Welcome to
Arundel Elementary School.
Connected. Committed. Community.
Plus the Rewards You've Earned.
Rochelle Machado
Principal
What's Next?
Growth is about what’s next.
So, what’s next for you?
If your next professional step in a career focused on Early Learning is as much about rewards as it is about challenges, we should talk.
If you want what’s next to include a community—a family—where you’ll feel connected and respected, we invite you to consider a new position with us at Arundel Elementary School in Baltimore’s Cherry Hill neighborhood.
When you join our experienced instructional team and award-winning, hands-on leadership at the 21st Century Arundel Elementary School, you’re welcomed into the family. We’re Early Learning specialists focused on the social emotional growth and foundational math and language arts for the Pre-K through second grade. That’s it. Pre-K through second grade. And that’s special.
Your professional growth is nurtured by colleagues and leaders who welcome your ideas and deliver the support you need to succeed. And your success is a vital first step in the Cherry Hill Community’s vision for a robust cradle-to-college-and-careers pipeline of well-funded, state-of-the-art programs that will help overcome historic racial inequity and shape a model for schools and communities across the City, Maryland, and beyond.
If you believe you offer something special to Cherry Hill’s early learners—children of a historically disadvantaged neighborhood—then you’re ready to help decide what’s next on their path to a bright future.
As you shape what’s next for an amazing community of early learners, you’ll shape what’s next for you.
This web page is our way of telling the story at the school level. When you’re ready, we’ll link you to the Baltimore City Public Schools System website to formally apply.
But we’d like to get to know you first!
Please have a good look around this website. We’ve tried to provide the kind of information you need to make a tough, transformational decision. And we’re happy to answer your questions before we ask you to tell us more about yourself.
What's Best for Kids
Principal Rochelle Machado was named recipient of the "Heart of the School Award" presented by The Fund for Educational Excellence (as seen in this video from the old Arundel Elementary building)
What jobs are open?
Currently, there are just two 2nd-grade teacher openings at Arundel Elementary School: one Math and one English Language Arts.
More than specific grade-level experience, however, we are looking for talented, passionate, early-learning professionals. If you’re truly good at what you do, we know we can find a role that may not exactly match the grades you have taught in the past. No matter what, let’s talk!
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Do you have questions?
If you have any questions—about our school, the application process, pay and benefits, or anything else—we welcome your email or text. Just let us know your question and the best way to be in touch!
Call or text 410-929-3477 Or email us at cgfinkelstein@bcps.k12.md.us
How do I apply?
First, we’d like to get to know you! Your formal application or request to transfer (for current City Schools teachers) to a new teaching position within the Baltimore City Public School System will utilize the BCPSS Human Capital system. But before you take that step, we’d want to learn more about you and your interest in working at Arundel Elementary School.
Here's the best way to get started:
1. Take your time to look over the information on this introductory webpage. Start gathering your
questions and ideas.
3. A member of our team will be in touch to set up a time to talk. This will be a very informal
conversation, where you can ask questions about the school, about our team, and about
the process of being selected to join us.
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4. Then, if it still feels like a match, we’ll talk about an offer. And if you’re excited to join us,
we’ll work directly with you to guide you through the formal BCPSS application process.
Steps will include a 45-minute assessment and a phone interview. You’ll need U.S.
citizenship/eligibility to work in the U.S., a resume, and a copy of your college transcript.
Ideally, you have your Maryland teaching license, but if not, you can still apply and work
toward certification.
5. Then, if it still feels like a match, we’ll talk about an offer. And if you’re excited to join us, we’ll work
directly with you to guide you through the formal BCPSS application process. Steps will include a 45-
minute assessment and a phone interview. You’ll need U.S. citizenship/eligibility to work in the U.S., a
resume, and a copy of your college transcript. Ideally, you have your Maryland teaching license but if
not, you can still apply and work toward certification.
2. Submit your resume to cgfinkelstein@bcps.k12.md.us.
6. That’s when the good stuff starts! We’ll share our orientation and onboarding process and get to work!
Why not work at a school where:
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I can be proud to work
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I can make a difference and my ideas are welcomed
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Teaching can be fun
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I have a community of colleagues
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My personal life is respected
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I can be successful
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I can learn
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I’m treated fairly and paid well
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I get the help I need and
have someone to talk to about work -
It’s an easy commute from a cool
place to live -
Leadership will back me up
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I work in a beautiful new facility
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I don’t have to make everything
happen on my own, with my
own money
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Yes. Highly competitive pay and benefits.
As part of the Baltimore City Public Schools System, Arundel Elementary School provides standard system salaries starting at over $50,000 —one of the highest in the country—with a full portfolio of benefits. Teachers who qualify for our Model pathway through their impact on student achievement can earn more than $90,000 after just a few years in the classroom.
Of course there are health insurance choices—from Kaiser, BlueChoice, and CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield—plus dental coverage including a dental HMO and a buy-up plan. Vision coverage providing for services every two years is free, with an optional buy-up plan. And prescription drug coverage is available with a modest co-pay.
