EMPLOYMENT

Employment Information

Compass Public Charter School is currently taking applications for full time teachers. Must be competent in language & reading.

Please send your resume, cover letter, and a copy of a current Idaho Teaching Certificate and three letters of reference to [email protected] or mail it to Compass Public Charter School, 4667 W. Aviator St., Meridian, ID 83642.

Applicants who are offered an interview will be asked to observe in one or more Compass classrooms either before or following the interview.

We are looking for individuals who have the following qualifications: 

• All instructional staff must be certified teachers, or have a waiver or another limited certification option obtained as provided by rule of the State Board of Education.  Qualified applicants with 5 or more years of teaching experience are preferred.
• All instructional staff must be highly qualified as required by the Idaho State Department of Education.
• Must possess personal characteristics, knowledge base, and successful experiences necessary for meeting the requirements of our charter. 
• Must have a working knowledge of the Common Core Standards.
• Will be able to demonstrate use of formative assessments to inform instruction.
• All applicants will have, at a minimum, a basic knowledge of the Understanding by Design Framework for developing units of instruction.
• Must possess the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationship with the Administrator, as well as personnel, parents, students, and the public. 
• Will perform such other tasks as may, from time to time, be assigned by the Administrator. 

Terms of Employment: 

• Length of employment to be determined by the Administrator and the school’s Board of Directors. 
• Salary to be determined by the Administrator and the school’s Board of Directors. 

Compass Mission, Vision, Philosophy and Core Values

The mission, vision and values of an organization work together to influence the culture of an organization.  They create community, unite people in the pursuit of a common purpose and provide the foundation for the expectations of work customs, conditions and capabilities. Without them, people may act through a sense of compliance, not a sense of commitment. Commitment mobilizes peoples’ energies and focuses organizational attention.  

Compass Mission Statement:

Compass Public Charter School’s Mission is to provide a safe and challenging learning community that prepares students for life long excellence through exceptional academics, character development, and the ability to define and defend a personal worldview.

Compass Philosophy Statement:

The philosophy of Compass is to foster a learning community built on relationships and trust where students feel physically and emotionally secure to pursue a challenging education and persevere beyond expectations.

Compass Vision:

Compass Public Charter School seeks to provide a well-rounded education in a safe environment, with high academic and behavioral expectations; where students, educators, and parents work in partnership to encourage the development of self-motivated lifelong learners and productive citizens who make positive contributions to society. 

Purpose Statements:

K-10 Purpose Statement: CPCS’s K-10th grade purpose is to provide an academic program that develops character and a work ethic which sets students up for success in our Compass college immersion program.

11-12 Purpose Statement: CPCS’s 11-12th grade purpose is to provide an academic program based on the Compass college immersion program, where excellence is our standard, not our goal.

Compass Core Values:

As our children chart their course through these tumultuous years, we hope to direct them to a safe haven.  Each child has the right to come to school without fear of taunting, teasing or violence.  Each parent has the right to expect a school to provide a safe, kind environment for his/her child.  Each staff member has the right to teach without fear of violence.  Students, parents and teachers will experience peace of mind in the Compass Public Charter School setting.  We believe that a kind environment should be extended through the potentially difficult middle school and high school years

Students and parents respect Compass Public Charter School teachers, as role models and instructors, for their commitment to education and their genuine concern for children. Intelligence, creativity, responsibility and loyalty are characteristics of the faculty. 

Parents expect and appreciate direct and regular communication from faculty regarding their children. Reciprocally, parents are responsive to suggestions from teachers and administrators for helping students. 

Compass Public Charter School recognizes each child as an individual who, by virtue of his/her humanity, is in community with all the other children in the school, regardless of age. By providing moral and ethical standards, the school prepares its students to accept the privileges and responsibilities of American citizenship. Every child is capable of achieving his/her potential to the fullest extent when afforded respect, fairness, kindness, discipline and appropriate instruction. 

