K-8 School Counselor

AMS Schools•Avondale, AZ

5d•$61,000 - $65,000•Onsite

About The Position

The School Counselor’s role is to address the socio and emotional needs of scholars in order to enable scholars to fully participate in AMS’s rigorous program and increase scholar achievement. In order to coordinate comprehensive counseling program, the Counselor must work closely with other staff including the Dean of Students and school leadership at each site. The ideal candidate for this position is firm and caring, believes that all scholars can be successful through support of the scholar and training of teachers and staff, and that socio and emotional support and accountability of scholars must be implemented in tandem to create a thriving learning environment both for the individual and for all scholars on campus.

Requirements

State counseling licensure
Arizona School Counselor Certificate
Master’s degree in School Guidance and Counseling or a related field
Prior experience counseling at a campus or district level (1-3 years)
Knowledge of state and federal law as it pertains to scholar emotional health and the services that can be offered on campuses in contrast with services that must be referred to medical health professionals outside of campuses

Nice To Haves

At least 1-3 years of teaching experience
Experience with Kids at Hope, Leader in Me, Love and Logic, and various schoolwide approaches to positive and proactive behavior management such as PBIS and CHAMPs
Has knowledge and becomes an expert resource on social and emotional learning research, evaluation, strategies, theories, techniques, and methods of instruction for the network
Understands the five social and emotional learning core competencies
Has successful experience designing and delivering professional development
Is able to plan, organize, provide leadership, and work collaboratively with other teams
Possesses strong interpersonal skills and the ability to create productive and healthy relationships
Demonstrates strong organizational skills with outstanding attention to detail
Proficient in MS PowerPoint, Word, and Excel

Responsibilities

Consult with parents, teachers, administrations, and supporting agencies concerning the personal, socioemotional, and academic needs of scholars
Ensure 100% of scholars that are at-risk feel they have at least one person that cares about them on campus and checks in with them frequently
Develop and deliver training for teachers on campus to help support scholar needs
Support a balanced approach in between supporting a scholar’s social and emotional needs while continuing to support the school’s PBIS, Scholar Accountability, and disciplinary systems to increase the odds of success of scholars with personal challenges while enabling all scholars on campus to have a conducive learning environment
Provide individual counseling and group guidance concerning socio and emotional needs and mental health
Set goals for scholars, teach scholars skills, and grow their ability to overcome social, emotional, and behavioral issues to better succeed on campus academically
Provide counseling services to scholars and instruction to help them access the curriculum through addressing social, emotional, and behavioral issues
Identify scholars with special needs and make appropriate recommendations and referrals and develop partnerships necessary for this
Update and maintain confidential scholar records
Work with the school leadership team and Dean of Students to establish supports for scholars in support of socio emotional and mental health needs, to ensure scholars are able to meet behavioral accountability standards, to work on a transition plan into high school and to develop scholar interests beyond high school into potential careers
Identify, assess, and respond appropriately to scholars in crisis including notification of the leadership team
Attend and assist when necessary with school events such as musical programs, athletics, scholar recognition ceremonies, graduation, and open house
Adhere to all district counseling, behavioral supports, and other policies
Attends staff and in-service meetings, workshops, and school functions
Other duties as assigned by the Principal, or other Administrative Staff
This position may be assigned to up to two campuses depending on funding of district