Depending on your position and bargaining unit, you can participate in 403(b) tax-sheltered savings plans. That’s in addition to pension plans through the State of Maryland or City of Baltimore.
Modest life and long-term disability insurance are free. Other benefits include Flexible Spending Account for childcare or healthcare expenses, an Employee Assistance Plan offering confidential counseling services, dependent child tuition waiver (for employees who live outside the city but want to enroll their children in City Schools), and higher education tuition reimbursement.
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Career Pathways in Baltimore City Public Schools
We offer four career pathways customized to fit your interests and development goals. Whether you’re just starting or have taught for years, you’ll always have opportunities for growth—professionally and financially. The four pathways, each of which offer different pay models and requirements, include:
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Standard: Focused on developing instructional practice with professional development.
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Professional: Focused on classroom success, with additional opportunities for school-based leadership roles.
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Model: Focused on modeling excellence, school-based leadership, and creating professional development for colleagues.
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Lead: Focused on leading work to improve student and school performance, while still reserving some time for classroom teaching.
Easy to Reach on the Southern Edge of Baltimore City
We’re easy to get to; located in the heart of historically Black and culturally significant Cherry Hill, and within 2 miles—just over the Hanover St. bridge—from downtown Baltimore and the Federal Hill, Riverside, and Locust Point peninsula to the north. To the west and south are the communities of Westport, Brooklyn, and Fairfield, Glen Burnie. And we’re only 45 minutes from DC and its suburbs!
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What's special about
Arundel Elementary School?
What’s it like to work with us? That’s a fair and simple question, but the answer touches on so much; from what we have to what we do and how we do it… to why we’re here.
In addition to our safe, new 21st-Century School building and pay scale well above the national average, our team is a blend of new and seasoned Early Learning specialists led by Rochelle Machado, a principal who believes in the strength of role models and strives every day to build a fulfilling, connected community knitted together with love and a culture of caring and professionalism.
Arundel Elementary Schools serves only children Pre-K through second grade. Most come to our community through Head Start or the Judy Center which is located within our sparkling new facility. And because we are focused only on early learners, our instructional team consists of several colleagues who are working on the same challenges you will be. There is a culture of collaboration and support that extends beyond the classroom to external partner organizations that help take the pressure off and provide financial and technical help when we need it.
Our Community School model and onsite Judy Center mean we have full-time professionals dedicated to strengthening our connections with parents and the community. And as a Certified Green School, we’re all in it together to do our part for our community and our planet!
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Of course, there is more; Restorative Practice for challenged learners, Gifted and Advanced Learning for those ready to move ahead, and a vigorous Professional Development program enhanced by outside resources to help each member of our instructional team grow into what’s next for us.
We’d love for you to see for yourself. If you are ready to join one of Baltimore leading Early Learning centers and a warm, welcoming community of colleagues, Arundel Elementary School may be what’s next for you.
We are a key part of a community committed to our children.
When you join us at Arundel Elementary School, there is one thing you can count on. We care about the children and families we serve, and they care about us!
All of our students are eligible for free or reduced lunch. Historically, students in our schools have performed well below statewide averages. Data from 2019 shows that 5 percent were proficient in reading and 3 percent were proficient in math.
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That means it’s going to take something extraordinary to close those gaps by delivering the education our children deserve. And that’s exactly what’s happening in Cherry Hill. As you scroll down the page, you’ll read more about the significant investment now underway in Cherry Hill and its “cradle-to-college-and-careers” education pipeline. Led by the community and guided by a nonprofit called Cherry Hill Strong, the initiative is being supported by BCPSS, the City, the State of Maryland, the Dream BIG Foundation, and many others. It is coming to life in our school in a wide variety of ways, from paid professional development and teacher coaches to tutoring and funds to cover out-of-pocket expenses so often given from the pockets of teachers and school administrators!
Our population is 95 percent Black. A 2021 survey shows that 90 percent of students and families feel welcome at Arundel Elementary School. And 87 percent believed Arundel Elementary School is preparing their child for the next year mostly or extremely well. That means our instructional team, our partners, our community leaders, and our families are working together.
So, we’re looking for the best. We’re looking for teachers who have what it takes to care for our students, to connect with our parents, and to accelerate learning. We all know that every child wants to thrive. And we are committed to making that possible.
Paid Professional Learning
is something special here.
Every teacher in the BCPS System is provided with professional development opportunities. New teachers receive specialized support including a summer institute, professional learning, and site-based mentoring.
But something different and special is happening for teachers in Cherry Hill’s two schools. The community-wide initiative to provide nonprofit and private support for our schools has opened the door to resources not available to most Baltimore City Public Schools.
As a member of our instructional team, you will be provided with instructional coaching focused on academic acceleration, data literacy, and socioemotional teaching practices.
And you will receive a stipend for building your competencies and skills. Working with professional coaches not only makes you more effective and your teaching more satisfying, it means you’re ready, sooner, to step up to your next opportunity within our school or beyond.
