Academic Vice Principal/British Columbia Elementary Program Head for G4-G6

Purpose:
The BC Program Head position is of an academic vice principal level. The BC Program Head supports the school Principal in the Principal’s instructional leadership role aiming to deliver a rigorous educational program for HUBS’ predominantly ELL population. At HUBS, we aim to have students engaged in meaningful and strategically focused learning using formative assessment to inform instruction, summative assessment to measure the actual level of student achievement and by supporting students to meet the specific learning goals stipulated based on the school mission and BC Ministry of Education standards.

Detailed Duties:
The BC Program Head assumes the following responsibilities:

Planning for Instruction and Assessment

• Leading/contributing to the discussions within teacher and admin teams for the purpose of developing policies for instruction, assessment, reporting, homework, student co-curricular and extra-curricular activities and student support with consideration for the needs of the student body who is predominantly Qatari and is ELL
• Selecting instructional programs and frameworks to bring the structure and consistency required for effective delivery of the BC curriculum while taking into consideration the fluid nature of staffing in International schools. The BC Program Head is to support planning instruction using those programs developed over the nine years of HUBS School
• Identifying instructional strategies that will support teacher instruction, in addition to the mandated strategies
• Selecting learning resources required for the BC curriculum including books for sale to students, classroom and library resources, manipulatives and IT resources
• Preparing or leading the preparation of materials such as professional teacher resources (planning templates, sample plans and self-contained activities) and student resources (reference materials, map of curriculum to textbooks and homework)
• Leading the development of class lists with student grouping that minimizes the heterogeneity of reading levels within one class
• Leading and supporting teachers as they develop the following:
  • Year plans/course overviews, unit plans, weekly newsletters and daily lesson plans using the school-mandated templates and ensuring differentiation, technology integration, ESL emphasis and implementation of hands-on and inquiry-based approaches required for the redesigned BC curriculum
  • Homework assignments
  • Formative and summative assessment
  • Plans for student co-curricular and extracurricular activities that support learning and diversify opportunities to maximize student achievement

Monitoring Instruction, Assessment and Student Achievement

• Making regular classroom visits as per the school policy to monitor the consistent use of required daily plans; adherence to the yearly plans/course overview; use of instructional strategies, resources and assessment as per policies and plans; student-engagement and positive classroom environment
• Reviewing exam papers before administration
• Collecting and reviewing samples of items such as instructional plans, student classwork, homework, completed assessment and, wherever applicable, assess students to spot-check teacher assessment
• Supervising exam invigilation
• Monitoring the use of formative and summative assessment and adherence to the assessment policy through periodical checking of Gradebook
• Reviewing and signing student progress reports (Report Cards)
• Monitoring materials published on the Student Information System (Plus Portal), to communicate with students and their families
• Reviewing and analyzing student assessment data to identify trends and anomalies and prepare for discussion with the school Principal, school Head Office and teachers to identify actions to be taken to improve student achievement

Managing Behavior and Discipline

• Contributing to developing schoolwide policies and procedures for behavior management and student discipline
• Contributing to developing classroom routines and expectations common/calibrated across grades to bring consistency in managing behavior and support to new teachers as they address this challenging aspect of teaching at HUBS
• Monitoring the implementation of school policies, procedures, programs, and classroom routines during classroom visitations and while on duty during recess. Coordinating with the school counselors and reflection areas assistants to make sure teachers are following the discipline process as they refer students to the counselors/reflection rooms. Supporting teachers in communicating with parents, arrange meetings related to negative behavior and follow up on behavior plans set for students who are not meeting school behavior expectations

Identifying and Supporting At Risk Students

• Contributing to the development of a process to identify students who are at risk of failing and possibly leaving HUBS due to academic performance or poor behavior
• Working with teachers and counselors to see that the process is implemented in a timely manner to ensure at risk students are identified as early as possible, parents are engaged in the process, support and behavior plans are developed, the performance of students is monitored and, cases of possible retention or denial of re-registration, are identified

Coaching Teachers

• Leading weekly meetings for grade-level team collaboration that are meant to create opportunities for teachers and the BC Head to share ideas and experiences to develop common/consistent instructional plans and assessment practices; to help solve problems related to teaching and managing behavior and to have issue and ideas discussed and implemented as needed
• Working with teachers either during class visitations or through one-to-one meetings to support them with their planning, assessment and managing behavior
• Modeling best teaching practices and the use of school mandated resources, instructional programs, frameworks, strategies and assessment
• Contributing to healthy teacher morale by helping teachers positively view the challenges of the profession while working in an international setting with a different culture by providing them with guidance and support and constructively and proactively communicating teacher concerns to the school Principal and the school Administration Council to help address these concerns

Engaging Parents

• Coach and monitor teachers to ensure that they are following the best practice of engaging parents and in supporting any policies/procedure/systems the school is implementing in this regard
• Meet with parents to discuss their concerns, educate them about the school programs and policies and constructively address their issues or ideas
• Plan and deliver/ensure the delivery of meaningful activities that will integrate parents in the school life such as
  • Student performances that will showcase student learning
  • Subject projects such as Science, Social Studies and Arts
  • Presentations on the BC programs
  • Workshops on teaching methods used at HUBS in areas such as literacy, numeracy and character development, so that parents may be able to support the work of the school at home.

Entry Assessment

• Review and, if needed, update entry assessment for grades the BC Head is assigned to lead
• Review entry assessments administered by teachers and make the final recommendation to the school Principal

Professional Development

• Contributing to the annual plans for professional development and in service including the two-week orientation prior to the start of the school year
• Identifying sources and receiving suggestions from teachers for professional development and working with the school admin team to screen these opportunities and arrive at decisions
• Planning and offering professional development in areas of expertise

General School Leadership Duties

• Working with members of the school administration team and teachers to plan and offer student activities such as showcases, intra and inter school competitions, science and art fairs and projects to expand learning opportunities for students beyond the classroom in order to develop school pride, enhance the positive climate, and meaningfully engage parents
• Participating in supervision of recess to monitor and support teaching staff and assistants
• Contributing to school improvement through policy/procedure development, the analysis of data from a variety of sources, the development of growth plans and participation in school accreditation
• Playing a key role in the implementation of staff discipline policy and procedure by alerting the school Principal to staff members who may be struggling to meet their professional responsibilities; working with staff under discipline to help them improve and alerting the Principal if support attempts are not resulting in the required change
• Contributing to effective school operation, positive school climate and improving staff/student retention by engaging in a transparent and constructive dialogue with other members of the school administration team, the Principal and school Head Office executives to identify problems both at the grades the BC Head is leading as well as across the whole school, and to consider and support an agreed-upon course of action