Returner: Site Support | SALA (Summer Arts for Learning Academy)

SUMMER ARTS FOR LEARNING ACADEMY (SALA)

SITE SUPPORT 

Reports to: Site Director, Summer Arts for Learning Academy  

 

About the Summer Arts for Learning Academy: 

Baltimore City Schools’ Summer Arts for Learning Academy (SALA), operated by Arts for Learning Maryland, offers students an opportunity to imagine, create, and express who they are through the arts. This is an action-packed, full-day, five-week program (Monday - Thursday) that introduces students to a wide variety of art forms —from illustration and spoken word to percussion, drama, and dance— which gives students a chance to work alongside students from across the city and be taught by professional Artists. Students’ work is celebrated through a student showcase on the final day of the program. Arts for Learning Maryland will host ten Academy sites throughout the city, locations TBD. 

 

Mission and Core Values: 

The mission of Arts for Learning Maryland’s Summer Arts for Learning Academy (SALA) is to provide students with an opportunity to spend summer learning from the best Teachers and Teaching Artists our state has to offer. Through a dynamic, creative, and supportive environment, students will explore math and literacy in a unique arts-integrated environment that allows them to develop socially and emotionally, expands their personal creative process, introduces them to different art forms taught by professional Artists, and allows them to experience math and literacy content from a different lens.

 

We... 

• believe unwaveringly that ALL students can achieve high standards in and through the arts.
• provide opportunities for students to develop powerfully articulate voices through art forms and honor their creative processes along the way. 
• create safe, brave learning environments for students to grow, make mistakes, and contribute to the community.
• collaborate and reflect by learning from and with each other at every step of the process, cultivating positive relationships between all ages. 
• encourage the development of critical thinking, problem solving, inquiry, imagination, and creativity, and provide multiple ways for students to demonstrate knowledge and mastery.
• learn about, honor, and leverage the cultural knowledge, experiences, and frames of reference of our students and community to make learning more relevant and effective. 
• ensure that our students are known, loved, supported, celebrated, and valued. 

 

SALA Site Support

 

Job Description:

The SALA Site Support position is pivotal to the success of the program. Site Support will be assigned to a school site and will be responsible for all subbing needs at that site. On days when a sub is not needed, the Site Support will look for other ways to ensure that the site runs smoothly. This could include supporting staff in the afternoon, working with the Site Directors, planning SALAbrations, and more. Site Support must be flexible as this position requires them to sub for both Teachers and Teaching Artists and jump into new roles as needed. 

Ideal Site Supports Have: 

• A current teaching certification.
• An ability to be flexible and nimble, adapting to the needs of the site on any given day.
• An ability to thrive as a self-starter who can seek out ways to support the site when no subbing is needed.
• A passion for students: an ability to build meaningful relationships and a desire to “go above and beyond” to ensure each student’s success. 
• A strong interest (with experience preferred) in arts integration and co-teaching.
• A willingness to use either the school office landline or their personal cell phone (number blocking is acceptable) to contact parents as needed. 
• An ability to attend and engage in all required training and program dates.
• An ability to create inclusive environments where all students’ unique gifts and talents are discovered and cultivated and where students’ identities (racial, cultural, social, gender, etc.) are acknowledged, affirmed, and reflected around them. 
• An ability to examine biases and an understanding of the concepts of institutional and structural racism and its impact on policies and practices, especially related to the administration of public education. 
• A commitment to seeing families as partners in education and communicating with them regularly. 
• A strong desire to fully integrate into a non-traditional learning environment where flexibility is strongly valued and where new and innovative ideas are not only cultivated but expected from all staff. 

 

Please note, staff working in SALA will need to be able to stand, walk, and be active throughout the entire duration of the program day. They will need to be able to keep up with and supervise students within and outside the classroom, for example, during Fitness and Fun time and field trips. Staff will also need to be able to lift up to 20lbs on occasion when setting up and breaking down classroom and/or preparing for performances and other events. Bending, kneeling, and climbing stairs are also frequently needed during SALA. 

