Job Title: Secondary Counselor
Job-Type: Full-time
Contract Days: 200 Days
Reports to: Campus Principal
Salary: $60,000
Company Website: www.waysideschools.org
ABOUT WAYSIDE SCHOOLS: Wayside Schools is an open-enrollment, tuition-free Pre K-12th grade public charter school network that provides over 2,200 scholars across its four South Austin campuses with a rigorous International Baccalaureate education. Since 2012, Wayside schools has striven to empower historically underserved scholars, providing them with the instructional experiences, academics skills, intellectual habits and social and emotional competencies needed to become graduates from four-year colleges and universities, providing them with the access and opportunities they need to narrate their own futures and positively impact and empower the families and communities to which they belong.
Job Goal:
At Wayside Schools, we seek staff with diverse backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, talents and ideas to meet the needs of our growing body of scholars and dynamic programming. At Wayside, we know that leaders who possess specific traits and competencies are more likely to be successful in their roles and in their service to staff, scholars and families: passion for our mission, a deep connection to issues of social justice, a commitment to all scholars we serve, and a focus on personal growth and development.
Candidate is responsible for planning, implementing and evaluating a comprehensive College Readiness program in addition to SEL counseling services. A proactive College Readiness program should contribute to the educational, social, and emotional development of scholars to enhance their self-worth and equip them with the basic knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to enter college.
Considerable judgment, tact, patience, sensitivity, and flexibility are required to serve in this position. Candidate must be willing to serve scholars from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds and learning styles.
Qualifications:
- MA Degree
- Texas school counseling certificate
- Ability to respond effectively to the needs of a diverse student pool
- Working knowledge of various counseling models, practices and resources
- Engaging interpersonal skills and excellent communication skills
- Ability to collect and analyze data
- Computer literacy
- Sound judgment and emotional intelligence
- Working knowledge of graduation plans and requirements
- Bilingual (preferred)
Instructional Management:
- Consult with school staff, parents, and other community members to increase student effectiveness and promote student success.
- Coordinate and oversee the High School programs of study.
- Support the development, implementation and evaluation of a structured career and college readiness/awareness program.
- Collaborate with Department Leaders and counseling staff to establish and implement career and college readiness outcome measures.
- Support college readiness assessment program, including but not limited to diagnostic data such as PSAT, SAT, ACT, TSIA2
- Collaborate with staff and others as appropriate to meet expectations of Texas CCMR Standards
Student Management:
- Advocate for all students and provide professional expertise to help staff, parents, and other community members understand individual behavior and human relationships.
- Assist all students with developing and applying skills for maximum educational, career, personal, and social growth during school years and beyond.
- Intervene with students whose developmental needs, personal concerns, or problems affect their continued educational, career, personal, or social development.
- Make referrals as appropriate in consultation with the student’s parent or guardian.
- Coordinate people and resources in the school, home, and community to support achievement to assist parents and staff.
- Guide scholars and parents in course selection, high school diploma plans, four-year plans, provision of information regarding post-secondary opportunities and career development
- Work with students and parents in understanding college and financial aid opportunities, including FAFSA, TASFA, and Scholarships
- Assist with dropout recovery efforts.
- Interpret standardized test results
- Assist in managing student behavior in accordance with Student Code of Conduct and student handbook.
- Administrative Management to include scholar credit and scheduling support
- Commit to current professional and ethical standards of competence and practice.
- Coordinate departmental activities with other District offices and administrators and provide assistance to requesting departments.
- Assist the Administration with master scheduling and course requests
- Other duties as assigned
Professional Growth and Development:
- Accept responsibility for self-directed professional development through continuous efforts of improvement
Academic Excellence:
- Support the administration of state-mandated testing at campuses in compliance with state and federal guidelines.
- Monitor and review campus test data and use findings to assist with planning corrective action for the affected group of students and/or campuses
Physical and Emotional Requirements:
- Some movement throughout the school is generally necessary to facilitate learning (e.g., standing, walking, stooping, bending, sitting, and/or kneeling).
- Light lifting of materials and other objects associated with a school environment is required (e.g., books, teaching aids, up to approximately 20 – 40 lbs.).
- May also be required to pick up students, restrain students as needed, and spend large quantities of time on the floor sitting, squatting, and/or kneeling.
- Candidate should be willing to contribute directly or indirectly to the development of children both inside and outside the classroom, which may include working hours in addition to the regular school day.
- This position may involve rare exposure to blood or body fluids.
- Regular attendance is required for this position.
- Maintain emotional control under stress
Personal Work Relationships:
- Candidate receives administrative supervision and is typically evaluated formally twice per year.
- Candidate has significant contact with students, parents, and other school staff to provide instruction, offer guidance, exchange information, and develop social skills of students.
- Candidate may also maintain contacts within the community to enrich the content of materials and utilize additional instructional methodologies (e.g., take field trips, invite guest speakers.)
- Candidate must have skill in instructing students and managing their behavior
- Candidate must have skill in communicating effectively with others
- Candidate must have skill in working team-based environments
Benefits:
- Free Health Insurance, including major medical, dental, vision, and life (Employee Only)
- Sustainability Fridays
- Free Pre-K for Staff Children
- Professional Development and Coaching
- 403(b) plan
- Texas Retirement System Plan
- Stipends for candidates who meet special program qualifications
Additional Information:
This job description is not an employment agreement or contract. Wayside Schools has the exclusive right to alter this job description at any time without notice. This position is exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The office hours are 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., however, from time to time may work an extended schedule, including weekends and evenings according to demands of the role and tasks. In accordance with applicable laws and Wayside Schools policies, no person shall be excluded from consideration for recruitment, selection, appointment, training, promotion, retention or any other personnel action, or be denied any benefits or participation in any educational programs or activities which it operates on the grounds of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age or veteran status (except where age, sex, or disability constitutes a bona fide occupational qualification necessary to proper and efficient administration). All new employees must present proof of identity and eligibility to work in the United States. The foregoing statements describe the general purpose and responsibilities assigned to this job and are not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties that may be assigned or skills that may be required.
