Preschool Teacher's Aide - St. Norbert - Northbrook - Vicariate I

The Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic schools serve more than 40,000 students in 150+ elementary and high schools in Cook and Lake counties. It is one of the largest private school systems in the United States. Its schools have received 96 Blue Ribbon awards from the U.S. Department of Education over the past 10 years.

St. Norbert School, a progressive, child-centered Catholic school is accepting applications for a preschool aide for the remainder of the  school year. We are seeking an aide who fulfill the mission of our Catholic school by guiding and nurturing the learning process of the students cognitively, social-emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

We are a faith-based school community that believes in offering each student a child-centered, challenging curriculum. We value creativity, social emotional awareness, and experience. We are in search of a candidate that understands the importance of nurturing the development of the whole child.

The successful candidate will bring enthusiasm and dedication into daily classroom routines to foster the growth of young children. Routine and effective communication with both parents and staff is expected. The aide will collaborate with the classroom teacher to create a faith-friendly classroom that promotes the growth of all young learners.

The successful candidate will collaborate to offer a stimulating, safe, and developmentally appropriate educational environment where children have the opportunity to build cognitive, social, emotional, and physical skills.

Candidate must be an enthusiastic, professional, dependable, warm, kind, innovative individual. Preference will be given to candidates who have working with young children in an early childhood setting.

Responsibility:

General Duties:

• Acts as a witness to Gospel values by modeling the teachings of the Catholic Church.
• Supervises the classroom when the teacher is out of the room.
• Oversees unstructured free play. Works with the teacher to ensure organization of free play and corresponds to scheduled structured activities.
• Implements activities based on developmentally appropriate practices and knowledge of child development.
• Assists with drop-off in the morning, greets parents and children, and assists in making a smooth transition.
• Assists with meals, bathroom breaks, and hand-washing.
• Attends staff meetings, training meetings, and yearly open house as identified by the school principal.
• Participates in classroom or staff meetings as needed to consult on program planning, goal setting and implementation, planning for individual children and to discuss program and working conditions.
• Performs other duties necessary to the smooth functioning of the facility as assigned by the Preschool Director or the School Principal.

Specific Areas of Responsibility:

Interactions with Others:

• Welcomes families, volunteers and others to the classroom by creating a friendly environment and facilitating their participation. Demonstrates tact, courtesy, patience, and consideration for others. Interactions with individuals reflect mutual trust, respect, and support.
• Treats each child with dignity and respect. Respects the privacy of children by not discussing children or their families in front of other children. Includes children in conversation with parents when the child is present and being discussed. Uses a confidence, firm tone of voice in handling behavior problems, not a shrill, condescending, or angry voice. Does not use food as a reward or punishment.
• Shares information appropriate with other staff members; keeps classroom staff informed but doesn’t violate confidentiality with those who have no need to know. Works with co-workers to share information on planned daily activities of the program, classroom management techniques, room arrangements, and communication with families

Health and Safety:

• Maintains an orderly physical environment conducive to optimal growth and development with special regard to health and safety.
• Reports any medical problems or accidents to other staff and to the parents. Knows and follows Universal Precautions. Knows and follows proper handwashing procedures.
• Knows procedures for reporting…