After School Program Lead Teacher for holistic, art-infused, and nature-based Charter School

Shade Canyon School is seeking a visionary Bridge Program Lead Teacher to lead, design, and manage the after-school and non-school day programming for our Expanded Learning Opportunities Program(ELO-P). This individual will serve as the primary leader for after-school and non-school day programming, ensuring that all students—particularly unduplicated pupils—have access to high-quality academic support and life-enriching activities. The Bridge Program Lead Teacher reports to the Bridge Program Director and oversees Bridge Program Assistants and volunteers.

Who We Are:Shade Canyon School is a new public charter school using the principles of Public Waldorf education and located in beautiful Kelseyville, California. The school opened in September 2023 on a leased site. We now have 85 students, grades TK-4th. Our enrollment for the 2026-27 school year is expected to be 105 students in grades TK-5.

Shade Canyon's vision is: “We believe that by honoring simplicity, we nurture the spark of the individual and nourish a thriving community.” Our mission is to “cultivate inspired learners.”

You can learn more about our school at .

Summary of Position:

The Bridge Program Lead Teacher serves as the instructional leader of Shade Canyon School’s Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P). This role centers on the intentional implementation of a primarily outdoor, multi-age program designed to feel like a “home away from home,” where students experience belonging, rhythm, responsibility, and meaningful contribution.

Grounded in Public Waldorf principles and Waldorf Lifeways, the Lead Teacher is more than an outdoor educator—they are an earth-walker and circle-holder who lives in a conscious relationship with the natural world. This educator understands the land as teacher and classroom, moving through the seasons with reverence and practicality. They model stewardship, resilience, and presence, guiding students to know the feel of soil in their hands, the rhythm of daylight shifting, and the responsibility of caring for shared spaces.

Through hands-on, land-based learning and practical life experiences, the Lead Teacher weaves outdoor skills, seasonal activities, creative expression, and structured academic support into a cohesive and developmentally attuned program. Learning unfolds through tending gardens, preparing simple foods, building shelters, observing wildlife, crafting with natural materials, and holding daily and seasonal circles that cultivate gratitude, reflection, and community accountability.

Working in collaboration with Bridge Program Assistants, the Lead Teacher maintains steady rhythms, clear expectations, and full adherence to school policies and ELO-P requirements. With warmth and grounded authority, they steward both the physical environment and the social-emotional climate, ensuring the program remains a place where children feel rooted, capable, and deeply connected—to themselves, to one another, and to the earth.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Design, implement and lead a rhythmic, primarily outdoor program grounded in the Bridge Program guidelines and the principle of creating a “home away from home.”

• Foster a warm, structured environment where students feel safe, known, and valued.

• Guide hands-on, land-based learning experiences such as shelter building, weaving,knot-tying, safe tool use, gardening, environmental stewardship, seasonal crafts, storytelling, and cooperative games.

• Support students in developing independence, practical life skills, resilience, and respect for one another and the natural environment.

Academic Support

• Implement structured tutoring and homework support aligned with school-day literacy and math instruction.

• Encourage responsibility, focus, and pride in work while maintaining a balanced and nurturing after-school atmosphere.

Community & Collaboration

• Work collaboratively with Bridge Program Assistants to maintain consistent routines, shared expectations, and a cohesive program culture.

• Model care for materials, shared spaces, and the outdoor environment.

• Support multi-age relationships that build mentorship, cooperation, and community.

Program Guidelines & Compliance

• Implement and uphold all ELO-P requirements, including Education Code Section 46120 and required staff-to-student ratios (1:10 TK/K; 1:20 1st–5th).

• Maintain accurate attendance and required documentation in accordance with audit standards.

• Follow school policies, safety procedures, and mandated reporting responsibilities.

Safety & Supervision

• Provide active supervision in a primarily outdoor setting.

• Maintain clear behavioral expectations and intervene appropriately to ensure physical and emotional safety.

Qualifications:

Strong enthusiasm for working with multi-age student groups in both outdoor and indoor settings, with a demonstrated personal commitment to living in rhythm with the seasons and engaging daily with the natural world.

Experience leading hands-on, experiential learning rooted in real-life practice — including outdoor skills (such as shelter building, safe tool use, knot-tying, gardening, and environmental stewardship) and practical home-life tasks (such as preparing food, tending shared spaces, repairing materials, and cultivating order and beauty). The ideal candidate not only teaches these skills but practices them in their own life.

Ability to cultivate a genuine “home away from home” environment that reflects lived values of warmth, simplicity, shared responsibility, and interdependence — balancing structure and rhythm with freedom and student agency.

Familiarity with or openness to Public Waldorf-inspired whole-child education, along with a personal alignment with principles of reverence for childhood, stewardship of the earth, and intentional community life.

Ability to create and maintain consistent rhythms, clear expectations, and emotionally and physically safe learning environments grounded in calm, grounded adult presence.

Strong collaboration skills and the capacity to build authentic, trust-based relationships with students, staff, and families — modeling integrity, humility, and accountability.

Creativity, flexibility, and a hands-on approach to program implementation, guided by a spirit of resourcefulness and stewardship rather than convenience.

Previous lead teaching or outdoor education experience strongly preferred, especially experience that reflects a lived connection to land-based learning, craft, and practical life skills.

