Assistant Head of School

Company: Sonoma Academy
Location: Santa Rosa
Posted on: January 10, 2022

Job Description:

Administration - Santa Rosa, CA - Full Time Job Description About Us: The Position and Opportunity Sonoma Academy seeks an Assistant Head of School to begin July 1, 2022. The Assistant Head of School serves as the chief academic administrator at Sonoma Academy, overseeing academic and programmatic articulation between, and consistency and collaboration across, all aspects of our entire program and student learning experience. This critical leadership role, reporting to the Head of School and serving as a member of the Administrative Leadership Team, is an opportunity to significantly advance Sonoma Academy at an exciting moment in our school's history. - The successful candidate will be a seasoned school leader with strong experience as an academic mentor and collaborator with teachers as well as someone who builds natural and authentic connections with students. They will enter Sonoma Academy at a key moment of development as we begin construction on a new performing arts center (with an expected completion by the start of the 2023-2024 school year), and as we also enter an exciting phase of our strategic planning process. - Sonoma Academy has an exceptional faculty and staff, and the Assistant Head of School is the point person for faculty hiring, onboarding, and retention school-wide, ensuring alignment with our school's mission and values. They are also an integral part of our school leadership team, and they serve as an important thought partner for the Head of School as well as other members of our leadership team. - Our Mission Sonoma Academy calls its students to be creative, ethical, and committed to learning. The school nurtures inspiring teachers and engages with the surrounding community, and its students communicate across cultures as they prepare to become leaders in a dynamic world. Sonoma Academy is a dynamic and forward-thinking independent high school serving students from Sonoma, Napa, Marin, and Lake Counties. We are located on a beautiful 34-acre campus at the foot of Taylor Mountain in southeastern Santa Rosa, approximately one hour north of San Francisco. - We are multidisciplinary and innovative, giving students the ability to ask the hard questions, and the tools to answer them. We are technologically sophisticated, but we recognize the limitations of technology. We teach critical thinking, cultural competency, and empathy because this is the foundation of true learning. We love play and humor and art, because we know that they make us human. We also know that a deep grasp of concepts is what helps us to navigate an ever-changing world. We are deeply humanistic, treating every student with profound respect and care. We provide students with the intellectual, social, and ethical foundations necessary to thrive in our changing times, no matter their individual path. Sonoma Academy's Commitment to Diversity We believe that learning occurs best in a connected community, and that equity and inclusion are essential to an education in which all members of our community thrive. We are committed to cultivating a diverse community that is conscious and welcoming of difference, dedicated to investigating and advancing equity, and engages with our local and global community. - Our commitment to socioeconomic diversity ensures that approximately 50% of our student body receives financial aid. We also have an extraordinary Davis Scholars program that supports all-inclusive scholarships for 4-6 Latinx first-generation students each year. Of our 330 students, 30% self-identify as students of color. Our students come from 80+ middle schools, ensuring a broad mixture of students from throughout the greater North Bay Area and surrounding areas. - We are deeply committed to having a staffulty and student body that reflects the rich diversity within the North Bay. We strongly encourage BIPOC educators and/or candidates from other communities that are historically underrepresented in independent schools to apply. Responsibilities: Collaborate with the Head of School and other school leaders to develop broad-based strategic planning and vision for our overall program Lead our Academic Council and collaborate with our Dean of Curriculum, Department Chairs, and our entire faculty to create, evaluate, and thoughtfully implement curriculum and pedagogy Oversee supervision and mentoring of Department Chairs and Faculty; experience with Folio as a professional growth tool is a plus Provide mission-aligned leadership and focus, and have a proven track record of taking initiative that has led to successful outcomes Demonstrate cultural competence, a growth mindset, and a deep and unflinching commitment to equity and inclusion - Be experienced with student life and programs that directly support students outside of the classroom; participate in Student Support Team meetings Have a strong academic background and a deep understanding of school life Lead and provide ongoing management for the Teaching Schedule and our Academic Calendar Be an authentic communicator, a strong writer, and a confident public speaker Be an empathetic listener and someone who inspires collaboration in their work and planning process Possess the entrepreneurial ability to identify needs, take initiative, be well-organized, and engage broad constituencies in strategic change Have a sense of humor (we like to have fun at SA); as well as humility, diplomacy, and resiliency Be prepared to teach a core class, exploratory, intersession, and/or impact course related to your specific area(s) of study and expertise Be excited to serve as an adviser to a group of roughly 8-12 students Requirements: Bachelor's degree required, advanced degree(s) strongly preferred A strong teaching background and understanding of the secondary education setting, preferably in an independent school Proven administrative and leadership abilities Experience with school-wide leadership and faculty professional growth A cover letter expressing particular interest in this position at Sonoma Academy - A current resume - A one-page writing sample that can be an educational philosophy statement, an article, a blog post, or any other written piece that captures their voice as an educator A list of five professional references with name, relationship, phone number, and email address (references will not be contacted without the applicant's permission)

Keywords: Sonoma Academy, Santa Rosa , Assistant Head of School, Other , Santa Rosa, California