GUIDING PRINCIPLES (as borrowed from the Love & Logic® Philosophy):

1. We believe every attempt should be made to maintain the dignity and self-respect of both students and teachers.
2. We believe students must be guided and expected to solve their problems, or the ones they create, without creating problems for anyone else.  
3. We believe an adult must take over if a student does not or cannot take care of the problem.
4. We believe students must be given opportunities to make decisions and live with the consequences, be they good or bad.
5. We believe misbehavior must be handled with natural or logical consequences instead of punishment, whenever possible.
6. We believe misbehavior must be viewed as an opportunity for the student to learn and grow in preparation for the real world.
7. We believe students and parents must be allowed to request a “due process hearing” whenever consequences appear to be unfair.
8. We believe parents should be contacted when a problem becomes chronic.
9. We believe school problems will be handled by school personnel.  Criminal activity will be referred to the proper authorities.

What Does Compass Culture “Look” Like? (Borrowed from The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement, “The Hidden Curriculum.” December, 2006)

Walk into any truly excellent school and you can feel it almost immediately—a calm, orderly atmosphere that hums with an exciting, vibrant sense of purposefulness just under the surface. Students carry themselves with poise and confidence. Teachers talk about their work with intensity and professionalism and despite the sense of serious business at hand, both teachers and students seem happy and confident rather than stressed. Everyone seems to know who they are and why they are there, and students and staff treats each other with the respect due to full partners in an important enterprise.

THE COMPASS MODEL IS BASED ON FOUR OVERARCHING KEY THEMES:

1. NEXT LEVEL EXCELLENCE – compass prepares students for lifelong success through unparalleled educational and real world learning opportunities.
2. EXCEPTIONAL ACADEMICS – compass challenges students with a rigorous academic curriculum.
3. STRONG CHARACTER VALUES – compass instills students with a strong sense of community, integrity and responsibility.  
4. WORLDVIEW DEVELOPMENT – compass empowers students to become critical thinkers, engaged citizens and inspired leaders by providing a safe learning environment to develop, articulate, and defend their personal view of the world.  

STUDENT EXCELLENCE IN LEADERSHIP

• Students lead by example
• Students model respect for authority
• Students demonstrate positive character traits
• Students stand up for what is right, even if it doesn’t make them popular
• Students recognize that they are role models for younger students within the school
• Students follow the one school rule 
• Students participate in student government/activities
• Students strive to achieve an invitation into NJHS and NHS
• Students exhibit leadership in the classroom through active participation, using time wisely, contributing to discussions, and respecting the teacher

TEACHER EXCELLENCE IN LEADERSHIP

• Teachers model character traits and the expectations of the National Honor Society Creed

• Teachers go above and beyond what is expected, take initiative, and follow our tag line – “Discovering Excellence”

• Teachers demonstrate what it means to be a “servant leader” – do what is right even when you don’t feel like doing it

• Teachers are problem solvers. They are part of the solution, not part of the problem

• Teachers model what is expected of students. Don’t do what they wouldn’t allow students to do

• Teachers model professionalism in dress and behavior. Dress and behavior distinguish teachers from school visitors/volunteers

STUDENT EXCELLENCE IN ACHIEVEMENT

• Students learn to persevere towards mastery of their learning
• Students articulate what they are learning
• Students demonstrate internal motivation to learn and excel
• Students are deeply engaged in their learning 
• Students take personal accountability for their performance in school 
• Students demonstrate a connection with their learning by setting goals and monitoring their personal growth and academic improvement 
• Students demonstrate exemplary work habits 
• Students work toward becoming well-rounded, life-long learners

TEACHER EXCELLENCE IN ACHIEVEMENT

• • Teachers know what it means to teach to the high and support the low
  • Teachers value depth over breadth
  • Teachers understand the importance of balancing a healthy level of pressure with challenging academics
  • Teachers work at creating and maintaining a risk-safe environment
  • Teachers help students develop a personal responsibility for learning through academic goal setting
  • Teachers use teachable moments (not stuck in rote activities)
  • Teachers Ask rather than Tell
  • Teachers use information and knowledge to move students beyond knowledge to understanding (Depth of Knowledge)
  • Teachers encourage growth (Growth Mindset)vs. good grades
  • Teachers model energy and engagement to develop focused and engaged learners

• Teachers provide quality instruction that includes Idaho Core Standards, Understanding by Design, Mathematical Thinking for Instruction, Questions/Activities requiring “extending thinking” (4th level of depth of knowledge), and Assessments based on Clear Learning Targets

