Elementary Music Teacher

Why Our School is Special

BelovED Community Charter School is a highly successful charter school that truly supports its teachers. We serve a student mix that is among the most diverse in America while enjoying the cultural vibrance of Jersey City, Hoboken and New York City. We have achieved academic success without burning out our teachers by meshing an effective education program with effective teacher supports and professional development. We truly value our faculty and work hard to control other costs so we can focus our resources on supporting them. In fact, throughout our history, we have annually increased faculty salaries by more than at other public schools and now, among those with similar experience, OUR FACULTY MEMBERS ARE AMONG THE HIGHEST PAID IN NEW JERSEY. New Jersey charter schools ARE public schools. Our teachers are part of the Teachers' Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF), just like teachers at other public schools, and teachers are able to transfer their pension credits from a traditional public school to a charter school and vice versa.

Teacher Responsibilities

• Values, Expectations, and Commitment: Commit to the school's values and mission. Hold high expectations for each student and commit to helping every student achieve their full potential.
• Student Learning: Take ownership for students' achievements and learning progress that meets or exceeds the school's high standards. Actively develop solutions to problems, reaching out for peer and leader support, and take advantage of all school provided resources.
• Teaching and Assessment: Plan and deliver vibrant and engaging lessons—each with a measurable goal—within the framework of the school's carefully sequenced, standards-aligned education program. Teachers are provided with curricular materials and also have flexibility in designing their own. Administer school-provided formative assessments on a regular basis so instruction can be targeted to students' needs.
• Culture and Classroom Management: Communicate and model behaviors which befit the high expectations culture and the caring school climate. Apply school and classroom rules consistently and effectively; make use of preventive discipline; and effectively supervise students both in the classroom and elsewhere on school grounds.
• Teamwork, Professional Relations, and Professional Development: See themselves as members of a team and commit to their own and their peers' ongoing professional development. Attend professional development sessions, participate actively in planning meetings, and become part of a professional learning community where they can lend assistance to, and gain assistance from, their grade-level peers.
• Special Needs Students and English Language Learners: Work collaboratively with the school's special education and ELL staff to implement the school's special education and ELL programs and to comply with all state and federal regulations.

General Music

• Plan and deliver engaging, age-appropriate music lessons for grades K-3, incorporating singing, movement, instruments, and creative expression
• Introduce basic music theory, notation, rhythm, and performance skills
• Develop original lesson plans or modify existing resources to best support student learning
• Align lessons with New Jersey standards for music education
• Foster an inclusive and supportive environment for learning that encourages joy in music-making
• Communicate with families about classroom activities, student progress, and any concerns

Fifth Grade Choir

• Lead daily rehearsals for fifth grade choir, focusing on vocal health, technique, and ensemble singing skills
• Select age-appropriate repertoire for an end-of-year choral performance
• During the first few weeks of school, co-teach fifth grade general music with the Electives Department Chair; after the transitional period, students will rotate weekly between general music and choir in smaller cohorts

Band Support

• Assist with select full-band rehearsals or sectionals (co-teaching alongside the Electives Department Chair) as needed to support ensemble growth
• Responsibilities will be collaborative with a focus on support, with no independent instruction required

Collaboration

• Work with the Electives Department Chair to plan for continuity and progression from K-3 to 4-5 in the music curriculum
• Take initiative to integrate interdisciplinary concepts into music curriculum, including school wide initiatives focusing on DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion)
• Participate in coaching meetings, department meetings, and staff meetings to contribute to the success of the music program

Teacher Supports

Teachers are part of a school-wide team that includes many different professionals and they receive career-long coaching and professional development support from our diverse Leadership Team. Teachers work closely with their grade level peers, with whom they engage within professional learning communities (PLCs) assisting one another to solve problems and plan lessons collaboratively.

Additional teacher supports include:

• Abundant planning periods and a designated lunch break that provides teachers an opportunity to prepare up-coming lessons during the school day
• A research-based curriculum and supporting curricular materials (you will have the freedom to develop your own, but after a full day in the classroom, you may appreciate not always having to develop learning objectives and curricular resources from scratch)
• High-quality formative assessments, aligned with our curriculum, that will help you immediately identify when students in your class have not achieved mastery of a skill, concept, or knowledge item
• Full-time reading and math specialists or intervention teachers who will be available to tutor students who are struggling to master an essential skill, and social workers AND counselors who will be available to help students struggling with outside problems
• The staffing of our afterschool program by Academic Tutors, so we can limit the length of our teachers' work-days

Requirements

• Candidates MUST either hold a New Jersey Department of Education CE, CEAS, Limited CE or Standard Certificate

Pay

Base Salary SY25/26: $67,000-$77,000. Competitive raises year to year, with many stipend opportunities.

Benefits

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Training & Development
• Participation in the New Jersey Teachers' Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF) with ability to transfer pension credits from a traditional public school and vice versa