Torah Day School of Phoenix, AZ

General Studies Principal

About Torah Day School of Phoenix

Torah Day School of Phoenix is an orthodox day school that serves children ages 2 through 8^th grade. It offers single-gender classrooms starting in Kindergarten (children aged 5).

TDSP started in 2010 with 7 students and saw significant growth in every subsequent year. There are now over 400 students enrolled in TDSP, and 60 staff members, making it the largest Jewish day school organization in Arizona. TDSP prides itself on the excellence of its educational offerings in both Jewish and general studies, and on its warm and happy atmosphere. Its preschool, Kindertots, is rated as one of the top preschools in Arizona, having been awarded a 5 Star rating from First Things First, an Arizona state agency that supports and assesses quality preschools. TDSP is fully accredited by Advanc-Ed, and is a proud member of the Jewish Tuition Organization, and a proud partner of the Jewish Community Association of Greater Phoenix. TDSP is affiliated with Torah Umesorah National Society for Hebrew Day Schools.

Torah Day School of Phoenix is a non-discriminatory school, and welcomes all Jewish children to its classrooms, regardless of background or ability to pay.

Phoenix, Arizona is the number one city in America for job growth, according to the US Bureau of labor and statistics. It is one of the most affordable and easy-to-live-in cities in America, boasting year-round pleasant weather. Its generous tax credit program makes day school tuition affordable for all families. It is also home to a growing and vibrant Orthodox community, with multiple kosher restaurants, synagogues, separate boys’ and girls’ high schools, and a Kollel.

The General Studies Principal reports directly to the Head of School and will play a key role within the school’s administrative team.

General Studies Principal

The General Studies Principal is a senior level position, answerable to the Head of School. The Principal is responsible for managing the General Studies department in our Elementary and Middle School.

Responsibilities include:

• Staff Management

The Principal will be responsible for recruiting, hiring, and retaining outstanding faculty, and providing the faculty with ongoing supervision and performance evaluations.

They will also be responsible for leading, motivating, and inspiring faculty to achieve high standards, and foster a creative and collaborative atmosphere among the faculty.  

Additionally, they will have to lead monthly staff meetings, as well as weekly individual meetings with staff to review lesson plans and student progress.

• Classroom Management and Discipline.

The Principal will assist teachers in classroom management and student discipline. They will provide expertise in creating and maintaining a classroom atmosphere that prevents and inhibits behavioral issues by design and intention.

They will help teachers maintain positive and pedagogically beneficial relationships with all the students in their classes, including any challenging students.

The Principal will serve as a role model for teachers, and be able to consistently demonstrate effective, positive, and productive teaching methods and classroom organization skills.

• Student Academic Progress

In conjunction with the Director of Special Services, the Principal will ensure that all students are receiving an appropriate education, and that any necessary academic accommodations are being provided to students who need them.

The Principal will also serve as a role model to students and maintain positive and respectful relations with all students in the school.

• Lesson plans and homework

The Principal will oversee lesson planning, providing guidance so that teachers can plan lessons that are academically rigorous, conform to the curriculum map, provide differentiated instruction when necessary, and use every instructional minute. The Principal will also oversee homework assignments to ensure that they are grade appropriate and conform with the set curricula goals for that classroom.

• Curriculum map

In conjunction with the Director of Curriculum, the Principal will review all current general studies curriculum and design a workable, detailed and specific curriculum map to cover English language arts, math, science and social studies. The map will be divided by grade level and list all the standards and subjects that our students are expected to learn over the 9 years that they are in school with us.  The map should conform with topics that are assessed on standardized tests. The map will be reviewed yearly.

• Yearly Plan

The Principal will help teachers develop a yearly plan that will provide a specific outline of what is being taught on each day of instruction.  The DCI will make sure that this plan conforms to state standards and adheres to the school’s curriculum map.

• Curricula purchases and implementation.

The Principal will assist with curricula purchase if necessary.  The principal will oversee the implementation of curricula in the classrooms. This includes teacher training and monitoring.

• Assessments

1. Regular assessments

The Principal will help teachers plan appropriate and regular assessments and tests.

The Principal will help teachers review and analyze the results of these assessments so that they inform future learning, both for the class as a whole and for individual students.

2. Standardized tests

The Principal will review the results of standardized tests with the teachers, and develop academic improvement plans for the class and individual students based on the results.

3. Parent Feedback

The Principal will help teachers analyze assessment results to provide meaningful and detailed feedback to parents on report cards and at Parent Teacher Conferences.

4. Professional Development

The Principal will plan academic professional development, oversee its implementation, and evaluate its effectiveness.

5. Observations

The Principal will conduct walk throughs and observations of all general studies classrooms. The observations will be used to monitor curricula fidelity, teaching effectiveness, and classroom management. The DCI will meet with teachers after the observations to provide feedback and strategies.

6. Parent Relations

The Principal will oversee all parent communications with regards to the General Studies Department, including any disciplinary or academic progress meetings. The Principal will interact with parents in a positive, friendly manner.

7. Classroom decoration

The Principal will work with teachers to ensure that their bulletin boards are lively and filled with current student work, and that their classrooms contain age-appropriate books and games for the students.

The Principal should be highly motivated and driven by results, extremely organized with an ability to balance deadlines and multiple workstreams, flexible and adaptable to ever changing student needs and work demands and hold strong written and verbal communication skills. Above all, s/he should possess an enduring belief in the endless potential of all student and should be committed to going “above and beyond” in the name of student success.

The General Studies Principal should have:

• At least 5 years successful teaching experience in a high-quality school.
• At least 5 years successful administrative experience, including hiring and managing staff.
• Expert knowledge of elementary and middle school standards
• Proven leadership experience in effectively working with people and getting things accomplished.
• Master’s degree in education or a related field.

Please send resume to Rabbi Heshy Glass at hglass@cojds.org

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