Teacher - Integrated Preschool presso Holyoke Public Schools

DISTRICT OVERVIEW

Holyoke Public Schools is a PreK-12 public school district serving nearly 5,100 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. 

Our Equity Commitments are pledges we are making to address systemic equity challenges. 

• We intentionally build a community that is anti-racist, inclusive, and culturally responsive.
• We ensure that students, families, and staff get the support they need to be successful.
• We seek out and incorporate the voices of those impacted, with a commitment to include those who have been excluded in the past. 
• We promote access and inclusion for all students, staff, and families.
• We respect, embrace, and honor the diversity of our students, families, staff, and community.
• We reflect on our own behavior to minimize harm to others.
• We create a culture of acceptance and empathy so that everyone feels valued and is able to contribute to our community’s success.

Please visit the Holyoke Public Schools website to learn more about us as well as some of our recent accomplishments. 

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Spanish:

Las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke son un distrito escolar público de prekínder a 12.° grado que acoge a casi 5100 estudiantes, de los cuales el 80 por ciento son latinos/latinas. Empleamos a casi 1300 personas que, juntas, educan y apoyan a una comunidad de estudiantes muy diversa. Estamos comprometidos a contratar y retener educadores de alta calidad que tengan la certeza de que todos los niños pueden y podrán aprender, y que también se esfuercen 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", toma en cuenta nuestras fortalezas anteriores y al mismo tiempo sirve como un llamado a la acción para acelerar el aprendizaje de los estudiantes a través de una perspectiva diferente sobre cómo enseñamos, cómo trabajamos juntos y cómo apoyamos el bienestar de los estudiantes.

Nuestros compromisos de equidad son promesas que hacemos para abordar los desafíos de equidad sistémica.

• Construimos intencionadamente una comunidad antirracista, inclusiva y culturalmente receptiva.
• Nos aseguramos de que los estudiantes, las familias y el personal reciban el apoyo que necesitan para tener éxito.
• Buscamos e incorporamos las voces de los afectados, con el compromiso de incluir a los que han sido excluidos en el pasado. 
• Promovemos el acceso y la inclusión de todos los estudiantes, el personal y las familias.
• Respetamos, acogemos y honramos la diversidad de nuestros alumnos, familias, personal y comunidad.
• Reflexionamos sobre nuestro propio comportamiento para minimizar el daño a los demás.
• Creamos una cultura de aceptación y empatía para que todos se sientan valorados y puedan contribuir al éxito de nuestra comunidad.

Integrated Preschool Teacher

Holyoke Public Schools values inclusive practice, as the optimal method of teaching all children. Aligned with this philosophy, HPS offers integrated preschool models to children, between the ages of three and five years of age, who require special education programming. Typically developing peers are also enrolled within the program for the purpose of providing strong and appropriate peer modeling to promote developmentally appropriate skill building in the areas of: social interactions, play skills, core academics, language and communication, gross and fine motor skills, and functional independence.  

Job description:

• SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE REQUIRED/DESIRED:  Holyoke Public School District is seeking a highly qualified full time Preschool teacher to teach a half day program (two sessions/day) that follows an integrated teaching model, comprised of students with IEP’s and peer models. The full time preschool teacher is responsible for implementing developmentally appropriate curriculum to all learners, as well as implementing and overseeing specialized instruction for students on IEP’s within an inclusion based setting.

        JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead two (half-day) sessions per day, comprised of children with diverse learning needs and peer models.
• Implement standards based curriculum to all learners, providing differentiated instruction and IEP accomodations, as identified.
• Demonstrate an ability to use research-based best inclusionary practices for teaching kindergarten readiness skills in the areas of: student engagement, pre-academics, play, socialization, communication, self-care, and independence to preschool aged children with and without disabilities.  
• Follow district processes and procedures in assessing students referred for special education services to determine eligibility and appropriate services.
• Design individualized education plans appropriate to meet the pracademic, social, and functional needs of qualifying students.
• Support inclusion of new students with diverse learning needs
• Ability to complete thorough screening and assessments.
• Provide necessary documentation and data to validate student progress toward IEP goals and objectives.
• Maintain and update special education records as required by district, state and federal agencies.
• Ensure confidentiality of special education records.
• Provide behavior management programs to address behavior challenges and increase appropriate student behavior.
• Serve as a member of the child study team (CST).
• Work collaboratively with fellow IEP team personnel, which may include: Speech Language Pathologist, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, Adjustment Counselor, BCBA/ABA Specialist, Teacher of the Visually Impaired) to incorporate and reinforce skill building strategies designed by itinerant service staff.
• Oversee classroom-based special education paraeducators
• Participate in professional development activities to develop specialized skills.
• Ability to maintain professional and committed relationships with families
• Attends staff meetings and serve on staff committees as required
• Other duties as required by district and building administration

Qualifications

• Bachelors Degree
• Minimum of 3 years working in an early childhood setting
• Minimum of 1 year supervising classroom staff
• Experience with development and implementation of IEP specialized instruction to target developmental and kindergarten-readiness skills 
• Experience with implementation of screenings, assessments, and other progress monitoring tools to measure performance.
• Knowledge of common disabilities and evidence based educational practices
• Commitment to ensuring positive and impactful inclusive experiences for all students
• Experience with creating and maintaining positive relationships with families, community, and related stakeholders
• Experience working with multi-disciplinary teams, strongly preferred
• Experience working in an urban setting, strongly preferred
• Experience working with diverse student populations, strongly preferred
• Experience with using media and technology to target learning
• Ability to read, interpret, and apply student performance data to instructional planning and execution
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; excellent teamwork skills 
• Bilingual applicants (Spanish) strongly encouraged to apply 

Required license(s): 

• EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PK-2, MODERATE DISABILITIES PK-2 preferred