MIAMI, FLORIDA Director of Lower School Position Start Date: July 1, 2021 MIAMICOUNTRYDAY.ORG DIRECTOR OF LOWER SCHOOL POSITION DESCRIPTION CORE Mission+Miami Country Day School is aValues college preparatory learning community committed to educating the whole child. Through the core values of honor, respect, wisdom, and compassion, we prepare students to be lifelong learners. We inspire our children to develop their intellectual, physical aesthetic social, emotional, and spiritual potentials by valuing every student every day. WWW.MIAMICOUNTRYDAY.ORG Fast Facts PK3 - 12 1269 FOUNDED TUITION 1938 ASSISTANCE STUDENT TO $6M+ TEACHER TYPE 9:1 STUDENTS ON COED FINANCIAL AID DAY CAMPUS SIZE 18% STUDENTS 20 OF COLOR ACRES 45% FACULTY W/ADV. DEGREES 60% Portrait GraduateOF A Be intellectually curious and independent thinkers Demonstrate confidence in their abilities and resilience in the face of challenges and disappointments Evidence a commitment to lifelong learning and reading in their personal and professional lives Demonstrate good character and make good choices Practice honor, respect, wisdom, compassion, and mindfulness Possess a strong work ethic in all aspects of their lives EVERY STUDENT. EVERY DAY. Overview For over eight decades, Miami Country Day School (MCDS) has lived out its motto, delivering an exceptional college- preparatory curriculum that educates the whole person. Currently serving around 1,270 students in PreK3 to 12, MCDS has undergone remarkable changes since its founding in 1938. Nonetheless, the faculty and student body at this FCIS-accredited coeducational day school are united in their appreciation and continued respect for the school’s mission, philosophy, and traditions. Across all grades and divisions, MCDS’s students present themselves as creative, poised, confident, multi-talented, and enthusiastic-truly thriving in an environment that nurtures their intellectual, physical, emotional, social, aesthetic, and spiritual potentials. From its nationally ranked chess club to its national champion girls’ basketball team, from its environmental studies center to its Comprehensive Outdoor Education Program, Miami Country Day School’s offerings are as exceptional as they are varied. School History In 1938, Mr. Luther “L.B” Sommers and Mr. C.W. “Doc” Abele opened The Miami Country Day and Resident Schools for Boys in what was then still a young and developing city. Originally and elementary boarding school, MCDS grew quickly in both size and reputation. The transition to its coeducational day program came in the 1950’s ,60’s and 70’s, as the school began admitting female students and boarding rooms were turned into classrooms to accommodate rising enrollment. The Upper School was added in the late 1970’s and MCDS graduates its first senior class in 1981. Miami Country Day School still occupies its original campus north of downtown Miami, but the facilities inhabited by the founding class of seven boys were quite different from what MCDS students enjoy today. While much has changed at MCDS since 1938, the school has retained the holistic approach to learning embraced by its founders, balancing rigorous academics with athletics and cultural enrichment to produce well-rounded and civic-minded young adults. THE SCHOOL Over the course of 80 years, Miami Country Day School has built a reputation of excellence in South Florida. The dedicated team of 178 faculty at MCDS is composed of committed stakeholders: teachers appreciate small classes sizes, cherish autonomy in the classroom, and feel fully supported by the administration. Across all divisions, a classical liberal arts curriculum is enhanced by a number of signature programs that promote hands-on learning and whole-child engagement. With the rise of new media in recent decades, MCDS has embraced technology as an invaluable tool to improve educational practices, while holding fast to its commitment to: LOWER SCHOOL ACADEMICS Miami Country Day School offers a college-preparatory curriculum that seeks to educate the whole person. The Lower School provides a strong program focused on development of foundational skills and concepts in literacy, math, and interdisciplinary areas. This is extended through the Middle and Upper school via a well developed curriculum PK3-12 grade. THE ACADEMIC PROGRAM .From early childhood through 12th grade, students’ social and emotional intelligences are developed and nurtured in a Life IS CHALLENGING, FOCUSING Skills curriculum, while robust art and physical education ON CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS AND programs foster students’ creativity and health and wellness. THE APPLICATION OF CONTENT. Our Lower School focuses on the whole child and fosters growth through a student-centered, integrated curriculum that is personalized and