STUDENT EXCELLENCE IN CULTURE

• Students respect Compass teachers, as role models and instructors, for their commitment to education and their genuine concern for students
• Students contribute to a caring and kind community with pride for their school 
• Students demonstrate kindness to others, creating a sense of security
• Students model a sense of respect and responsibility for people and property
• Students understand that they are expected to solve their own problems, or the ones they create, without creating problems for anyone else  
• Students are given opportunities to make decisions and live with the consequences, be they good or bad
• Students recognize that practicing habits of respectful behavior toward others is a valuable habit for life
• Students recognize that practicing setting appropriate limits on how they allow others to treat them is a valuable habit for life

TEACHER EXCELLENCE IN CULTURE

• Teachers practice/model what is expected of students such as respect and a growth mindset
• Teachers follow through, utilize consistency
• Teachers assure that students four basic needs are met in the classroom: Inclusion, Control, Affection, and Competency
• Teachers develop rapport and demonstrate kindness. Kindness is the precursor to a safe and warm learning environment
• Teachers are prepared and ready to teach when students enter the room
• Teachers are proactive and alert. They use real-life examples to establish expectations
• Teachers establish the expectations and honor the students choice
• Teachers follow the school rules/expectations even if they don’t agree/like them
• Teachers set students up for success and think through the consequence of activities/privileges they determine for their own class
• Teachers use the Love & Logic Philosophy of discipline
• Teachers use humor appropriately
• Teachers (K-8) walk in lines with their students where they can see the entire line and have stopping points where corners occur

STUDENT EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNITY

• Students develop healthy social relationships through kindness, respect, and inclusion
• Students model school pride and ownership by keeping the school clean and showing respect for school property
• Students recognize that they represent Compass everywhere they go and carry their positive character traits into the community.
• Students participate in service learning and model civic and personal responsibility 

TEACHER EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNITY

• • Teachers demonstrate school pride through “put ups” of school practices and co-workers
  • Teachers consider all students their responsibility and consistently follow through with holding students accountable
  • Teachers maintain relationships with students who have moved on to other grade levels by “noticing” positives, also referred to as “making deposits” (Love & Logic)
  • Teachers support the school community by attending some of the school events, especially those that their current students are participating in (concerts, sports, etc.)
  • Teachers’ model service and support of each other by allowing students from other classes to use their classroom for recovery, walking another teacher’s class, etc.
  • Teachers have the attitude that “all work is honorable,” when they see something that needs to be done, they take initiative and do it
  • Teachers demonstrate appreciation toward school volunteers
  • Teachers make visitors feel welcome
  • Teachers model “customer service,” if a teacher is in the front office and the office manager is busy, the teacher steps in to offer help to a visitor
  • Teachers share proactively with one another both positives and concerns

• Teachers avoid gossip by taking a problem directly to the person who can fix/correct the problem

Employment Information

Compass Public Charter School is currently taking applications for full time teachers. Must be competent in math.

Please send your resume, cover letter, and a copy of a current Idaho Teaching Certificate and three letters of reference to [email protected] or mail it to Compass Public Charter School, 4667 W. Aviator St., Meridian, ID 83642.

Applicants who are offered an interview will be asked to observe in one or more Compass classrooms either before or following the interview.

We are looking for individuals who have the following qualifications: 

• All instructional staff must be certified teachers, or have a waiver or another limited certification option obtained as provided by rule of the State Board of Education.  Qualified applicants with 5 or more years of teaching experience are preferred.
• All instructional staff must be highly qualified as required by the Idaho State Department of Education.
• Must possess personal characteristics, knowledge base, and successful experiences necessary for meeting the requirements of our charter. 
• Must have a working knowledge of the Common Core Standards.
• Will be able to demonstrate use of formative assessments to inform instruction.
• All applicants will have, at a minimum, a basic knowledge of the Understanding by Design Framework for developing units of instruction.
• Must possess the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationship with the Administrator, as well as personnel, parents, students, and the public. 
• Will perform such other tasks as may, from time to time, be assigned by the Administrator. 

Terms of Employment: 

• Length of employment to be determined by the Administrator and the school’s Board of Directors. 
• Salary to be determined by the Administrator and the school’s Board of Directors. 

