Staff: Employment Statement
Hello prospective candidate!
South Valley Academy is looking for passionate and talented educators who love to work with students, who are committed to their practice, who feel that being an educator is essential and meaningful, and who believe in the core values of equity, opportunity, social justice, and community.
SVA was built on the notion that teachers are the driving force of a school. In fact, it was founded by teachers more than twenty years ago. Therefore, teacher voice, democratic principles, and collaboration are important parts of the fabric of SVA’s culture.
Our approach is felt well beyond our experiences with fellow staff members and affects the most important people on our campus: Students. Students regard SVA as one big family, and all of us at SVA feel the same way.
When you consider applying for a position at SVA, keep in mind our Mission, Vision, and Guiding Principles listed below. If you believe that SVA is a good fit for you, we look forward to hearing from you.
Mission
We prepare young people to become independent, lifelong learners who are ready for college, career, and civic engagement.
Vision
- Academic Excellence and Love of Learning
We nurture a love of learning to prepare students for post-secondary success through inclusive and engaging, high quality instruction and support.
- Creating Trusting, Enduring Relationships
We build authentic, nurturing relationships with students, families, alumni, and staff that encourage curiosity, innovation, and excitement about learning and life.
- Embracing and Celebrating Diversity
We value and respect individuals, as well as multiple perspectives and experiences from our school and world, knowing these differences enrich our lives and impact the local and global community.
- Empowering People
We cultivate self-awareness, voice, and confidence in our students, families, alumni, and staff to impact the world around us positively.
- Transforming Lives and Community
We explore and utilize social justice concepts through active civic engagement to provide and improve education, resources, and opportunities for students, families, alumni, and staff.
Guiding Principles
- Less is More – Real learning requires depth of understanding more than breadth. Its attributes include the ability to see complexities in issues, to analyze media carefully, and to argue logically and with good support.
- Integrated Curriculum – Students learn well when what they learn in one class is connected to their learning in another, when the issues they study involve several overlapping subject areas rather than one.
- Relevance – Student learning should be based on a real-world context.
- Personalization – Students are unique individuals who have different abilities, needs, and learning styles.
- Independence – Students learn better when they take more responsibility for their learning.
- Community/Family Support – Students learn better within a culture of community with strong family and community participation in the school.