Position Title:
Art Specialist (TK-8)
Date Modified:
May 2026
FLSA Classification:
Part-time, non-exempt
Hours:
approximately 20 hours per week
Salary Range:
$30-40/hr, depending on experience Reports to: Head of School About St. Patrick's Episcopal Day School St. Patrick's is an independent, coeducational Episcopal school serving approximately 150 students in grades Kindergarten Readiness through seven. Located on a picturesque hilltop in Thousand Oaks, the School offers its employees and students a supportive esprit de corps fueled by a common mission
- to inspire and equip children to transform the world. St. Patrick's is not only a School, but also a very special Community of Kindness. We seek to employ people who
- regardless of the role they play in the School
- understand that they impact the lives of our students, families, and colleagues.
Position Purpose St. Patrick's Episcopal Day School seeks a dedicated, creative, and engaging part-time KR-8 Art Teacher to design and deliver a developmentally appropriate visual arts program for students in Kindergarten Readiness through eighth grade. The Art Teacher helps students develop artistic skills, creative confidence, visual literacy, and an appreciation for the role of art in self-expression, culture, history, and community. The KR-8 Art Teacher should be able to work effectively with students across a wide range of ages and developmental stages. The successful candidate will create a joyful, inclusive, and well-organized art classroom where students feel comfortable taking creative risks, exploring a variety of media, and developing their own artistic voices. Key Accountabilities The KR-8 Art Teacher will be responsible for providing engaging, age-appropriate visual arts instruction and supporting the creative life of the School.
This includes:
Visual Arts Instruction Design and deliver a rich visual arts curriculum for students in KR-8th grade. Provide instruction that is developmentally appropriate and aligned with grade-level learning objectives. Introduce students to a variety of artistic media, techniques, tools, and processes. Help students develop foundational art skills, creative problem-solving abilities, visual thinking, and confidence in artistic expression. Encourage students to explore art as a way of seeing, thinking, making, communicating, and understanding the world. Support students in developing their individual creative voices through self-discovery, experimentation, collaboration, and reflection. Create opportunities for students to connect art-making to culture, history, literature, science, social studies, nature, identity, and community. Use projects, discussion, observation, critique, and reflection to deepen student understanding and artistic growth. Teach and/or support Middle School art electives, as assigned, providing students with opportunities for deeper exploration of specific media, techniques, artistic movements, creative processes, and personal artistic expression. Establish and maintain a safe, joyful, inclusive, and respectful classroom environment where students feel comfortable taking creative risks. Demonstrate a commitment to equity, inclusion, and multicultural teaching practices. Integrated Curriculum and Collaboration Collaborate with classroom teachers and specialist teachers to support integrated curriculum and schoolwide learning experiences. Design art experiences that connect meaningfully to classroom themes, school traditions, chapel or service themes when appropriate, and broader areas of study. Work collaboratively with faculty to support student learning, school events, performances, exhibitions, and interdisciplinary projects. Support schoolwide productions, programs, and celebrations through visual arts as appropriate. Participate in the life of the School as a member of the faculty team. Art Displays, Exhibitions, and Events Coordinate rotating student art displays throughout campus. Organize and maintain attractive, thoughtful, and age-appropriate displays of student work. Plan, curate, and organize the School's annual art show as part of the Spring Fine Arts Festival. Collaborate with classroom teachers, the music teacher, and other faculty to ensure the Spring Fine Arts Festival celebrates student creativity across the arts. Prepare student artwork for display in school events, open houses, concerts, admissions events, and other community gatherings as appropriate. Help students understand exhibitions as opportunities to share process, creativity, growth, and learning with the broader community. Assessment, Communication, and Documentation Observe, assess, and communicate student growth in visual arts. Provide feedback to students in ways that support creativity, skill development, reflection, and confidence. Communicate with parents and guardians as needed regarding student progress, engagement, and growth. Contribute to progress reports, narrative comments, conferences, or other school communication processes as assigned. Maintain lesson plans and effectively use the Student Information System and other school platforms