Upper School Humanities Teacher

Position

Upper School Humanities Teacher , FT

About Cascades Academy

Cascades Academy is an independent PK-12 day school with ~250 students located in Bend, Oregon. The school was founded in 2003 and resides on a 45-acre campus on the Deschutes River. The school’s mission weaves challenging academics with experiential learning within an engaged, vibrant community.

Cascades Academy values employees who are committed to our mission, prepared to engage fully in a learning community, and excited to bring their authentic selves to work. Our culture is highly collaborative and puts what is best for students at the center of the work. We are regularly named one of the Best Nonprofits to Work for in Oregon, and our faculty and staff see each other as teammates.

Cascades Academy strives to cultivate and maintain a supportive, inclusive community for all employees and actively promotes a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism.

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every qualification. We are eager to consider applications from groups traditionally underrepresented in independent school communities.

The Upper School

The Cascades Academy Upper School is led by dedicated educators supporting a different kind of high school experience. As a member of the Mastery Transcript Consortium, the class of 2027 will be the first to graduate with a personal portfolio instead of a standard GPA. The US faculty culture emphasizes humility, agility, innovation, and humor as each individual wears multiple hats in a given week.

Position Summary

Cascades Academy seeks an experienced Upper School Humanities Teacher who would work closely with the upper school team to deliver on our commitments to challenging academics and experiential education.

Essential Duties

• Curriculum and Instruction
  • Teach 4 sections of upper school humanities (integrated social studies and ELA). This includes one double block to 9th graders and 4 semester-long seminars to 11th and 12th graders including one section of the senior thesis.
  • Serve as one of two core humanities teachers for the Upper School and work closely with the rest of the upper school team.
  • Differentiate instruction and assignments to meet the needs of each learner while maintaining high standards for all students.
  • Provide timely feedback and mastery-based grades to students via school LMS and update grades on a weekly basis.
  • Communicate with families on a regular basis regarding student performance.
  • Write narrative reports for students at the end of each semester that thoughtfully capture their successes and areas for growth.
  • Teach one semester-long Elective course which meets 3 days/week.
  • Co-lead weekly fall and spring Expedition field courses and the Winter Sports Program.
  • Co-lead three overnight programs each academic year:
    Confluence (3 days), Fall Traveling School (5 days) and Spring Traveling School (10 days).
  • Lead a club and/or elective that aligns with student interest.
• Leadership and Mentorship
  • Serve in the role of upper school Advisor; meet with advisees weekly and lead social-emotional learning and social responsibility lessons.
  • Be available to advisees and advisees’ families as needed to communicate and support each student’s academic and social-emotional progress.
  • Lead conferences with students and families twice annually.
  • Uphold and enforce all school and US-specific policies, procedures, and practices.
• Institutional
  • Participate in all professional development days before, during, and after the school year.
  • Pursue and execute additional professional development throughout the school year via conferences, school visits, books, webinars, etc.
  • Attend weekly faculty and division meetings.
  • Attend school events and functions outside the normal school day, including fundraisers, presentations, board meetings, etc. (as indicated by the Head of School or Upper School Head).
  • Assist in the fulfillment of Accreditation work (as per NWAIS Accreditation Report).
  • Other duties as assigned by the Upper School Head or Head of School.

Position Details

Note:

The original description included a table for position details; this…