Lower School Arts Specialist

The Nueva School

The Nueva School seeks an arts educator to become part of our dynamic lower school faculty. The arts specialist will design and deliver an integrated, differentiated, and enriching arts curriculum including Visual Arts, Creative Movement, and Theater.

Our program seeks to cultivate in our students a deep sense of wonder, creative expression, opportunities for collaboration and connection, experimentation and critical thinking. Students gain skills to explore and express ideas through multiple mediums, developing a stronger sense of themselves and the world along the way.

We are seeking applicants who represent the full diversity of our community in the Bay Area. Our ideal candidate will possess an understanding of the diverse socioeconomic, racial, cultural, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, academic, and ethnic backgrounds present in our community. In joining our team at Nueva, you will become a part of an inclusive, iterative and equity-minded community that recognizes that JEDI (justice, equity, diversity, inclusion) is a lens with which we examine all aspects of our school community in order to ensure an educational experience where all students can thrive. In deciding whether to apply for a position at Nueva, you are strongly encouraged to consider whether your values align with Nueva’s Mission, Vision, and Values.

• Design and teach an experiential visual arts curriculum, creative movement, and theater classes, spanning grades PreK-4.
• Maintain art lab materials and equipment.
• Use documentation to make learning visible to the children, parents, and larger community, and as a basis of your own reflection and professional growth.
• Communicate with parents and colleagues through regular curricular updates and individual student feedback.
• Collaborate with teachers and students across disciplines and grade levels to develop integrated curricular projects.
• Write narrative student evaluations twice per year.
• Collaborate with a team to produce Nueva’s annual art appreciation event.
• Display art throughout the year to showcase student work and artistic process.
• Participate in recess supervision, after-school meetings, some evening/weekend events, culminations, overnight trips, and committee work.
• Model flexibility in implementing best learning practices
• Lead by example in your commitment to Nueva's mission

• Bachelor's required. Degree in fine arts or art education preferred
• At least three years of teaching experience
• Formal or informal experience with elementary aged students
• Experience teaching in a school with a progressive or constructivist approach, or serving gifted students preferred
• Excellent communication skills
• A desire to integrate curriculum with other subjects and engage in curricular projects collaboratively

The full-time equivalent salary range for this position is $79,200 - $145,900. The starting salary is based on, but not limited to, several factors, including type and years of experience, education level, and expertise.

We offer a compensation and benefits package that includes fully paid medical, dental, vision, life insurance for employees, employer contribution toward dependent insurance premiums, a generous match on our retirement plan, long-term disability insurance, flexible spending account, and free lunch. Eligibility rules must be met.

Please submit your application information - cover letter describing your interest and preparedness for the position, a resume documenting your relevant experience and expertise, and contact information for three professional references, including an explanation of your relationship - to the Nueva Employment Website. 

The Nueva School is an Equal Opportunity Employer – we do not discriminate against any employee or job applicant on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, or sex. We welcome applications from people of color and those with experience outside the education field. 

The Nueva School, an internationally-recognized, nonprofit, independent day school, has served gifted and talented students since 1967. Today, Nueva serves nearly 1000 students PK-12.  Nueva is located in the neighboring towns of Hillsborough and San Mateo, equidistant between San Francisco and Silicon Valley, serving six different counties throughout the Bay Area of Northern California.

A constructivist school, Nueva is known for its distinctive inquiry-based interdisciplinary studies, project-based learning, and pioneering work in social-emotional learning and design thinking. The Nueva community instills a passion for lifelong learning, fosters social and emotional acuity, and develops the imaginative mind. Our school has received the US Department of Education National Blue Ribbon Award and the American Institute of Architects Award for School Design and Sustainability, has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished Program and appointed an Ashoka Changemaker School, co-founded the Common Ground Speaker Series, hosts the biennial Innovative Learning Conference, the annual Equity and Inclusion Institute, and was highlighted by the Pulitzer Prize–winning and New York Times best-selling author Thomas Friedman in his book That Used to Be Us in the chapter “Average Is Over."