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Be a part of something much bigger:
A Community Transformation
As a teacher, would you like to see the bigger picture of where your work is leading?
Would you like to see transformational change in real-time?
Would you like to know that you and your work will be supported?
Would you like to be part of something truly remarkable—beyond just what happens in your classroom?
You can do all four and more in Cherry Hill.
Change is happening in Cherry Hill, and it’s not just in our school. Based on a vision developed by the community and with resources coming from the public and private sectors, there is a plan for the transformation of this unique community.
Led by the Cherry Hill Community Coalition of community leaders, coordinated by a new nonprofit called Cherry Hill Strong, and using the nationally-recognized Purpose Built Communities’ holistic model, community transformation is underway with initiatives in housing, wellness/economic vitality… education.
Maryland State Senate President Bill Ferguson, whose district includes Cherry Hill, has been a leading advocate for the Purpose Built Communities process and for funding the initiatives that will be vital to success. Already completed are two new 21st-Century Schools and a new early learning Judy Center at Arundel Elementary School. A $23 million Middle Branch Fitness & Wellness Center is complete.
The vision for education in Cherry Hill is to create a connected, well-resourced, continuum of high-quality programs and services to support families and children from birth to high-paying careers. The nonprofit Dream BIG Foundation has been selected by Baltimore City Public Schools to champion and support development of this cradle-to-college-and-career education “pipeline.”
The education strategies focus on early childhood, family engagement, academic growth, and social emotional learning. The approach is:
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PLACED-BASED – Resources are best utilized in a concentrated community (Cherry Hill!) so that young people and their families experience positive benefits from a continuum of services.
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COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP – The Cherry Hill community is determining its own destiny, with other organizations contributing as allies to their work.
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HIGH-QUALITY PROGRAMMING – Cherry Hill youth deserve the best services possible. Our focus is on Social Emotional Learning, STEAM, and engagement with students and families.
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COLLECTIVE IMPACT – There is power in collaboration that focuses on a shared vision and utilizes data as a learning tool to determine strategy as well as serve as a metric to help hold the work accountable.
What does a 21st-Century
School look like?
In Baltimore, the term “21st-Century School” refers to future-focused, adaptable, sustainable, high-quality schools. Arundel Elementary School is one of 11 City schools built or transformed under the master plan. Completed in 2018, this $36 million state-of-the-art school features a multi-media library, full-service kitchen, gymnasium, outdoor arena, collaboration space and a dedicated Early Childhood development center.
Shared spaces are centrally located and each grade has its own “neighborhood” that includes a collaborative learning space and resource room.
Our new building supports excellence in teaching and learning with flexible and adaptable space, learning areas designed for interaction and collaboration, and technology-equipped classrooms, enabling students to meet today's—and tomorrow's—high standards. Arundel Elementary School provides Cherry Hill with a shared public resource that enriches the community. It is the healthy, safe, efficient, and modern school buildings all children—and teachers—deserve.
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Become part of the solution to Cherry Hill's inequity story.
As you think about a new teaching job and consider working with us in Cherry Hill, it may help to share a little background and history.
Cherry Hill is located across the Patapsco River—just over the Hanover St. bridge—from the Federal Hill neighborhood and downtown Baltimore. Over the years since its founding in the early 1940s, the community has produced a host of prominent lawmakers, educators, entertainers, along with a sense of pride equal to any one of Baltimore’s unique neighborhoods. Growing up in Cherry Hill has meant growing up in a “village” where families come together to raise their next generation.
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The story of Cherry Hill begins, however, in America’s racist past. It was one of America’s first planned, segregated, Black communities. Racist attitudes and policies like restrictive covenants, redlining, a segregated schools at the time were central to the decision to build housing for returning World War II Black veterans… somewhere other than near white communities.
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So, Cherry Hill was born on the undeveloped, undesirable southern waterfront of the Patapsco river. Most of the 600 new units were public housing —for rent, not to own. (For nakedly racist reasons, Blacks did not benefit from the GI bill, which provided low-interest loans and free college education and job training to white veterans.)
Today, Cherry Hill is home to the City’s largest public housing project. There now are 3,100 housing units in the community, 85 percent of which are rentals, and 1,394 of those units are public housing.
The community of approximately 8,000 residents faces numerous challenges. Approximately 55 percent of households earn less than $25,000 per year. Grocery options are limited as is public transportation. Only 36 percent of adults have a high school diploma.
The past 80 years of inequity, under investment, and systemic obstacles have prevented the community from achieving its potential. There is much work to do and it will take time. It will take resources. Most of all, it will take talent and commitment.
What's next... for you?
We wonder if it’s Arundel Elementary School’s focused world of early learning. And we invite you to check us out before you can know for sure.
We think you’ll like what you find… a clean, safe, inviting space built just for our earliest learners—Pre-K through second grade—and a close, caring, family of professional educators dedicated to the children and the families of Baltimore’s unique Cherry Hill community.
This is a place where your ideas are welcome. A place where your voice is heard. On a team where you always know where you stand. A perfect place to launch your what’s next!