Compass Mission, Vision, Philosophy and Core Values

The mission, vision and values of an organization work together to influence the culture of an organization.  They create community, unite people in the pursuit of a common purpose and provide the foundation for the expectations of work customs, conditions and capabilities. Without them, people may act through a sense of compliance, not a sense of commitment. Commitment mobilizes peoples’ energies and focuses organizational attention.  

Compass Mission Statement:

Compass Public Charter School’s Mission is to provide a safe and challenging learning community that prepares students for life long excellence through exceptional academics, character development, and the ability to define and defend a personal worldview.

Compass Philosophy Statement:

The philosophy of Compass is to foster a learning community built on relationships and trust where students feel physically and emotionally secure to pursue a challenging education and persevere beyond expectations.

Compass Vision:

Compass Public Charter School seeks to provide a well-rounded education in a safe environment, with high academic and behavioral expectations; where students, educators, and parents work in partnership to encourage the development of self-motivated lifelong learners and productive citizens who make positive contributions to society. 

Purpose Statements:

K-10 Purpose Statement: CPCS’s K-10th grade purpose is to provide an academic program that develops character and a work ethic which sets students up for success in our Compass college immersion program.

11-12 Purpose Statement: CPCS’s 11-12th grade purpose is to provide an academic program based on the Compass college immersion program, where excellence is our standard, not our goal.

Compass Core Values:

As our children chart their course through these tumultuous years, we hope to direct them to a safe haven.  Each child has the right to come to school without fear of taunting, teasing or violence.  Each parent has the right to expect a school to provide a safe, kind environment for his/her child.  Each staff member has the right to teach without fear of violence.  Students, parents and teachers will experience peace of mind in the Compass Public Charter School setting.  We believe that a kind environment should be extended through the potentially difficult middle school and high school years

Students and parents respect Compass Public Charter School teachers, as role models and instructors, for their commitment to education and their genuine concern for children. Intelligence, creativity, responsibility and loyalty are characteristics of the faculty. 

Parents expect and appreciate direct and regular communication from faculty regarding their children. Reciprocally, parents are responsive to suggestions from teachers and administrators for helping students. 

Compass Public Charter School recognizes each child as an individual who, by virtue of his/her humanity, is in community with all the other children in the school, regardless of age. By providing moral and ethical standards, the school prepares its students to accept the privileges and responsibilities of American citizenship. Every child is capable of achieving his/her potential to the fullest extent when afforded respect, fairness, kindness, discipline and appropriate instruction. 

GUIDING PRINCIPLES (as borrowed from the Love & Logic® Philosophy):

1. We believe every attempt should be made to maintain the dignity and self-respect of both students and teachers.
2. We believe students must be guided and expected to solve their problems, or the ones they create, without creating problems for anyone else.  
3. We believe an adult must take over if a student does not or cannot take care of the problem.
4. We believe students must be given opportunities to make decisions and live with the consequences, be they good or bad.
5. We believe misbehavior must be handled with natural or logical consequences instead of punishment, whenever possible.
6. We believe misbehavior must be viewed as an opportunity for the student to learn and grow in preparation for the real world.
7. We believe students and parents must be allowed to request a “due process hearing” whenever consequences appear to be unfair.
8. We believe parents should be contacted when a problem becomes chronic.
9. We believe school problems will be handled by school personnel.  Criminal activity will be referred to the proper authorities.

What Does Compass Culture “Look” Like? (Borrowed from The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement, “The Hidden Curriculum.” December, 2006)

Walk into any truly excellent school and you can feel it almost immediately—a calm, orderly atmosphere that hums with an exciting, vibrant sense of purposefulness just under the surface. Students carry themselves with poise and confidence. Teachers talk about their work with intensity and professionalism and despite the sense of serious business at hand, both teachers and students seem happy and confident rather than stressed. Everyone seems to know who they are and why they are there, and students and staff treats each other with the respect due to full partners in an important enterprise.