 

Job Responsibilities:

As a member of the Instructional Support Team:

• Support and supervise students during arrival and dismissal.
• Assist Classroom Teachers and Teaching Artists with copying and modifying items to support teaching and learning.
• Regularly communicate with the Instructional Team so that students' needs are being met through a cohesive team strategy.
• Build relationships with students and staff, and be an essential liaison with families to create a positive and supportive community within the classroom and the site.
• Engage parents, guardians, and families effectively and in a culturally appropriate fashion, including responding to family inquiries in a timely manner and contacting parents/guardians to provide progress updates, share challenges, or address concerns.
• Support students in transitions from and to, and during, lunch and Fitness & Fun periods.
• Attend all professional development and planning meetings as instructed by Arts for Learning and SALA Site Directors.
• Complete or oversee the completion of all required paperwork as assigned by the Site Director, including student attendance records, student pre and post surveys or assessments, student observation rubrics, student progress reports, etc.
• Assist with the preparation and planning student showcases.
• Assist in the preparation and display of student work.
• Submit verbal and written reports as required.
• Assist with the administration of student program evaluations when needed.

Specifically as Site Support: 

• Ability to serve as lead Teacher or Teaching Artist in any class (SQUAD, arts-integrated math and literacy, Explorations and Majors) at any grade band when subbing as the designated on-site substitute.
• Provide individualized instruction and support to students as needed. 
• Attend all professional development and planning meetings as instructed by the SALA Admin Team and the Site Directors. 
• If needed, engage parents, guardians, and families effectively, including responding to family inquiries in a timely manner and contacting parents/guardians to provide progress updates, share challenges, etc.
• Assist with the preparation and planning of the final student culminating showcase. 
• Assist with transitions between classes, as well as lunchtime and other moments during the day when additional support may be required to ensure students' safety.

 

Required Dates, Times, and Working Hours: 

SALA Site Support must be able to commit to attending  program and training days, including PD week shortly before program launch, and spring PD dates that will occur March-June. Specific dates and deadlines will be provided in a timely manner and all training is paid.

 

SALA Program Dates: For all Baltimore sites, the program will run Monday through Thursday for a 5 week period of time. Program hours for students are 8:30 am (Breakfast) to 3:00 pm. 

• All Site Support time commitment: 7 hours a day (8:30am - 3:30pm)
• Weekly Meetings: One 30-minute staff meeting per week (days/times TBD by Site Directors). These meetings are required and paid

 

Compensation: 

• The SALA Site Support position is a temporary, non-exempt position and is not eligible for employee benefits. This position is eligible for time-off in the form of Sick & Safe leave.
• Site Support staff will be paid an hourly rate of $50.
• ALL positions will be paid at the hourly rate of $25.00 for all professional development sessions and training. 

 

Time Off: 

Grant and special-funded staff, hired for short-term assignments, internships, and as temporary project-based staff, are not eligible to accrue PTO, however Sick and Safe leave is available to these employees. Sick and Safe Leave is accrued at a rate of one hour for every thirty hours worked and begins accruing on day one of employment. Employees may use the leave in increments of 1 hour or greater. Employees will be paid at their current regular rate for each accrued Sick and Safe Leave hour used.

 

Employees who have questions about Sick and Safe Leave, including (i) their eligibility for Sick and Safe Leave; (ii) when Sick and Safe Leave may be used; and (iii) the amount of available Sick and Safe Leave should promptly contact the People Operations Department (pops@artsforlearningmd.org)

 

To Apply: 

For consideration, apply online at 

www.artsforlearningmd.org/programs/summer-arts-academy/work-with-us/ 

Arts for Learning Maryland (formerly Young Audiences of Maryland) is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to cultivating a diverse workforce and equitable workplace. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, national origin, veteran status, and disability. All qualified applications will be given equal opportunity.