Prek (Bilingual, Spanish-Speaking) Paraprofessional, Bentley Academy Innovation School, Salem Public Schools, Salem, MA Sy2024-2025

PreK (Bilingual, Spanish-speaking) Paraprofessional, Bentley Academy Innovation School, Salem Public Schools, Salem, MA SY2024-2025

About Salem Public Schools, where belonging leads to opportunity.

Salem is a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history. Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district enrolling nearly 4,000 students across our 11 schools. Our vision is to ensure that all students will be locally engaged, globally connected, and fully prepared to thrive in a diverse and changing world. We hold dear our core values of belonging, equity, and opportunity in everything we do. Over the next three years (2023-2026), we are committed to the work outlined by the four core priorities in our strategic plan: 1) Elevate Learning; 2) Empower Educators; 3) Center Belonging; and 4) Strengthen Our Foundation. We seek individuals who are passionate about urban education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement for all students, regardless of ability, economic status, gender/gender identity, language, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, or other backgrounds. Applicants who have experience working in urban schools and settings and are bilingual are strongly encouraged to apply.

What You'll Do:

Bentley Academy Innovation School in partnership with the English Learner and Bilingual Department of Salem Public School launched a two-way immersion Spanish-English dual language program in the 2020-2021 school year. The two-way immersion program has grown by one grade level each year and features a 90-10 model in the pre-k and kindergarten years with 90% of instruction in Spanish. The goals of the program are for all students, regardless of language background, to become bilingual and biliterate in Spanish and English, to achieve academically in all subjects at high levels, and to exhibit the skills and disposition of sociocultural competence.

PreK paraprofessionals will assist PreK teachers and/or other certified personnel in providing an innovative, high-quality education program designed to meet the unique needs of PreK children in the Salem Public Schools. Paraprofessionals will work with school staff to create a welcoming educational environment. In addition to sound reasoning and good organizational skills, paraprofessionals are expected to contribute to positive school culture and climate. Paraprofessionals are district-wide employees and subject to the negotiated Paraprofessional Contract, as well as the rules and regulations of Salem Public Schools.

This position may include some personal care, lifting, academic support, behavioral interventions, and the use of technology. The right person for this position is dependable, organized, flexible, and eager to learn through hands-on experience, reading and workshop training.

Role Responsibilities:

The PreK Paraprofessionals will:

• Assist the teacher in implementing the daily objectives through assistance in small group and individualized instruction

• Assist the teacher in promoting a classroom environment that is conducive to learning and provides for the social and emotional growth of all students

• Other duties may be assigned

• Perform any other reasonable task assigned by the building principal or immediate supervisor.

• Reviews, corrects, and reinforces lessons with individual or small groups of students, reads stories aloud, assists with math concepts, scribes and brainstorms written work, and other curriculum-related activities.

• Prepares and inventories instructional materials, set-up/operate and maintain various learning aids, materials, and assistive technology

• Supports classroom and schoolwide multi-tiered systems of support for behavior, academics, and social emotional learning.

• Assists teacher in implementing accommodations and specialized strategies for instruction, skill reinforcement, and work production

• Escorts and assists students as needed throughout the building and on community-based experiences

• Follows direction of the supervisor and always ensures the safety of students

• Performs other related duties as requested by the Teacher, principal, or other school personnel

• Must be physically capable of and willing to engage in pre-kindergarten-appropriate activity such as sitting on the floor or in small chairs and engaging students in play

What You'll Bring:

We are looking for candidates who have diverse backgrounds and experiences, are inspired by our mission and are highly motivated to change children's lives through education. You'll be right at home here if you are a reflective practitioner who values collaboration with colleagues and pushes yourself, your work and the people around you to the next level. We expect our SPS employees to:

• Hold a deep commitment to students and families and value diversity

• The SPS community is vibrant, diverse in background, ethnicity, language, and perspective. You embrace and affirm the backgrounds of all members of the SPS community and view our diversity as a powerful resource that supports us each in learning and doing our best work.

• Hold high expectations for yourself, students, and colleagues

• You see potential in all, especially our SPS students, and maintain high expectations for achievement, while providing the support necessary to meet that bar. You hold yourself to high expectations, modeling SPS values and seeking opportunities to continuously improve.

• Build authentic, caring relationships with colleagues, students, and families

• You build strong relationships across students, families, and colleagues that are collaborative in nature and contribute to the individual and collective success of SPS. You partner with families and colleagues to make decisions in the best interest of students and learning.

• Embrace feedback

• You are a reflective practitioner who learns from mistakes and challenges and uses them as opportunities for professional development. You model persistence and growth mindset and thrive in a culture of feedback.

Paraprofessional Job Requirements:

• Written and oral Spanish proficiency required

• High School Diploma or GED

• Forty-eight (48) Credit Hours of College Coursework or an Associate's Degree, or a passing score on the ParaPro Assessment (http://www.ets.org/parapro/)

• Minimum of two years' experience working with school-aged children

• Possession of high energy and patience levels

• Demonstrates an understanding of young children's social emotional and learning needs and engages in schoolwide professional development to continue growing as an educator.

• Supports and collaborates with the general education PreK teachers on an ongoing basis.

• Bilingual candidates and candidates of color strongly encouraged to apply

• Current authorization to work in the United States

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Salem Public School District is committed to maintaining a work and learning environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, pregnancy, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital/civil union status, ancestry, place of birth, age, citizenship status, veteran status, political affiliation, genetic information or disability, as defined and required by state and federal laws. Additionally, we prohibit retaliation against individuals who oppose such discrimination and harassment or who participate in an equal opportunity investigation.