Secondary Principal at International School of Curitiba in Brazil
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Secondary Principal
International School of Curitiba (Brazil)

Appointed - Craig Randall
Dec 15, 2015
Jan 18, 2016

School Details

The City's Profile

Curitiba, the capital of Paraná, is over 300 years old and is located in the beautiful rolling hills of southern Brazil and is only about 90 minutes by car from the Atlantic Ocean beaches. Its annual per capita income of US$8,000 is significantly higher than the Brazilian national average of US $5,000. The main point of attraction of Curitiba is its positive quality of life which has flourished under its tradition of organized planning. Most of its 2 million inhabitants are descendants of immigrants from Italy, Poland, Germany, Ukraine, Japan, Syria and Lebanon. Curitiba is a vibrant community able to support an International School.

Acclaimed nationally and internationally for its innovative urban solutions, the city enjoys the country's most efficient public transportation system and has a very large green area, causing it to be called "Brazil's Ecological Capital." In 2010, Curitiba was the winner of the Globe Sustainable City Aware and in 2012 voted one of the 10 most livable cities in the world. Major foreign industrial investments in the region include; Volvo, Nissan, Renault, Volkswagen-Audi, Kraft Foods, Philip Morris, Exxon-Mobil, Bosch, Denso-Japan, Caterpillar, Case New Holland and HSBC just to name a few. The school currently has students enrolled from more than 20 multinational corporations.

The International School of Curitiba forms an important part of the support network by providing an American international education for the children of expatriate corporate executives and key local families from Curitiba.

The School and Community

The International School of Curitiba was established in 1959 in the city of Curitiba, state of Paraná in southern Brazil. It currently enrolls a total of 650 students from early childhood through grade 12. Enrollment by division is: Early Childhood Education Center 143, Elementary 241, Middle School 119, and High School 147. There are 23 nationalities enrolled at ISC, the largest populations are Brazilian with approximately 70%, followed by the European-Middle East and Asia population with 15%, North American about 10% and our Spanish speaking community, coming from other Latin America countries representing around 5%.

ISC has experienced a 65% increase in enrollment over the past three years, primarily due to a larger number of Brazilian students transferring to ISC, more new multi-national companies relocating to this part of Brazil, and ISC marketing initiatives.

ISC is an independent, co-educational, college preparatory school supported by a non-profit democratic association of parents with a 9 member Board of Directors elected from within the Association of Parents. The practice of the Board is to have representatives from major corporations and nationalities, as well as a balance from each school division.

The school has over the past five years established itself as one of the leading international schools in South America. ISC has grown in prominence recognized by its high standards and challenging academics and has demonstrated this competency by the majority of graduates earning the IB Diploma.

Facilities

Facilities

The attractive Santa Felicidade campus for grades 1-12 was opened in the year 2001. It consists of 60 classrooms, a library (including a computer research area), restaurant, four computer laboratories, art and music rooms, covered outdoor gymnasium, soccer field, and other playing fields – on an area of 17.3 acres, in a rural setting overlooking the beautiful city of Curitiba. A new Early Childhood Center (Grades Toddler through Kindergarten) Campus was opened in November 2010 on property adjacent to elementary and secondary campus. A new multipurpose sports complex with two gymnasiums, classrooms and a performing arts stage will be opening in January 2016. Future plans include a new elementary building and central administration as part of a long-term facilities plan being developed. Completion of these major capital projects will further enhance and establish ISC as the premier international and private school in the city of Curitiba and the State of Paraná.

Position Qualifications

The Position
The Principal is the educational/instructional leader and administrative head of the secondary school which consists of the middle and high schools. The Principal has the primary responsibility for overseeing improvement of the school’s instructional programs and the effective development of all school personnel in support of ISC’s mission and vision. The Principal is also a member of the Continuous School Improvement Process and participates regularly in the CSIP Team meetings and activities. It is the Principal’s responsibility to supervise and evaluate personnel, manage the secondary budget, operate the school according to policy and approved curriculum and administrative rules, regulations and directives. The Principal reports directly to the Superintendent and is evaluated annually on objectives established jointly with the Superintendent.
Qualifications
• Minimum 5 years teaching experience with at least some at the middle or high school level and with international school experience preferred
• Minimum 3 years administrative experience at the middle and/or high school level with international school experience preferred
• Minimum of a master’s degree in an education related field
• Demonstrated ability to lead using strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Experience in curriculum development with a standards-based approach
• Experience working with the International Baccalaureate Program preferred
• Experience using technology for administrative management and for communications with parents and community
• Experience providing educational leadership pertaining to innovative use of technology to promote and enhance teaching and learning
• Willingness to learn some conversational Portuguese language
Key Duties and Responsibilities
Students
• Ensures a safe and positive learning environment
• Ensures disciplinary guidelines are fairly and consistently applied
• Oversees preparation of the schedule for students and teachers Instruction
• Guides the development, implementation and evaluation of the secondary curriculum and programs
• Works closely with the leadership team and faculty to provide an appropriate American-based international school educational program
• Works closely with the Brazilian Program Director and faculty to provide an appropriate program related to Brazilian History and Geography as well as the Portuguese language
Teachers and Support Staff
• Ensures appropriate placement for faculty and staff
• Provides for evaluation of faculty and staff in accordance to prescribed procedures
Admissions
• Works closely with the Admission’s Coordinator and Superintendent to establish and maintain clear guidelines and expectations for admitting new students
Communications
• Contributes to public relations efforts by meeting regularly with teachers, students, parents, etc. and providing written articles for the school publications
• Ensures that parents and students are well informed regarding school issues and events
Professional Development
• Promotes and facilitates professional development opportunities with the help of the leadership team, faculty, and staff.
Facilities
• Works closely with the Business Manager to supervise and optimally use the school buildings, materials and supplies
Administration
• Works in partnership with the leadership team to achieve school goals
• Assists with the development of and management of the secondary school budget

