Health and Wellness Teacher, K-5, Peabody and Graham & Parks Schools

Position: Elementary Health & Wellness Teacher Peabody and Graham & Parks Schools

Health & Physical Education Department

Health Physical Education and Wellness Department Overview:

Cambridge Public Schools Health Physical Education and Wellness Department is dedicated to creating supportive learning spaces where all students are known celebrated empowered and thrive. Students will receive relevant learning opportunities that develop the skills knowledge and attitudes necessary to be healthy and physically active. These experiences will support students to be engaged in exploring creating and advocating for meaningful changes at the individual and societal level. We also recognize that certain groups have been historically marginalized resulting in significant health and educational disparities. In working to uphold the districts overarching mission we are committed to:

• Anti-racism social justice and racial equity by working with community partners to address the needs of youth families and educators of color
• Promoting inclusiveness valuing diversity and creating a culturally responsive curriculum within our department

Upon completion of our program students will develop competence in a variety of skills which include motor skill development self-efficacy advocacy and empowerment to take control of their health and engage in lifelong efforts to maintain and enhance their individual and community health and wellness.

Peabody School Community:

The Peabody School is an inclusive community connected by a passion for the pursuit of academic excellence and a commitment to the arts. Community is an important value at the Peabody School. In addition to daily morning meeting our monthly All School Share provides a vehicle for each grade level to come together and share whats happening in each classroom. Our weekly newsletter The Peabody Planet is an important communication point for our families. We are especially proud of our music programs at Peabody. Our school was the first in CPS to implement a Kodaly music program and we embrace the Kodaly philosophy that Music is for everyone. In addition to extra music classes during the week students who especially love music are also welcome to join our before-school music group The Early Bird Singers. Our annual cultural night which takes place in October celebrates the diversity of our community and our 4th and 5th grade Spanish offerings support our students in exploring additional languages. Peabody has been recognized by Boston Magazine on their list of the 100 best public elementary schools in Eastern Massachusetts. Learning continues beyond the school day through extracurricular opportunities such as BOKS - Build Our Kids Success Enviro-Ed Math Olympiad curriculum-linked learning clubs and Big Brothers/Big Sisters. Peabody families are vital to our school community. Our active Friends of Peabody organization sponsors enrichment events such as author visits anti-bullying presentations and educational trips.

Graham and Parks School Community:

Graham and Parks serves a diverse population of students and families that come from over 30 different countries and speak over 30 languages bringing a rich cultural diversity to our school. Our school is named after Saundra Graham a long time community activist and public servant in Cambridge and Rosa Parks. The mission of the Graham and Parks School is to educate the whole child: to help every child in our school fully develop his or her unique intellectual social and emotional capabilities. Believing that all children can meet high standards and become lifelong learners we foster a child-centered learning environment in which children build upon their individual strengths while they are challenged to expand their skills and strive for new goals. Because curiosity and focused inquiry drive genuine learning we strive for a classroom experience that engages children as active learners who take full ownership of their education.

The Role:

The Health Physical Education and Wellness (H/PE) department seeks an Elementary Health and Wellness Teacher to join our team. Reporting to the Coordinator of Health/Physical Education and the Health/Social Emotional Learning Education Program Leader the teacher will teach health education according to the National Health Education Standards Social Justice Standards and CASEL frameworks. The Elementary Health and Wellness teacher will provide direct classroom instruction in grades 2 3 and 5 as well as partner with school based social emotional teams to support SEL initiatives. Elementary Health and Wellness teachers participate in ongoing collaborative work groups that support development of instructional practices content knowledge and strategizing with the goal of addressing health disparities and deepening SEL initiatives at the schools and within the CPS community. Perform all other duties as assigned.

Your Skill Set:

As the incoming Health & Wellness Teacheryou will possess many though perhaps not all of the following characteristics and qualifications:

• Bachelors degree required; Masters degree preferred.
• A love for children and desire to work with elementary aged students.
• Experience and/or education in: elementary health education elementary education and/or social/emotional learning
• Successful teaching experience in a diverse urban setting is preferred.
• Massachusetts Certification in K-12 Health/Family Consumer Science is required.
• Experience leading instruction in multicultural and urban community settings.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills alongside the ability to establish and maintain effective and collaborative working relationships with diverse staff caregivers and community partners.

How to Join Our Team:

Please upload a resume and thoughtful cover letter outlining how your skills experience and commitment to equity in education meet the qualifications of the position and stating how you heard about this opportunity.

At the Cambridge Public Schools we are committed to cultivating an environment where diverse perspectives and backgrounds are embraced acknowledging that a team reflecting diversity of race color ancestry national origin religion age gender marital/domestic partner status sexual orientation gender identity disability status and veteran status allows us to serve our communities better. To that end we welcome and encourage applicants to bring their authentic selves when considering employment opportunities within our school district.