Education and Experience:

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Must meet Paraprofessional requirements (completion of 48 college units, an Associate’s Degree, or passing a local assessment test).
• Experience working with elementary-aged children in an educational or recreational setting highly desired.
• First Aid and CPR Certification (need to obtain within 30 days of hire).
• Local to Lake County preferred
• Fluency in Spanish preferred

Other Requirements

• Letter of Introduction and Resume
• Three (3) Letters of Recommendation (written within the past 12 months)
• Reference Check
• Complete Employment History Disclosure (AB 2534 & SB 848): Applicants must provide a complete list of every previous school employer (public or private).
• Authorization for Release of Records: Consent to a background inquiry regarding "egregious misconduct" at prior school employers.
• Fingerprint/Criminal Record Clearance (including expanded SB 848 exclusions).
• Professional Boundaries & Mandated Reporter Training (must be completed within six weeks of hire).
• Clear TB Test.

Comments and Other Information

Students of employees receive admission preference.

Number of workdays: 182 + 30 days summer program

TK-2 Lead Teacher: 12pm-5pm daily

Grades 3+ Lead Teacher: 2pm-5pm daily

Shade Canyon School Pay Range $19.00-$30.00

Work Environment

The conditions herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions. These physical standards are generic in nature and tasks may vary dependent on school site or specialized site assignment. The information contained in this physical standards description is for compliance with the American With Disability Act and is not an exhaustive list of duties performed. The individuals currently holding this position perform additional duties and additional duties as assigned.

Environment including Hazardous Conditions

This position works primarily outdoors (including eating and common area(s), playground(s), restroom(s), and parking lot(s)) with the following possible exposures: dust; wind; sun; insects; bloodborne pathogens and biohazardous waste; variances in temperature (20 degrees to 110 degrees); variances in weather conditions (snow, rain, sleet, etc.); noise which can range from quiet to loud; fast paced work environment with possible stressful situations and need to multi-task; traffic congestion; playground projectiles such as balls, sticks, etc.; intervening physically to stop conflicts between angry or emotionally upset students; and, dealing with students, parents, employees and the general public who may exhibit unpredictable or anti-social behavior.

Employees in this position may have a higher level of exposure to illness or infection from students. May be. exposed to students who may ask inappropriate personal questions, display socially unacceptable behavior, display physically aggressive behavior, and insult your personal characteristics including appearance, ace, age, sex and race. There is also frequent contact with staff and public.

Physical Abilities

Seldom: Sufficient strength, stamina (including physical, mental and emotional), physical ability and mobility to provide instruction to students and participation in meetings including lift, carry, push and/or pull or otherwise move moderately heavy to heavy loads up to 30 pounds.

Seldom: Strength and stamina to physically move students’ desks and chairs to change layout of classroom to facilitate and influence teaching situations.

Continuously: Continuous speaking and listening for extended periods of time to provide instruction to students and participation in meetings.

Continuously: Mental acuity to collect, evaluate and interpret data; to reason, to define problems, to establish facts; to draw valid conclusions; and to make effective judgements and decisions.

Continuously: Observe, see, hear and respond to students.

Frequently: Grasp and handle motions and torso rotations on a continuous basis and the ability to reach in all directions including overhead and horizontally.

Continuously: Hear and speak to exchange accurate information in person, virtually, over a two-way radio or telephone when noise level range is low to loud.

Continuously: Hear to locate the source of a sound.

Continuously: Communicate effectively with students, staff, parents and community members.

Continuously: Vision to see near, distant, color, depth, peripherally and adjust focus with or without correction.

Seldom: Possess dexterity of hands and fingers to operate equipment including radio, computer keyboard/mouse and standard office equipment necessary to do job functions.

Continuously: Possess dexterity of hands and fingers to grasp and manipulate pens, markers, scissors, staplers, and other classroom and office type equipment necessary to do job functions.

Continuously: See to operate equipment, read and to understand written materials and ability to detect information displayed on a computer screen.

Continuously: Stand and walk long distances around campus on surfaces including concrete, asphalt, gravel and uneven surfaces, and maneuver in tight spaces between desks within classrooms.

Occasionally: Bend at the waist, kneel, stoop, squat, reach and crouch.

Frequently: Stand for extended periods of time.

Occasionally: Sit for extended periods of time including at desk.

Rarely: Climb stairs, and climb and balance on stool or ladder.

Continuously: Neck rotation and flexibility.

Continuously: Comply with timelines and deadlines with frequent interruptions.

Rarely: Respond to emergency bells.

Rarely: Restrain students when necessary.

Rarely: Travel to school for department meetings and school training/in-service meetings.

*Frequency definitions based on average 8-hour workday over the course of school year. Frequency may vary during school breaks if employee is scheduled to work.

Never: 0%

Seldom: 1% - 10% (less than 45 minutes)

Occasionally: 11% - 33% (up to 3.0 hours)

Frequently: 34% - 66% (up to 6 hours)

Continuously: 67% - 100% (greater than 6 hours)

Selection Process:

● Applications will be reviewed and rated by a screening committee

● Persons selected for an interview will be contacted

● Position will remain open until filled

Shade Canyon School is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to a policy of equal treatment and opportunity in every aspect of employment, including recruitment, hiring, advancement, compensation, and benefits. No applicant or employee shall be discriminated against or harassed on the basis of race (including hair texture and protective hairstyles), color, religion, national origin or ancestry, reproductive health decision-making, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, gender identity, gender expression, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, age (40 or older), physical or mental disability, or military and veteran status.

In accordance with the California Equal Pay Act, Shade Canyon School prohibits paying employees of another sex, race, or ethnicity less than employees of a different sex, race, or ethnicity for performing substantially similar work. Our salary decisions are based on bona fide factors such as experience, education, and performance, ensuring that all forms of compensation are distributed equitably.

Job Type: Part-time

Pay: $19.00 - $30.00 per hour

Expected hours: 25 per week

Work Location: In person