THE COMPASS MODEL IS BASED ON FOUR OVERARCHING KEY THEMES:

1. NEXT LEVEL EXCELLENCE – compass prepares students for lifelong success through unparalleled educational and real world learning opportunities.
2. EXCEPTIONAL ACADEMICS – compass challenges students with a rigorous academic curriculum.
3. STRONG CHARACTER VALUES – compass instills students with a strong sense of community, integrity and responsibility.  
4. WORLDVIEW DEVELOPMENT – compass empowers students to become critical thinkers, engaged citizens and inspired leaders by providing a safe learning environment to develop, articulate, and defend their personal view of the world.  

STUDENT EXCELLENCE IN LEADERSHIP

• Students lead by example
• Students model respect for authority
• Students demonstrate positive character traits
• Students stand up for what is right, even if it doesn’t make them popular
• Students recognize that they are role models for younger students within the school
• Students follow the one school rule 
• Students participate in student government/activities
• Students strive to achieve an invitation into NJHS and NHS
• Students exhibit leadership in the classroom through active participation, using time wisely, contributing to discussions, and respecting the teacher

TEACHER EXCELLENCE IN LEADERSHIP

• Teachers model character traits and the expectations of the National Honor Society Creed

• Teachers go above and beyond what is expected, take initiative, and follow our tag line – “Discovering Excellence”

• Teachers demonstrate what it means to be a “servant leader” – do what is right even when you don’t feel like doing it

• Teachers are problem solvers. They are part of the solution, not part of the problem

• Teachers model what is expected of students. Don’t do what they wouldn’t allow students to do

• Teachers model professionalism in dress and behavior. Dress and behavior distinguish teachers from school visitors/volunteers

STUDENT EXCELLENCE IN ACHIEVEMENT

• Students learn to persevere towards mastery of their learning
• Students articulate what they are learning
• Students demonstrate internal motivation to learn and excel
• Students are deeply engaged in their learning 
• Students take personal accountability for their performance in school 
• Students demonstrate a connection with their learning by setting goals and monitoring their personal growth and academic improvement 
• Students demonstrate exemplary work habits 
• Students work toward becoming well-rounded, life-long learners

TEACHER EXCELLENCE IN ACHIEVEMENT

• • Teachers know what it means to teach to the high and support the low
  • Teachers value depth over breadth
  • Teachers understand the importance of balancing a healthy level of pressure with challenging academics
  • Teachers work at creating and maintaining a risk-safe environment
  • Teachers help students develop a personal responsibility for learning through academic goal setting
  • Teachers use teachable moments (not stuck in rote activities)
  • Teachers Ask rather than Tell
  • Teachers use information and knowledge to move students beyond knowledge to understanding (Depth of Knowledge)
  • Teachers encourage growth (Growth Mindset)vs. good grades
  • Teachers model energy and engagement to develop focused and engaged learners

• Teachers provide quality instruction that includes Idaho Core Standards, Understanding by Design, Mathematical Thinking for Instruction, Questions/Activities requiring “extending thinking” (4th level of depth of knowledge), and Assessments based on Clear Learning Targets

STUDENT EXCELLENCE IN CULTURE

• Students respect Compass teachers, as role models and instructors, for their commitment to education and their genuine concern for students
• Students contribute to a caring and kind community with pride for their school 
• Students demonstrate kindness to others, creating a sense of security
• Students model a sense of respect and responsibility for people and property
• Students understand that they are expected to solve their own problems, or the ones they create, without creating problems for anyone else  
• Students are given opportunities to make decisions and live with the consequences, be they good or bad
• Students recognize that practicing habits of respectful behavior toward others is a valuable habit for life
• Students recognize that practicing setting appropriate limits on how they allow others to treat them is a valuable habit for life

TEACHER EXCELLENCE IN CULTURE

• Teachers practice/model what is expected of students such as respect and a growth mindset
• Teachers follow through, utilize consistency
• Teachers assure that students four basic needs are met in the classroom: Inclusion, Control, Affection, and Competency
• Teachers develop rapport and demonstrate kindness. Kindness is the precursor to a safe and warm learning environment
• Teachers are prepared and ready to teach when students enter the room
• Teachers are proactive and alert. They use real-life examples to establish expectations
• Teachers establish the expectations and honor the students choice
• Teachers follow the school rules/expectations even if they don’t agree/like them
• Teachers set students up for success and think through the consequence of activities/privileges they determine for their own class
• Teachers use the Love & Logic Philosophy of discipline
• Teachers use humor appropriately
• Teachers (K-8) walk in lines with their students where they can see the entire line and have stopping points where corners occur