strength-based. Our aligned PK3 through 5th-grade program provides joyful learning experiences that build on knowledge from year to year. We understand that children thrive in a nurturing environment that encourages curiosity, questioning, exploration and innovation. CHILDREN SPEND EACH DAY WITH FRIENDS PLAYING, LISTENING AND CREATING A STRONG SENSE OF COMMUNITY AND COLLABORATION. Lower School SIGNATURE PROGRAMS ACES – ABESS CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE This environmental enrichment program is designed for MCDS’s Lower School students in PK-3 through 5th grade. There are inquiry based, hands-on activities that inspire curiosity about the natural world. From its gardens and greenhouse to its assortment of animals including a bird and tortoise sanctuary, ACES is the place where students are introduced to biodiversity, environmentalism, and the scientific method for experimentation. COEP – COMPREHENSIVE OUTDOOR EDUCATION PROGRAM COEP begins in 5th grade and continues through Middle School. It is an exciting, experiential program that serves as an outstanding part of enrichment and electives. In 5th grade the focus is on learning fundamental outdoor skills, learning about Florida’s natural wildlife and landscapes, and the principles of Leave No Trace outdoor ethics. They can also opt for overnight camping opportunities and day trips to nearby wildlife and nature reserves. The canal that borders the school also becomes a classroom through canoeing and studying the health of that ecosystem. READER AND WRITER’S WORKSHOP Reader and Writer’s Workshop from Columbia University is the cornerstone to the literacy program in Lower School. Teachers instruct young people to become avid and skilled readers, writers, and inquirers. We accomplish this goal through research, curriculum development, and through working in whole and small group instruction that is specific to the interests and the instructional level of the students. Guided reading is also part of the literacy program. KINDER TO COLLEGE, LEADER IN ME WEEK OF POSSIBILITIES AND RESPONSIVE CLASSROOM The week before Winter Break is a special time in Lower School We have numerous leadership opportunities for our students, when each grade level explores an immersive and expansive like the Leader in Me program and Kinder to College Buddies, topic of study. This is when students become fully engaged in a to promote confidence and autonomy. We also empower and topic that provides learners with an engaging environment that encourage our students to create strong interpersonal skills. is highly interactive through field experiences, guest educators, and experts from the field. This puts students in the middle of a Through the Responsive Classroom model for Morning learning experience. It culminates with a synthesis of learning in Meetings and mindfulness practices, we encourage and a performance of understanding. Topics have included World support social-emotional wellness, inclusive communities Peace Games and Musical Performance that is completely and caring relationships. Children spend each day with friends student led – from set construction, marketing, and playing, listening and creating a strong sense of community final performance. and collaboration. OPPORTUNITIES TO FURTHER DIVERSIFY THEIR EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE AT MCDS ABOUND. Enrichment Programs ARTS In recognition of the importance of art education to the development of the whole child, every Lower School student at Miami Country Day School is exposed to the full range of fine arts as a part of their enrichment curriculum. Students learn to draw, paint, and work with various artists and the cultural and historical role that art plays in our lives. They are introduced to the expressive value of music through song, movement, and Orff instrumentation. From the earliest age, MCDS students are given the opportunity to express themselves creatively and to display their work school-wide. In our award-winning Center for the Arts, our faculty encourage children’s ownership over space and experiences. In music and art classes, children make their own decisions about their work and are not afraid to take risks, make mistakes and embrace failure. AUXILIARY AND EXTRACURRICULAR PROGRAMS Opportunities to further diversify their educational experience at MCDS abound. The Lower School offers a highly enriching series of After School Clubs generated intentionally for children in PK3 through Grade 5. Ranging from cooking and coding to acting and DJ’ing, these clubs may be athletic, creative, adventurous, or simply fun. Students of all ages can take swim lessons through Miami Country Day Aquatics (MCDA) program, which also supports the school’s competitive swimming and water polo teams. Our after school clubs are designed for