 puntos porcentuales en 10 años. Diversas colaboraciones con programas que han contribuido a que miembros del personal obtengan sus certificaciones o credenciales adicionales.

Visite el sitio web de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke para obtener más información sobre nuestra comunidad, nuestros logros recientes y nuestro compromiso con la equidad.

HPS is actively seeking innovative school leaders with a track record of improving outcomes for

students to be part of this exciting, cutting-edge turnaround work. The principal will help the

Receiver build and manage a fast-paced and dedicated team that works together to provide the

children and families of the Holyoke Public Schools with the highest possible level of education

and service pursuant to the district's turnaround plan.

In the 2014-2015 school year the Holyoke Public Schools established a Dual Language Program

at the Joseph Metcalf School. The mission of dual language is to prepare linguistically and

culturally competent students for a globalized world. This innovative program offers language

acquisition opportunities in English and Spanish through research based curriculum that is

aligned with the district''s benchmarks and state''s curriculum frameworks. Research shows that

language acquisition is accelerated in early childhood and that the developing brain is much

more adaptable to learning multiple languages at one time. Students who participate and persist

in dual language programs are significantly more likely to experience successful academic

careers in high school and college.

Due to the high demand for the program, beginning in the fall of 2016-17 a second dual

language program is being introduced at EN White School. This dual language program will start

with the opening of a Spanish language immersion pre-k classrooms, where 80% of instruction

takes place in Spanish and will provide four year olds an immersion experience in a high quality

pre-school setting. The goal of these dual language programs is to eventually feed into a dual

language pathway at the high school level that leads to students attaining the Seal of Biliteracy

along with their high school diplomas.

Job description:

Plan, organize, and provide instruction in Spanish in the Core Curriculum

Content Standards. Instruction shall be closely related to and coordinated with the regular

instructional program so that students meet and exceed the State Core Curriculum

Content Standards.

Meet and instruct assigned classes in the locations and at the times designated.

Plan, organize and provide instruction to assist students in mastering verbal and written

skills in English and Spanish, meets the individual needs, interests, and abilities of the

students and employs a variety of instructional techniques and media to promote both

linguistic, academic, and socio-emotional development.

Create a classroom environment that is conducive to learning and appropriate to the

maturity and interests of students.

Guide the learning process toward the achievement of curriculum goals and - in harmony

with the goals - establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, projects and the like to

communicate these objectives to students.

Provide a nurturing, supportive, and positive classroom climate that encourages student

responsibility, using positive motivation, clear classroom routines, challenging

instructional strategies, and effective classroom management techniques.

Assess the accomplishments of students on a regular basis and provides progress reports

as required.

Maintain accurate, complete, and correct records as required by law, district policy, and

administrative regulations.

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Communicate regularly with the parents to nurture a supportive and cooperative

relationship between home and school.

Plan and supervise purposeful assignments for teacher aide(s) and volunteer(s) and,

cooperatively with department heads, evaluate their job performance.

Assist the professional staff through individual consultation and/or staff development

sessions with understanding effective strategies and approaches to meet the needs of

students who are in the Dual Language Program.

Summarize, interpret, and disseminate current developments in bilingual programs

through reading of professional journals, participation in professional development, and

involvement in professional organizations.

Attend staff meetings and serve on staff committee as required.

Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree

At least one year of full-time teaching experience

Commitment to ensuring academic success for all students

Academic preparation or teaching experience with Second Language Learners.

Experience working in an urban setting, preferred

Experience working with diverse student populations, preferred

Ability to read, interpret, and apply student performance data to instructional planning

and execution

Strong written and verbal communication skills; excellent teamwork skills

Must be able to listen, speak, read, and write fluently and proficiently in Spanish and

English

Required license(s):

Early Childhood PreK-2 with SEI Endorsement