STUDENT EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNITY

• Students develop healthy social relationships through kindness, respect, and inclusion
• Students model school pride and ownership by keeping the school clean and showing respect for school property
• Students recognize that they represent Compass everywhere they go and carry their positive character traits into the community.
• Students participate in service learning and model civic and personal responsibility 

TEACHER EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNITY

• • Teachers demonstrate school pride through “put ups” of school practices and co-workers
  • Teachers consider all students their responsibility and consistently follow through with holding students accountable
  • Teachers maintain relationships with students who have moved on to other grade levels by “noticing” positives, also referred to as “making deposits” (Love & Logic)
  • Teachers support the school community by attending some of the school events, especially those that their current students are participating in (concerts, sports, etc.)
  • Teachers’ model service and support of each other by allowing students from other classes to use their classroom for recovery, walking another teacher’s class, etc.
  • Teachers have the attitude that “all work is honorable,” when they see something that needs to be done, they take initiative and do it
  • Teachers demonstrate appreciation toward school volunteers
  • Teachers make visitors feel welcome
  • Teachers model “customer service,” if a teacher is in the front office and the office manager is busy, the teacher steps in to offer help to a visitor
  • Teachers share proactively with one another both positives and concerns

• Teachers avoid gossip by taking a problem directly to the person who can fix/correct the problem

Employment Information

Compass Public Charter School is currently taking applications for full time teachers. Must be competent in science.

Please send your resume, cover letter, and a copy of a current Idaho Teaching Certificate and three letters of reference to [email protected] or mail it to Compass Public Charter School, 4667 W. Aviator St., Meridian, ID 83642.

Applicants who are offered an interview will be asked to observe in one or more Compass classrooms either before or following the interview.

We are looking for individuals who have the following qualifications: 

• All instructional staff must be certified teachers, or have a waiver or another limited certification option obtained as provided by rule of the State Board of Education.  Qualified applicants with 5 or more years of teaching experience are preferred.
• All instructional staff must be highly qualified as required by the Idaho State Department of Education.
• Must possess personal characteristics, knowledge base, and successful experiences necessary for meeting the requirements of our charter. 
• Must have a working knowledge of the Common Core Standards.
• Will be able to demonstrate use of formative assessments to inform instruction.
• All applicants will have, at a minimum, a basic knowledge of the Understanding by Design Framework for developing units of instruction.
• Must possess the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationship with the Administrator, as well as personnel, parents, students, and the public. 
• Will perform such other tasks as may, from time to time, be assigned by the Administrator. 

Terms of Employment: 

• Length of employment to be determined by the Administrator and the school’s Board of Directors. 
• Salary to be determined by the Administrator and the school’s Board of Directors. 

Compass Mission, Vision, Philosophy and Core Values

The mission, vision and values of an organization work together to influence the culture of an organization.  They create community, unite people in the pursuit of a common purpose and provide the foundation for the expectations of work customs, conditions and capabilities. Without them, people may act through a sense of compliance, not a sense of commitment. Commitment mobilizes peoples’ energies and focuses organizational attention.  

Compass Mission Statement:

Compass Public Charter School’s Mission is to provide a safe and challenging learning community that prepares students for life long excellence through exceptional academics, character development, and the ability to define and defend a personal worldview.

Compass Philosophy Statement:

The philosophy of Compass is to foster a learning community built on relationships and trust where students feel physically and emotionally secure to pursue a challenging education and persevere beyond expectations.

Compass Vision:

Compass Public Charter School seeks to provide a well-rounded education in a safe environment, with high academic and behavioral expectations; where students, educators, and parents work in partnership to encourage the development of self-motivated lifelong learners and productive citizens who make positive contributions to society. 

Purpose Statements:

K-10 Purpose Statement: CPCS’s K-10th grade purpose is to provide an academic program that develops character and a work ethic which sets students up for success in our Compass college immersion program.

11-12 Purpose Statement: CPCS’s 11-12th grade purpose is to provide an academic program based on the Compass college immersion program, where excellence is our standard, not our goal.

