Join Us on an Exciting Journey at Peninsula School!
Are you ready to be a part of something truly extraordinary? Peninsula School is calling for
fearless, passionate educators to be the next generation of progressive education trailblazers.
Why Peninsula School?
Imagine a place where intellectual curiosity, social and emotional learning, and social justice
intertwine to create a dynamic learning environment. Peninsula's wooded, 6-acre campus is not
just a setting; it’s a place where children thrive and develop to their full promise as confident
contributors in the world, learn about themselves and others, discover their passions, and grow
in an inclusive community rich with choices, exploration, and play. In addition to intellectual
development and social and emotional learning (SEL), we educate for democracy, student
choice and voice, and social justice.
Your Role: Lower School Head Classroom Teacher (Grades TBD, K-2nd Grade Range)
As the Lower School Head Teacher, you'll play a pivotal role in nurturing students through a
journey of exploration, inquiry, and learning. Working closely with our dynamic lower school
team, you'll be a vital contributor to an environment where math, literacy, integrated social
studies, and social/emotional development are taught within a progressive framework.
Collaboration with specialist teachers across various disciplines—including Art, Woodshop,
Ceramics, Weaving, Music, Library, Spanish, Science, and Physical Education—creates an
unparalleled opportunity to cultivate rich, cross-disciplinary learning experiences for students.
This framework honors and celebrates play, prioritizes student choice and voice, and centers
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) practices. Lower School teachers work
collaboratively on a team with the support of the Associate Head of School (AHOS) and literacy
and math specialists. Teacher creativity is encouraged and celebrated as teachers address the
needs of their students, while remaining steadfast to the school's mission, values, and
progressive educational philosophy.
What Awaits You:
Competitive Compensation: Earn between $83,200 to $95,400, depending on your experience.
Benefits: Enjoy a comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, and retirement
savings and plans, because your well-being matters to us.
Inspiring Community: Immerse yourself in a supportive, inclusive community dedicated to
learning and engaged citizenship.
Room for Growth: Grow both personally and professionally in an environment that values
diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
Peninsula School | 920 Peninsula Way, Menlo Park, CA, 94025 | 650-325-1584 | www.peninsulaschool.org
Join Us in Shaping the Future!
Peninsula School actively promotes the principles and practices of diversity, equity, inclusion
and belonging throughout the school community. We are an equal-opportunity employer and
encourage people from under-represented groups to apply.
At Peninsula School, we believe in the power of every individual to make a difference. Whether
you're a seasoned educator or newer to the field, we welcome your application. Come join us in
shaping the future, one student at a time!
The start date for this position is 8/1/24. Please fill out an employment application and send it
with a cover letter and resumé, to HR@peninsulaschool.org
General Responsibilities
● Support and promote Peninsula School’s mission and values
● Provide a progressive program for children using instructional methods and materials
that are responsive and appropriate to the intellectual, social and emotional needs of
students and that fosters their positive learning and personal growth
● Maintain a cooperative classroom environment that encourages problem solving,
creativity, critical thinking, and intellectual curiosity
● Create and maintain a welcoming, safe, equitable and respectful learning environment
that honors and values a diversity of learning, cultural, ethnic, racial and sexual identities
and lived experiences of the student population
● Manage and monitor student learning, including ongoing assessment that informs
instruction
● Remain current on educational research, topics and progressive practices
● Participate in and contribute to the school’s process of continual reflection and evolution
of its program
● Collaborate and communicate constructively with other teaching staff, AHOS, Learning
Specialists, and all staff members
● Integrate anti-racist principles and practices into teaching and learning
Specific Duties and Responsibilities
● Teaching and Learning:
○ Recognize and address the unique needs and varied learning styles of all
children, ensuring each child’s progress in all areas
○ Develop and implement teaching units that explore and examine multiple
cultures, ethnicities, perspectives, lifestyles, lived experiences and identities
○ Deliver a math curriculum that is age-appropriate and that aligns with the scope
and sequence of the overall school program
○ Deliver an integrated social studies program, and collaborate with other
specialists to make connections to your program.
○ Monitor and document student learning
○ Build class community by fostering students’ social/emotional learning
Peninsula School | 920 Peninsula Way, Menlo Park, CA, 94025 | 650-325-1584 | www.peninsulaschool.org
○ Assess student learning and use data to inform instruction, differentiate practice,
and promote learning
● Additional activities:
○ Organize and lead school overnight(s) and/or camping trip(s) (not including
nursery through first grade classes)
● Communications with families:
○ Prior to the start of the school year, connect with families and students to
welcome them to the class and begin to get to know them (could include but is
not limited to a home visit, phone call, zoom meeting, feedback form, etc.)
