Cycle Teacher - Grades K-2

Position: Cycle 1 Teacher - Grades K-2

Cycle 1 Teacher (Grades K–2)

Position Type:
Full-Time, 190-Day Position

Salary & Benefits:

Salary per Riverview Charter School Salary Schedule; eligible for South Carolina PEBA insurance and retirement benefits

Reports To:

Director of Lower Grades

Position Summary

Riverview Charter School (RCS) seeks a passionate, reflective, and collaborative Cycle 1 Teacher (Grades K–2) to join our mission-driven learning community. Cycle 1 teachers are responsible for designing and facilitating meaningful, experiential learning experiences that nurture the academic, social, and emotional growth of young learners while helping students understand their place within families, schools, communities, and the broader world.

Grounded in Riverview’s philosophy of learning by doing, the Cycle 1 Teacher embraces an interdisciplinary, student-centered approach to instruction aligned to South Carolina State Standards and the school’s conceptual framework of community, systems, patterns, and cycles. This role reflects the expectations of accomplished teaching as outlined in the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) Five Core Propositions.

Instructional Philosophy & Framework

Cycle 1 teachers design instruction using the Understanding by Design (UbD) framework, ensuring vertical alignment across Kindergarten, First Grade, and Second Grade. While teachers do not typically loop with students, collaboration across grades ensures coherence around shared big ideas and enduring understandings related to community.

Teachers have professional autonomy in lesson design while maintaining alignment with:

• South Carolina State Standards

• School wide instructional priorities

• Experiential, service-based, and inquiry-driven learning

Essential Duties & Responsibilities
1. Commitment to Students and Their Learning

(NBPTS Proposition
1)

• Foster a safe, inclusive, and responsive classroom environment where all students feel a sense of belonging.

• Demonstrate respect for and responsiveness to students’ diverse backgrounds, identities, and learning needs.

• Implement Responsive Classroom practices, including daily Morning Meetings, to build community, empathy, and strong communication skills.

• Support the development of the whole child—academically, socially, emotionally, and ethically.

2. Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy

(NBPTS Proposition
2)

• Design and deliver developmentally appropriate instruction aligned to South Carolina State Standards.

• Use the UbD framework to plan interdisciplinary units connected to Cycle 1 themes of beginnings, community, and systems.

• Integrate literacy, numeracy, science, social studies, and the arts through experiential and inquiry-based learning.

• Incorporate service learning and real-world applications into instruction.

3. Management and Monitoring of Student Learning

(NBPTS Proposition
3)

• Use multiple forms of assessment, including i-Ready, MAP, KRA (Kindergarten), classroom-based assessments, and student work samples.

• Analyze data to inform instruction, create flexible small groups, and support student growth.

• Participate actively in data meetings and collaborative planning sessions.

• Guide students in curating portfolios and preparing for Portfolio Nights.

• Communicate student progress clearly and consistently with families.

4. Reflective Practice and Professional Growth

(NBPTS Proposition
4)

• Engage in continuous reflection to refine instructional practices.

• Participate in professional development opportunities aligned with school priorities and personal growth goals.

• Demonstrate openness to feedback, coaching, and collaborative problem-solving.

• Complete or actively participate in LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) training, as required.

5. Collaboration and Learning Community Membership

(NBPTS Proposition
5)

• Collaborate closely with grade-level teammates, special education staff, interventionists, ESOL, speech providers, counselors, and administration.

• Participate in school wide meetings, committee work, and collaborative planning.

• Maintain consistent communication with families through weekly newsletters, conferences, and school events.

• Actively support and participate in school wide community and family…