Compass Core Values:

As our children chart their course through these tumultuous years, we hope to direct them to a safe haven.  Each child has the right to come to school without fear of taunting, teasing or violence.  Each parent has the right to expect a school to provide a safe, kind environment for his/her child.  Each staff member has the right to teach without fear of violence.  Students, parents and teachers will experience peace of mind in the Compass Public Charter School setting.  We believe that a kind environment should be extended through the potentially difficult middle school and high school years

Students and parents respect Compass Public Charter School teachers, as role models and instructors, for their commitment to education and their genuine concern for children. Intelligence, creativity, responsibility and loyalty are characteristics of the faculty. 

Parents expect and appreciate direct and regular communication from faculty regarding their children. Reciprocally, parents are responsive to suggestions from teachers and administrators for helping students. 

Compass Public Charter School recognizes each child as an individual who, by virtue of his/her humanity, is in community with all the other children in the school, regardless of age. By providing moral and ethical standards, the school prepares its students to accept the privileges and responsibilities of American citizenship. Every child is capable of achieving his/her potential to the fullest extent when afforded respect, fairness, kindness, discipline and appropriate instruction. 

GUIDING PRINCIPLES (as borrowed from the Love & Logic® Philosophy):

1. We believe every attempt should be made to maintain the dignity and self-respect of both students and teachers.
2. We believe students must be guided and expected to solve their problems, or the ones they create, without creating problems for anyone else.  
3. We believe an adult must take over if a student does not or cannot take care of the problem.
4. We believe students must be given opportunities to make decisions and live with the consequences, be they good or bad.
5. We believe misbehavior must be handled with natural or logical consequences instead of punishment, whenever possible.
6. We believe misbehavior must be viewed as an opportunity for the student to learn and grow in preparation for the real world.
7. We believe students and parents must be allowed to request a “due process hearing” whenever consequences appear to be unfair.
8. We believe parents should be contacted when a problem becomes chronic.
9. We believe school problems will be handled by school personnel.  Criminal activity will be referred to the proper authorities.

What Does Compass Culture “Look” Like? (Borrowed from The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement, “The Hidden Curriculum.” December, 2006)

Walk into any truly excellent school and you can feel it almost immediately—a calm, orderly atmosphere that hums with an exciting, vibrant sense of purposefulness just under the surface. Students carry themselves with poise and confidence. Teachers talk about their work with intensity and professionalism and despite the sense of serious business at hand, both teachers and students seem happy and confident rather than stressed. Everyone seems to know who they are and why they are there, and students and staff treats each other with the respect due to full partners in an important enterprise.

THE COMPASS MODEL IS BASED ON FOUR OVERARCHING KEY THEMES:

1. NEXT LEVEL EXCELLENCE – compass prepares students for lifelong success through unparalleled educational and real world learning opportunities.
2. EXCEPTIONAL ACADEMICS – compass challenges students with a rigorous academic curriculum.
3. STRONG CHARACTER VALUES – compass instills students with a strong sense of community, integrity and responsibility.  
4. WORLDVIEW DEVELOPMENT – compass empowers students to become critical thinkers, engaged citizens and inspired leaders by providing a safe learning environment to develop, articulate, and defend their personal view of the world.  

STUDENT EXCELLENCE IN LEADERSHIP

• Students lead by example
• Students model respect for authority
• Students demonstrate positive character traits
• Students stand up for what is right, even if it doesn’t make them popular
• Students recognize that they are role models for younger students within the school
• Students follow the one school rule 
• Students participate in student government/activities
• Students strive to achieve an invitation into NJHS and NHS
• Students exhibit leadership in the classroom through active participation, using time wisely, contributing to discussions, and respecting the teacher

TEACHER EXCELLENCE IN LEADERSHIP

• Teachers model character traits and the expectations of the National Honor Society Creed

• Teachers go above and beyond what is expected, take initiative, and follow our tag line – “Discovering Excellence”

• Teachers demonstrate what it means to be a “servant leader” – do what is right even when you don’t feel like doing it

• Teachers are problem solvers. They are part of the solution, not part of the problem

• Teachers model what is expected of students. Don’t do what they wouldn’t allow students to do

• Teachers model professionalism in dress and behavior. Dress and behavior distinguish teachers from school visitors/volunteers

