The Frances Xavier Warde
School is a Catholic elementary school in downtown Chicago that provides an
excellent academic, values-oriented education to students of all ethnic,
religious, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds in a child-centered urban
environment. As a keystone of its diverse community, The Frances Xavier Warde
School provides need-based scholarships to thirty percent of its students. The
Frances Xavier Warde School partners with its families, nurtures faith
development for its Catholic students, and engages all its students to learn
about and respect other faith traditions. The Frances Xavier Warde School uses
a rigorous curriculum that enables students to grow, clarify their values, and
develop decision-making skills and a sense of responsibility for themselves and
the world they will inherit.
Program Description
The Frances Xavier Warde
School, provides students with a rigorous curriculum. We especially work to
build a strong literacy foundation. The Resource Teacher is integral to
providing support to not only students but to classroom teachers.
Primary Function
The Resource Teacher is responsible for educating children
who have received educational testing indicating the need for individual or
small group instruction. Students may
need support in specific subject areas, or in executive functioning skills. The teacher must respond to the needs of each
individual child by implementing lessons according to the skills the children
need. The Resource Teacher fosters and maintains relationships with the classroom
teachers. This individual may also plan
lessons for small group instruction in reading, math or guided study, depending
on his or her teaching schedule.
Key
Relationships
The Resource Teacher reports to the principal and is
supervised by the principal. Other key relationships he/she is responsible in
cultivating are with the Head of School, other administrators, the grade level
teacher teams.
Qualifications and Requirements
A candidate should hold:
• A Bachelors or Masters Degree
in Elementary Education or Special Education
• A valid, issued State of
Illinois teaching certificate Type 03, 04, or 09
• A Masters Degree in Reading
or Literacy (with a Type 10 certificate) or Multi-sensory Certification (i.e. SLANT, Wilson, Orton-Gillingham) is preferred.
A candidate will need upon
hiring:
• A
TB test
• Comply with Archdiocese of
Chicago required Protecting God’s Children Requirements (Background Screening,
Fingerprinting, VIRTUS Training, CANTS, Code of Conduct, Mandated Reporter
Training)
A candidate must demonstrate:
• The ability to establish
collaborative relationships with teaching staff
• Familiarity with ISACS
criteria and standards of excellence
What Makes a FXW Teacher
Competent and Effective
Educators are hired with the
expectation that they possess the necessary knowledge, teaching skills,
character, and commitment to be productive members of the FXW community. The
following is a list of descriptors:
·
Adheres to the
unique Catholic mission and interfaith values of FXW School
o
Articulates a
working knowledge of FXW’s value-centered mission and academically rigorous
curriculum
o
Participates in
spiritual development activities of the school community, including support for
student community service projects and initiatives
o
Models the
importance of daily prayer and worship through active participation for
students
o
Demonstrates a
willingness to plan, encourage and participate in community building activities
(religious, social and educational)
• Utilizes effective
instructional strategies with students
o
Demonstrates
comprehensive knowledge of subject matter
o
Understands
interrelationships of content areas
o
Regularly
utilizes formative and summative assessment to guide instruction
o
Employs
technology effectively to enhance teaching
o
Presents lessons
and instructions in multi-modalities to address students’ various learning
styles and abilities
o
Encourages
students to become aware of social issues and current events appropriate to
their level of understanding
• Manages the classroom in a
positive manner, respecting the dignity of all
o Respects the
right of students as individuals
o
Utilizes positive
reinforcement strategies
o
Mentors students
effectively and professionally
• Completes annual goals and
seeks professional development opportunities
o
Demonstrates a
sense of professional responsibility by keeping current with recent practice
and research in education
o
Collaborates and
works with administration to further yearly goals
• Maintains a positive rapport
with all members of the FXW community
o
Accepts feedback
and works to show improvement
o
Respects the
integrity of fellow staff, students and parents by being discreet and tactful
when discussing student and school related issues
o
Demonstrates
flexibility and models collegiality
• Fulfills routine duties and
expectations in a dependable manner
o
Demonstrates
evidence of prior planning and preparation
o
Creates lesson
plans with clear student-centered objectives, incorporating the principles of
backwards design, as well as the use of formative and summative assessment
o
Uses
instructional time efficiently
o
Evaluates student
progress effectively
o
Utilizes correct
and appropriate written and oral communication in conversations, reports and meetings
o
Is punctual and
effective in supervisory duties such as morning drop off, lunch supervision,
etc.
o
Is punctual in
role as teacher (8:00 AM arrival/4:00 PM dismissal)
o
Willingly uses
and integrates technology into the classroom
o
Attends
parent/teacher conferences as requested by classroom teachers or on a need
basis as well as communicates with parents of third grade students and those
seen individually and in small groups regularly
o
Completes TEAM
forms and brings student concerns to TEAM meetings as needed
o
Works under
stressful conditions
o
Contributes
updates about student learning for classroom webpage(s)
o
Supports
curricular initiatives
o
Implements
Discipline Plan
o
Is punctual for,
creates agenda, and leads weekly literacy teacher meetings
o
Meets weekly with
respective classroom teachers about student concerns, successes, and progress
o
Assesses students
using benchmark tools each assessment period (i.e. Fountas and Pinnell
Benchmark Assessment System, DIBELS)
o
Orders materials yearly
to help support the reading program
o
Contributes to
literacy portion of grade level narrative (specifically completing applicable reading
skills )