Salary and Benefits

A salary and benefits package competitive for the region and the size of the school will be offered to the successful candidate. Benefits include basic furnished housing, utilities (power, water, gas) use of a school owned automobile, tuition for dependents, international health insurance, and annual round-trip airfare to home of record. The initial contract will be for two years and will begin on or around 20 July 2016.

Application Procedure
Send by email the following documents (Please place on the email Subject Line, “Secondary Principal Application”):

  • Cover Application Letter specifically highlighting your strengths and how they might best serve the ISC school and community
  • Resume/CV (please include a current picture)
  • At least two current professional references of individuals to whom you now or recently reported to including their contact information
  • One letter from a faculty member that you currently supervise which outlines your strengths and weaknesses from this person’s perspective. Please ask them to email it directly to me at the email address below
  • A one page statement of your administrative and educational philosophy
  • If you have a spouse that is also an educator please include his/her resume
  • If you have a spouse or other dependents, please list them as well, providing the students ages, current grade levels and any other information of interest.

Email Address to Send Documents: michael.boots@iscbrazil.com
Michael Boots, Secondary Principal and Incumbent Superintendent for 2016-2017
International School Curitiba
Curitiba, Brazil 82410-530 Tel: 5541-3525-7422 Fax: 5541-3525-7499
The DEADLINE for receiving all application materials is Monday, January 18, 2016.
Candidates will be screened by a review committee with initial interviews done by either telephone or internet (Skype, etc.) and final interviews completed by the screening committee. The intention is to complete the initial screening and reference checks by January 25, 2016, with interviews to follow and the final decision made no later than February 5, 2016, or earlier if a qualified candidate is clearly identified.

Administration, Faculty and Staff

The professional staff of 80 faculty & administration is a very talented, well trained, and experienced and are committed to a quality American and International education. Approximately 30% of the faculty is contracted from overseas. The nationality of the faculty consists of 25% American, 70% Brazilian, and 5% other nationalities. The administrative staff consists of a Superintendent, Secondary Principal, Elementary Principal, Early Childhood Principal, Brazilian Program Director and Business Manager. In addition, there are 78 dedicated and competent administrative/clerical team, security personnel and maintenance and custodial staff which support the school.

School Program

The curriculum is American-based, and offers graduate the American, Brazilian and International Baccalaureate Diplomas. The Middle School (grades 6 - 8) and High School (grades 9 – 12) are organized in grade level teams or departments and each division has its own identity. The core academic program consists of language arts, math, science and social studies. Secondary students also have a choice of elective courses while Elementary students have weekly classes in art, music, physical education and technology. A highly academic Portuguese language program is taught beginning in kindergarten and offers Portuguese as a Second Language to foreign students. School-wide support services include English as a Second Language, serving approximately 15-30% of the student population, and a Learning Support Program, serving 5-15% of our students.

Technology Innovation

ISC is using exciting processes and methodologies for using technology to promote innovative teaching and learning. Each teacher and administrator at ISC is provided an Apple iPad and or laptop as appropriate for educational purposes. The Secondary School students each must bring their own personal device. More important than the hardware is the software and apps used to communicate, report, research and create useful and meaningful work both as a teacher professional and as a challenged student.

Sports - South American Activities Conference (SAAC)

ISC is proud to be part of the SAAC which consists of six (6) international schools in six (6) different countries. These schools make up the sports and activities conference that ISC participates in throughout the school year. ISC is the only international school in Brazil invited to be part of this prestigious league. Other schools include: Lincoln School in Buenos Aires, Argentina; American School in Montevideo, Uruguay; Nido de Aguilas in Santiago, Chile; FDR in Lima, Peru; and American School of Quito in Quito, Ecuador. Schools compete in volleyball, soccer and basketball and take turns in hosting the various tournaments. New initiatives in the fine and performing arts have also begun in recent years.

Accreditation and School Calendar

ISC is fully accredited by AdvancED from the United States having just completed its 5 year review in April 2013, the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) from Switzerland and the Brazilian Ministry of Education. ISC is also members of both the Association of American Schools in South American (AASSA) and Association of American Schools in Brazil (AASB).

The school follows a US calendar, beginning in early August and ending in mid to late June. There are two holiday periods of approximately 5-6 weeks each year with the first in December/January (summer in Brazil) and the second in June/July (summer in the northern hemisphere).

 

Attention: If you apply for this position, please inform the school and us (Admin@searchassociates.com) that you saw the notice on the Search Associates website. 

Did You Know…?

Senior associate Harry Deelman was a student under Alec Peterson ("father of the IB") in the 1960's, and was introduced in some depth to the DP hexagon very soon after its creation.