STUDENT EXCELLENCE IN ACHIEVEMENT

• Students learn to persevere towards mastery of their learning
• Students articulate what they are learning
• Students demonstrate internal motivation to learn and excel
• Students are deeply engaged in their learning 
• Students take personal accountability for their performance in school 
• Students demonstrate a connection with their learning by setting goals and monitoring their personal growth and academic improvement 
• Students demonstrate exemplary work habits 
• Students work toward becoming well-rounded, life-long learners

TEACHER EXCELLENCE IN ACHIEVEMENT

• • Teachers know what it means to teach to the high and support the low
  • Teachers value depth over breadth
  • Teachers understand the importance of balancing a healthy level of pressure with challenging academics
  • Teachers work at creating and maintaining a risk-safe environment
  • Teachers help students develop a personal responsibility for learning through academic goal setting
  • Teachers use teachable moments (not stuck in rote activities)
  • Teachers Ask rather than Tell
  • Teachers use information and knowledge to move students beyond knowledge to understanding (Depth of Knowledge)
  • Teachers encourage growth (Growth Mindset)vs. good grades
  • Teachers model energy and engagement to develop focused and engaged learners

• Teachers provide quality instruction that includes Idaho Core Standards, Understanding by Design, Mathematical Thinking for Instruction, Questions/Activities requiring “extending thinking” (4th level of depth of knowledge), and Assessments based on Clear Learning Targets

STUDENT EXCELLENCE IN CULTURE

• Students respect Compass teachers, as role models and instructors, for their commitment to education and their genuine concern for students
• Students contribute to a caring and kind community with pride for their school 
• Students demonstrate kindness to others, creating a sense of security
• Students model a sense of respect and responsibility for people and property
• Students understand that they are expected to solve their own problems, or the ones they create, without creating problems for anyone else  
• Students are given opportunities to make decisions and live with the consequences, be they good or bad
• Students recognize that practicing habits of respectful behavior toward others is a valuable habit for life
• Students recognize that practicing setting appropriate limits on how they allow others to treat them is a valuable habit for life

TEACHER EXCELLENCE IN CULTURE

• Teachers practice/model what is expected of students such as respect and a growth mindset
• Teachers follow through, utilize consistency
• Teachers assure that students four basic needs are met in the classroom: Inclusion, Control, Affection, and Competency
• Teachers develop rapport and demonstrate kindness. Kindness is the precursor to a safe and warm learning environment
• Teachers are prepared and ready to teach when students enter the room
• Teachers are proactive and alert. They use real-life examples to establish expectations
• Teachers establish the expectations and honor the students choice
• Teachers follow the school rules/expectations even if they don’t agree/like them
• Teachers set students up for success and think through the consequence of activities/privileges they determine for their own class
• Teachers use the Love & Logic Philosophy of discipline
• Teachers use humor appropriately
• Teachers (K-8) walk in lines with their students where they can see the entire line and have stopping points where corners occur

STUDENT EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNITY

• Students develop healthy social relationships through kindness, respect, and inclusion
• Students model school pride and ownership by keeping the school clean and showing respect for school property
• Students recognize that they represent Compass everywhere they go and carry their positive character traits into the community.
• Students participate in service learning and model civic and personal responsibility 

TEACHER EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNITY

• • Teachers demonstrate school pride through “put ups” of school practices and co-workers
  • Teachers consider all students their responsibility and consistently follow through with holding students accountable
  • Teachers maintain relationships with students who have moved on to other grade levels by “noticing” positives, also referred to as “making deposits” (Love & Logic)
  • Teachers support the school community by attending some of the school events, especially those that their current students are participating in (concerts, sports, etc.)
  • Teachers’ model service and support of each other by allowing students from other classes to use their classroom for recovery, walking another teacher’s class, etc.
  • Teachers have the attitude that “all work is honorable,” when they see something that needs to be done, they take initiative and do it
  • Teachers demonstrate appreciation toward school volunteers
  • Teachers make visitors feel welcome
  • Teachers model “customer service,” if a teacher is in the front office and the office manager is busy, the teacher steps in to offer help to a visitor
  • Teachers share proactively with one another both positives and concerns

• Teachers avoid gossip by taking a problem directly to the person who can fix/correct the problem