Start Date: August 2023

VISION: Inspire students to achieve their dreams and reach beyond themselves to make a difference in the world.

MISSION: Hillbrook provides an extraordinary educational experience that fosters a love of learning in our students and helps them develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to achieve their highest individual potential in school and in life. At Hillbrook, students are known, respected and valued as individuals and every day is a journey of self-discovery, imaginative thinking, creative problem solving, laughter and friendship.

CORE VALUES: Be kind. Be curious. Take risks. Be your best.

The Position: What Will You Do & How Will We Collaborate

The 5th Grade English & History Teacher will teach English and History to two sections of 5th graders, serve as a 5th grade advisor, and participate in middle school activities that support the divisional program. They will actively and closely collaborate with the 5th Grade Math & Science Teacher and other members of the Middle School team to provide a high quality educational program that is challenging, engaging, and mission-aligned. This position starts in August 2023.

The Hillbrook Faculty Member: Who Are You

Do our Core Values – Be kind. Be curious. Take risks. Be your best. – align with how you show up as an educator? Are you committed to building and bridging inclusive communities? Do you believe learning should be an active and relational process? Do you enjoy nurturing and maintaining best practices and continuity of programs, while also evolving programs in response to new information? Is equity and impact at the forefront of what you do? Are you entrepreneurial? Do you thrive in small collaborative environments? Do you seek opportunities for interdisciplinary, experiential learning? Do you believe that students are capable changemakers at any age and stage? A Hillbrook faculty member will emphatically say yes to each of these questions.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

• Actively participate in a collaborative employee culture that is committed to being at the leading edge of JK - 12th grade education.

• Teach two sections of 5th grade english and two sections of 5th grade history

• Advise a small group of 5th grade students, which involves:

• Teaching a 30-minute advisory period 4 mornings per week

• Following student progress and liaising with parents as first line of communication with the school

• Advocating for students in all matters pertaining to the individual

• Facilitating student/parent/advisor learning progress conferences

• Partner closely with the 5th grade Math/Science teacher and 5th grade advising team to ensure 5th grade students have a smooth transition to middle school and are supported in their developmental needs

• Implement the school’s social-emotional curriculum, which is based in Responsive Classroom, Mind Up curriculum, and Restorative Practices

• Provide a hands-on, inquiry-based style of teaching; manage collaborative learning groups; integrate technology into the curriculum

• Actively participate in a faculty culture that is committed to being at the leading edge of K-8 education

• Teach a weekly Reach Beyond Block class focused on topics related to social entrepreneurship, DEIJA, and/or other mission-focused areas

• Chaperone 5th grade field trips, including annual overnight trip

• Report to the Head of Middle School

Qualifications

• Master’s degree and five years teaching experience with 10-12 year olds preferred

• Demonstrated commitment to teaching and learning in a diverse, dynamic, and progressive school community

• A commitment to anti-racism and demonstrated skill designing equitable and inclusive educational experiences and learning environments that incorporate themes of diversity and justice

• Desire and ability to work in a collegial, highly collaborative environment

• A love of 5th grade children

• A growth mindset, sense of humor, and excellent organizational and communication skills

• Demonstrated proficiency and curiosity in educational technology

• Understanding that student wellness, intellectual rigor, and a deep commitment to social impact and DEI are critical to a Hillbrook learning experience

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, & Action

As noted in our Statement of Inclusivity, we strive to reflect the extraordinary diversity of Silicon Valley, believing that educational excellence and equity depend on the creation of a diverse and inclusive community where all students, families and employees feel a full sense of membership. To live up to our DEI Teaching Philosophy Statement, all employees contribute to developing culturally competent students and building an educational institution committed to social justice and reaching beyond. We offer a wide range of opportunities for all employees to engage in work that furthers these goals, from personal dialogues that help us understand different perspectives, to pedagogical training designed to support equitable instructional practices and build habits to disrupt bias whenever we see it. Ultimately, we hope that this work helps all of our constituents—employees, students, and families—be more aware, empathetic, globally-minded, and justice-oriented.

A highly collaborative community, we use the following norms to guide our communication with each other:

• Assume good will

• Come from your own experience

• Be more curious than certain

• Hold yourself and others capable

Our commitment to these norms makes it possible for us to partner meaningfully, disagree productively, and lean into conversations that are both challenging and generative.

Each and every day our students will be challenged to live out our Core Values - be kind, be curious, take risks, be your best - as they engage with an exceptional team of educators committed to helping each student reach their highest potential in school and in life. Our program is also guided by the core questions of the Scott Center for Social Entrepreneurship - “What matters to you? What are you doing about it?” Simple yet provocative, these two questions inspire all members of our community as they convey two foundational beliefs: learning must be purposeful and have enduring impact, and leveraging student interest drives both engagement and success. Hillbrook, unlike any other school, not only calls on its students to make the world a better place, but also explicitly prioritizes the skills and habits that prepare them to do so, activating and empowering students to make immediate and lasting social impact during their JK-12 years while launching them into a lifetime of social impact work.

To Apply

Salaries are competitive. Benefits include: full medical, dental, and vision coverage; ample retirement planning with TIAA-CREF; a generous holiday schedule; religious/cultural holidays following each employee’s faith and background; access to the latest state-of-the-art educational technology; and a strong commitment to engaging and personalized professional development. Hillbrook School is an equal opportunity employer. Opportunities are open to all individuals without regard to race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, age, or handicap.

The salary range for the 5th Grade English & History Faculty role is $85,000.00 to $135,000.00 annually.

Please apply by submitting your resume/CV and letter of intent via this application form.

The School: Who Are We

For more than 85 years, Hillbrook School has been a junior kindergarten-8th grade independent school located on 14 acres of oak woodland in Los Gatos, CA. Founded in 1935, the school remains deeply connected to its historical roots as a place where children are known, learning is authentic and active, and success is measured one child at a time. Over the years, we have grown and evolved from a small boarding school serving wards of the state to one of the leading independent schools in the Bay Area, and yet our vision remains the same—to inspire children to achieve their dreams and reach beyond themselves to make a difference in the world.

We are now embarking on one of the school’s most ambitious strategic initiatives ever: the expansion to a JK-12 with the addition of a new high school in downtown San José. We are driven by a foundational belief - that our 8th graders and other students deserve an extraordinary educational experience in high school that builds upon the exceptional foundation we provide our JK-8 students. The core differentiators for our current program - the placement of choice and engagement at the center of the learning experience, integrated, real world education that challenges students to reach beyond and make a difference, and a deep commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion - will translate seamlessly into a 9-12 environment, allowing us to extend our innovative approach into a market in need of a new model of secondary school education.

Location

Hillbrook has two campuses located in Los Gatos and San Jose. These locations in the heart of Silicon Valley are 35 minutes south of Stanford University, 30 minutes north of Santa Cruz, and 1 hour south of San Francisco. The Bay Area is home to world-class universities, museums and restaurants, farmers markets and wineries, and outstanding outdoor opportunities for biking, hiking, surfing and more.