Middle School Dean of Student Support and Belonging

St Benedict's Episcopal Day School•Smyrna, GA

11d

About The Position

St. Benedict's seeks a Dean of Student Support and Belonging to serve as the heart of the middle school student experience. This person is a builder and a responder, a relationship holder and an expectation-setter. They work in close partnership with the Middle School Principal to ensure every student in grades 5 through 8 feels known, challenged, and accountable to something larger than themselves. This is a leadership role for one who chose middle school on purpose and sees adolescent development not as a problem to manage but as a calling to answer.

Requirements

Master’s degree preferred: Bachelor’s Degree required in Education, counseling, psychology, or a related field.
Minimum five years working with middle school students in an educational setting.
Demonstrated experience with restorative practices, conscious discipline, and student conduct processes.
Strong communication skills with students, families, and colleagues; comfort navigating difficult conversations with clarity and care.
Familiarity with executive functioning frameworks and support strategies for adolescent learners.
Ability to hold high expectations and deep empathy simultaneously.
Commitment to St. Benedict's Episcopal mission and values.
A genuine, chosen love for the middle school age group.
Working knowledge of Google Classroom and Google documents
Working knowledge of Microsoft Office or other similar programs; Renweb experience a plus.
Excellent verbal and written skills, as well as verbal communication and presentation skills
Ability to work with individuals from diverse backgrounds
Must work well individually and as part of a small team; ability to interact collaboratively with parents, students and administration.
Passionate about working with and inspiring students.
Superior time management skills and the ability to consistently meet deadlines and be flexible

Nice To Haves

Georgia Teaching Certification is a plus
Working knowledge of Microsoft Office or other similar programs; Renweb experience a plus.

Responsibilities

Serve as a primary administrator for student conduct, managing the full arc from prevention and proactivity through restorative resolution.
Maintain a visible, daily presence that makes you a known and trusted adult to every student in the building.
Serve as the first point of escalation between classroom redirection and principal involvement, handling minor infractions through direct redirection and significant violations through a formal conduct process; empowers teachers for best discipline practices, not the primary handler of all classroom discipline.
Communicate conduct decisions directly to families with clarity and confidence.
Manage student support documentation with accuracy and confidentiality.
Coordinate student support data tracking to monitor trends and inform decision-making.
Serve as a trusted, authoritative point of contact for families navigating student conduct, academic concern, and social-emotional challenges.
Communicate proactively, not just reactively. Defend school decisions with confidence while holding space for family perspective.
Cultivate family relationships that make hard conversations possible before a crisis requires them.
Represent the school's decisions and values to families with the authority of an administrator and the warmth of a relationship-builder.
Build proactive family partnerships grounded in shared understanding of the school's values, expectations, and approach to student growth.
Serve as an active member of the faculty Belonging and Family Engagement Committee, contributing to school-wide efforts to strengthen family connection and community culture.
Collaborate with the Principal on student-facing program initiatives and community-building goals.
Contribute to Advisory (SWARM) programming, supporting continuity and community connection across the middle school.
Facilitate and support the middle school executive functioning program for grades 5 through 8, in partnership with the Lower School Executive Functioning (EF) Coordinator to ensure vertical alignment and consistency across the K-8 program.
Lead student-facing programming including assemblies, class meetings, and leadership development opportunities.
Support student leaders in understanding their role in shaping community norms and repairing harm when it occurs.
Serve as the Principal's proxy when needed, running the building with confidence and continuity.
Partner with the Chaplain, academic support team, and/or grade-level leads to coordinate support for students who are slipping behaviorally, socially, or academically.
Participate in admissions events and contribute perspective on incoming student needs and community fit; contribute to file review and community fit assessment as part of the admissions process, as requested.
Teach two classes as assigned, maintaining the relational presence and classroom credibility that strengthens this role across the full school community.
Maintain a professional demeanor in dealings with parents and students.
Maintain accurate, complete and appropriate records and files
Model professional and ethical standards and practices consistent with school policies when dealing with students, parents, peers in both speech and actions.
Be evaluated throughout the year through informal and formal classroom observation.
Participate in training and professional development; goal setting with supervisor
Showing support and high esteem for School at all times.
Attend and participate in faculty meetings and other assigned meetings and activities according to school policy.
Complying with conditions as stated in employee agreement and handbook.
Commitment to St. Benedict’s Episcopal School's mission and values.
Performs other duties as assigned by the Head of School, Associate Head of School, or Middle School Principal such as carpool, lunch coverage, chapel check ins.