Job Description

Position Title: Elementary Teacher

Location: Hydrostone Academy

Who We Are:

Hydrostone Academy (formerly the Shambhala School) is an independent school committed to providing a nurturing and engaging educational experience for students from Pre-Primary through Grade 12. Our program is grounded in five core pillars: Mindfulness, Outdoor Education, Integrated Arts, Community, and Culturally Sustaining Academics. These values guide everything we do-from curriculum design to daily routines.

About the Role:

We're looking for an Elementary Teacher who brings both heart and skill to the classroom. In this role, you'll guide a class of curious learners through a year of growth and discovery. You'll work closely with specialist teachers, collaborate with families, and draw inspiration from the Nova Scotia curriculum while integrating Hydrostone Academy's values into everyday learning.

Your presence in the classroom sets the tone: you create a warm, inclusive, and structured environment where students feel safe to take risks, explore new ideas, and be themselves.

What You'll Do:

• Foster Mindfulness
  • Weave mindful moments into the day, helping students build focus, resilience, and emotional awareness.
  • Cultivate calm and connection through reflection and breath-based practices.
• Bring Learning Outdoors
  • Use the natural world as your classroom-whether that's teaching in Needham Park, guiding nature walks, or exploring environmental themes through inquiry-based learning.
• Build Strong Community Connections
  • Encourage classroom collaboration, buddy programs, and daily rituals like the morning circle.
  • Support whole-school events such as festivals, rites of passage, and family celebrations.
• Support Culturally Sustaining Academics
  • Centre diverse voices, histories, and identities in your teaching.
  • Use inclusive practices like Universal Design for Learning, restorative approaches to discipline, and decolonizing frameworks.
• Deliver an Arts-Integrated Curriculum
  • Incorporate music, movement, visual arts, theatre, and handwork into your lessons.
  • Support students in expressing themselves through creative and tactile learning experiences.

Festivals and Celebrations

You'll help your students prepare for and participate in our Fall, Winter, and Spring Festivals. These events are joyful opportunities to share learning and showcase the creative process.

• Guide students in creating presentations, performances, and displays
• Collaborate with colleagues to integrate cross-curricular work
• Celebrate student growth in a way that is supportive and affirming
• Welcome families and the broader community into the life of the school

Student Assessment & Success Planning

• Report Cards
  • Issued three times per year
  • Written through a strengths-based lens, focusing on growth and virtues
• Success Plans
  • Begin the year by reviewing files and collaborating with previous teachers
  • Develop and update individualized plans for students as needed
  • Share and refine plans in partnership with families, particularly during fall conferences

What We're Looking For:

• Bachelor's Degree in Education (or a related field)
• Previous experience teaching at the elementary level
• Comfort with mindfulness and its use in classroom settings
• A love of the outdoors and interest in environmental education
• Understanding of inclusive, anti-oppressive, and culturally responsive teaching practices
• Confidence integrating arts-based and inquiry-driven instruction
• Strong communication, organization, and collaboration skills

Why Join Hydrostone Academy?

We offer a unique, mission-driven environment where teachers are supported to be creative, intentional, and connected to the heart of their work. You'll be part of a school that values relationships, honours childhood, and celebrates learning in all its forms.

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