The Bridge School is a cooperative K-5 elementary school in White Center, WA. We are seeking a visionary leader who is passionate about creating elementary education spaces that are immersed in nature, developmentally appropriate, infused with community support, and excite and inspire young learners. This is an ideal position for a Head of School candidate who is looking for an opportunity to innovate and create something special for an open-minded community.

Starting as a homeschool co-op in 2010, the Bridge School has grown over twelve years into a school with three multi-age classrooms and three core teachers, with music, art, naturalist, and reading specialists. Our mission is to provide cooperative, multi-age progressive elementary education that fosters authentic learning through whole child development. We trust children and their unique learning process and value social, emotional, and physical learning on par with academic learning. We use project-based, emergent curriculum that incorporates experiential learning and the creative arts. We value building a strong community, and as a cooperative, families play an active role in supporting the school, both through participating on support teams such as fundraising, membership and events and through volunteering in the classroom. We value connecting to nature and have an established weekly outdoor education class with trained educators at Seahurst Park in Burien, and various other opportunities for students to connect with nature within our neighborhood and via field trips.

Attributes of a strong candidate

• Compassionate leader who is curious and open-minded
• Believes that children learn best when they feel connected to teachers and staff, are connected to nature, are able to move their bodies, allowed to progress at their own pace, and focus on what brings them joy
• Visionary leader who is able to promote a cohesive vision of the Bridge School's mission and values internally and externally, ensuing that programs and projects meet that vision
• Demonstrates commitment to equity and inclusion in classroom interactions, curriculum, and activities
• Creates a thriving community supported environment, with a high level of caregiver involvement and with communication as a core value
• Enjoys partnering with parents and families to support the school
• Supportive of teacher needs and able to trust teachers to bring their own unique style and passion to their classrooms
• Comfortable leading and mentoring teachers (or supervising someone who can)
• Collaborates with teachers and staff to create neurodiverse affirming classrooms, ensuring that students' unique needs are supported and accommodated

Preferred Qualifications

• Five or more years of experience as a classroom teacher, OR two or more years of experience in school administration
• Prior experience with multi-age elementary classrooms and differentiated instruction
• Prior management experience and fluency with financial, human resource, government reporting, and planning needs in a non-profit context
• Prior experience managing administrative staff, such as an Office Manager, with trust, clarity, consistency, and compassion
• Demonstrated strong communication skills and a positive can-do energy

Additional Preferred Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Education, or related field
• Prior experience as Head of School or Director level school administration

Start Date: July 2023

To Apply, send resume and cover letter to boardchair@bridgeschoolcoop.org.

Application review will begin January 13, 2023.