as required. Adapt curriculum and instructional approaches as necessary based on student needs, available materials, schedule changes, or schoolwide priorities. Classroom, Materials, and Program Management Set up, organize, and maintain the art classroom. Order, manage, and care for art supplies, tools, and materials. Maintain an organized, safe, and inviting studio environment. Teach students appropriate use, care, and cleanup of materials and tools. Manage the classroom and program budget in collaboration with the Head of School. Supervise parent volunteers when needed. Plan relevant field trips, visiting artist experiences, learning celebrations, or community art opportunities when appropriate. School Community Responsibilities Attend and contribute to divisional and all-employee meetings, as available. Participate in all-school events and processes as needed or requested by the Head of School. Attend a limited number of evening or weekend school events when required. Support Middle School clubs, electives, special programs, and community-building experiences as assigned. Support student supervision responsibilities, such as recess, lunch, arrival, dismissal, or other duties, as assigned. Fulfill other duties as assigned. Opportunities and Challenges The KR-8 Art Teacher plays a meaningful role in the life of a St. Patrick's student. The teacher helps students develop creativity, confidence, persistence, observation, craftsmanship, self-expression, and appreciation for the arts.
The teacher must:
Model the St. Patrick's Community of Kindness. Demonstrate strong listening, verbal, and written communication skills with students, parents, and colleagues. Embrace the School's Episcopal identity, ethos, and commitment to respecting the dignity of each individual. Create a classroom culture that is joyful, inclusive, organized, and respectful. Work effectively with students across a broad developmental range, from early childhood through middle school. Support students with different levels of artistic confidence, experience, and ability. Balance creative freedom with clear expectations, routines, safety procedures, and project goals. Contribute positively to the broader creative and community life of the School. Growth Mindset Collaborate with colleagues on instructional strategies and interdisciplinary projects. Pursue growth in visual arts education, child development, inclusive teaching practices, classroom management, and relevant technology skills. Seek professional development resources, training, and experiences related to visual arts, pedagogy, and multicultural education. Network with peers at other local and national independent schools. Demonstrate commitment to personal and professional growth. Receive and apply feedback thoughtfully to strengthen professional practice. Qualifications A Bachelor's degree is required; an advanced degree in art, art education, education, or a related field is preferred. Three to five years of art teaching experience preferred, ideally including both elementary and middle school grades. Deep knowledge of visual arts practice across a range of media. Experience designing developmentally appropriate art curriculum for students across multiple grade levels. Strong understanding of child development and the developmental needs of students from early childhood through middle school. Demonstrated commitment to inclusive and multicultural teaching practices. Strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills. A personal style that inspires students, builds strong relationships, and encourages creativity, confidence, equity, and inclusion. Good humor, energy, a passion for teaching, and a love of learning. Comfort using technology to support teaching, communication, documentation, and report writing, including Google Workspace and other age-appropriate educational tools. Previous experience in an independent school setting is a plus. Ability to provide proof of Fingerprint, SB 848, and TB clearance. Must complete required new employee training, including but not limited to mandated reporter training, First Aid/CPR, and required school safety modules. Physical Requirements Ability to lift approximately 30 lbs. Ability to work for extended periods of time, including occasional weeknights and weekends when required. Ability to work with children and adults in indoor and outdoor settings. Ability to work in on-campus, home, and field trip settings. Ability to stand, bend, reach, move around the classroom, and assist students with art materials, tools, displays, and cleanup. Ability to safely manage art supplies and classroom materials. How to Apply Complete an EdJoin online application OR submit your letter of interest and resume in PDF format to teach@stpatricksto.org It is the policy of St. Patrick's Episcopal Day School to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified persons and recruit, hire, train, terminate, promote, and compensate persons in all jobs without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or other protected classifications in accordance with federal law.