○ Clearly articulate program and developmental goals to parents
○ Clearly communicate student learning to students and parents
○ Maintain open lines of communication with parents
○ Post class schedule for families within one week of the beginning of school
○ Communicate with families to share and preview classroom learning (newsletter,
email, blog) at least once per week
● Provide a model for positive leadership
● Reflect on Practice:
○ Examine and evaluate classroom program and teaching regularly and adjust as
needed
○ Define at least one professional development (PD) goal and complete a PD (in
addition to in-service learning) according to your goals and in agreement with a
supervisor
● Program articulation:
○ Share high level (month by month) curriculum goals and objectives for students
with AHOS/Programmatic Team by the first back to school staff day
● Collaboration:
○ Provide oversight and supervision to Assistant Teachers and Associate Teachers
under the direction of the AHOS to nurture and enrich children’s experiences.
This includes: supporting learning, goal setting, monitoring students, scheduling
planning/prep and support time, providing feedback
○ Support an open door policy for classrooms and meetings for teaching
colleagues and program administrators, appropriate to role
○ Participate in coaching conversations and peer-review on an as-needed basis
● Logistics:
○ Be in the classroom ready to welcome and greet children no later than 8:45am
○ Be available on Tuesdays from 3:15-5pm for meetings and meet with Lower
School Heads one day per week
○ Post a daily schedule for students
Other Responsibilities
● Meet with parents for conferences formally two times a year and provide additional
conferences and communication as required or requested
● Organize and facilitate group parent meetings at least twice a year
Peninsula School | 920 Peninsula Way, Menlo Park, CA, 94025 | 650-325-1584 | www.peninsulaschool.org
● Attend independent learning plan meetings (ILP)
● Attend admission events
● Attend all staff meetings/in-services and contribute positively within those meetings
● Participate in school committees as needed
Qualifications and Requirements
Bachelor’s degree required. 3-5 years of teaching experience preferred. A teaching credential,
advanced degree in education and/or specific training in K-2 is a plus.
Competencies
To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:
● Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging - A demonstrated commitment to diversity,
equity and inclusion and an ability to work with and support a diverse population of
students and families. An ability to remain sensitive to the experiences of students,
parents and faculty in all situations and integrate feedback into practice.
● Growth Mindset – Recognizes the importance of learning and adopting and modeling a
growth mindset. Stays abreast of best practices in schools and in supporting positive
child and youth development, enthusiastically seeks out professional growth
opportunities.
● Relational Skills – Ability to relate well to a wide range of people, including building
rapport with students, parents, faculty, staff, and administrators. Willingness to work to
understand the culture of the school. Knowledge of each child’s challenges and
strengths. Skill with conflict resolution, consensus building and decision-making.
● Emotional Intelligence, Regulation, and Maturity – Ability to interact with individuals
in heightened emotional states and navigate complex and emotionally challenging
situations involving children and adults. A high degree of emotional stability, ability to
separate one’s own emotions from a situation, and ability to maintain perspective in the
midst of emotional situations is essential. A willingness to center children.
● Communications Skills – Ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of
constituents. Maintains open communications channels with teaching staff, parents and
administrators. Able to present information formally and informally in an effective manner
both through oral presentations or conversation and through written means. Has a
strong understanding of the power of word choice and the need for a high level of tact
and professional, accurate communication.
● Time Management Skills – Ability to manage many tasks and projects simultaneously
and to prioritize them appropriately.
● Organizational Skills – Ability to balance many tasks and processes, including keeping
track of progress on longer term projects or goals, managing details accurately, and
following through in a timely fashion.
● Problem Solving Skills – Ability to consider a broad range of internal and external
Peninsula School | 920 Peninsula Way, Menlo Park, CA, 94025 | 650-325-1584 | www.peninsulaschool.org
factors when solving problems. Grasps complexities and perceives relationships among
different problems or issues. Uses various solution-focused problem-solving strategies
appropriate to the situation, including enlisting and seeking advice from others when
appropriate.
● Strategic Thinking Skills – Ability to work with others to gather, synthesize, and
analyze quantitative and qualitative information and to develop plans for meeting short
and long-range goals which support student learning and growth and advance the
broader strategic direction of the school.
● Child-Centered: ability to center children, the Mission Statement and the values of the
school.
Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an
employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable
accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential
functions.
The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities
required by this job include close vision, ability to adjust focus, and sound hearing. The ability to
speak clearly and coherently is required. While performing the duties of this job, the employee
is regularly required to sit; use hands, talk and hear. The employee is frequently required to
reach with hands and arms. On occasion, the employee is required to stand, walk, stoop, kneel,
or crouch. Employee is required to operate a computer and office productivity machinery,
communicate across a variety of media, and work in close proximity to others. The role may
also require the employee to work in inclement weather during special activities and work at a
desk for extended periods of time.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to listen, physically
direct, and speak. The employee is required to sit (sometimes for extended periods); stand;
walk on a variety of surfaces; climb stairs, bend and squat when communicating with younger
students; use hands to finger, handle, or feel and reach with hands and arms. Specific vision
abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision and ability to adjust focus. The
noise and activity level in the work environment is variable, with times of quiet and times of high
stimulation and activity.
Peninsula School | 920 Peninsula Way, Menlo Park, CA, 94025 | 650-325-1584 | www.peninsulaschool.org