Upper Elementary Grade 4 Teacher - Maternity Leave Replacement

Greenwich Country Day School; Greenwich (CT); On-site; USD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Greenwich Country Day School seeks a full-time Upper Elementary Grade 4 Teacher to cover maternity leave from February 2027 to June 2027. The role operates in the Upper Elementary School (Grades 3–5) within a modern, sustainable building and serves a student body of over 268.

The candidate will design and deliver Language Arts, Math, and Social Studies instruction, implement backward design, and collaborate with colleagues to align lessons, assessments, and learning goals.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education or related field.
• Experience with inquiry-based learning and/or project-based learning.
• Strong communication skills and ability to motivate and inspire students.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusive school community.
• Willingness to take on multiple roles within the school.

Responsibilities

• Manage Homeroom classroom of 18–19 students.
• Instructional responsibility in Language Arts, Math, and Social Studies.
• Select materials and resources to enhance curriculum.
• Oversee development and progress of each child.
• Coordinate Developmental Learning recommendations.
• Assess all students’ progress in reports (written and verbal).
• Maintain ongoing communication with parents of homeroom students.
• Collaborate with Grade Level Faculty Team and Upper Elementary School staff.
• Maintain classroom organization and decor.
• Mentor co-teacher to enhance classroom environment.
• Supervise students on playground and host lunch table daily.

Skills

Elementary Education

Inquiry-based learning

Project-based learning

Student assessment

Differentiated instruction

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

Greenwich Country Day School is an independent, co-educational day school with current enrollment of over 1400 students in grades N‑12, and a faculty and staff of over 350. The original Old Church Road campus is home to grades N‑8. The High School (9‑12,) established in 2019, is located less than two miles away on the Stanwich Road campus. Founded in 1926, GCDS is a school where innovative teaching is encouraged as teachers model and foster a love of learning, challenge and inspire children toward academic excellence, and cultivate students’ interests and talents outside of the classroom. We value purposeful and personal learning in a joyful environment, with emphasis on the development of character, creativity, and a sense of personal value along with strong academic skills. GCDS is committed to graduating ethical, confident leaders who possess a strong sense of purpose.

GCDS is fortunate to have built a large endowment which helps to fund competitive salaries and benefits, a robust professional development program, and reimbursement for graduate school tuition. GCDS offers a substantial need-based financial aid program to support students from a range of socio-economic backgrounds. Diversity is a core value at GCDS, and we seek candidates who demonstrate a commitment to equity and inclusion. Candidates from underrepresented backgrounds are encouraged to apply. GCDS is pleased to offer transportation support and accommodations, as needed, along with an introduction to the local area, for those candidates who travel from outside of the region for on-campus employment interviews.

Greenwich Country Day School seeks a full-time Upper Elementary Grade 4 Teacher to cover maternity leave from February 2027 to June 2027.

With a current enrollment of over 268 students, the Upper Elementary School (Grades 3‑5) is housed in a state‑of‑the‑art, sustainable building, which was built in 2018.

Each GCDS faculty member is expected to demonstrate ability in the following areas:

• Understands, champions, and implements GCDS Design Principles
• Fosters and stewards a culture of mutual respect, equitable practice, and joy in and out of the classroom
• Cultural competency skills to collaborate effectively across differences
• Sets high expectations for learning, academic achievement, and character development

• Exhibits strong working knowledge of student cognitive development and learning preferences
• Identifies and supports students’ social, emotional, and academic needs
• Provides timely feedback to students, and collaborates with faculty to offer specialized support in pursuit of each student’s learning goals
• Implements a wide array of pedagogical tools and strategies in appropriate and effective combinations

• Facilitates and designs effective group/collaborative work and productive dialogue among students and teachers
• Communicates effectively with students/families about classwork, learning goals, and student progress

• Demonstrates content knowledge and expertise; and scaffolds curriculum to ensure progress towards mastery
• Ensures that reading, writing, and math are aims across the curriculum and learning design
• Collaborates and plans actively for learning with teachers and students
• Implements backward design to align all lessons, activities, and assessments
• Designs formal and informal assessments that measure student progress; employs a variety of formative and summative assessments to gauge student progress toward mastery

• Fosters student growth through structured opportunities for reflection
• Provides opportunities for student engagement through “Voice and Choice”
• Creates relevant and authentic learning experiences; is able to include and/or connect with outside experts and resources towards this aim
• Showcases student work within the community and prepares students to exhibit and communicate effectively

Responsibilities Include:

• Management of Homeroom classroom of 18 - 19 students
• Instructional responsibility in Language Arts, Math, and Social Studies
• Selecting appropriate materials and resources to enhance curriculum
• Oversight of the development and progress of each child
• Coordination of Developmental Learning recommendations
• Assessment of all students’ progress in both written and verbal reports
• Ongoing communication with parents of homeroom students
• Collaborative work with colleagues on Grade Level Faculty Team, Upper Elementary School Faculty and staff, and the broader school community
• Maintaining neatness, organization, and decoration of classroom
• Mentoring assigned co‑teacher, utilizing him or her effectively to enhance classroom environment
• Supervision of students on playground
• Daily hosting of a lunch table (under normal operation)

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree
• Relevant coursework in Elementary Education
• Minimum of 3-years successful classroom teaching experience with children of this age
• Experience with inquiry-based learning and/or project-based learning
• A passion for learning and the ability to motivate and inspire students
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Commitment to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive school community
• Willingness to take on multiple roles within the school
• Personal traits appropriate for nurturing the growth of children - must be energetic, creative, flexible, patient, and have an inexhaustible sense of humor

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in field
• Experience implementing Fundations, Teachers College Readers, and Writers Workshops and administering assessments to determine leveled reading
• Knowledge of Investigations Mathematics, Number Corners, and Bridges Mathematics
• Demonstrated successful experience with facilitation of remote learning
• Demonstrated experience in establishing collaborative relationships with external partners/organizations in the design and implementation of learning experiences