Michael E. Smith Middle SchoolGrades 5-87:47am - 2:25pmPosition: Assistant Principal of Culture and ClimateJob Goals: 1. Under the supervision and direction of the Principal, the Assistant Principal of Culture and Climate is responsible for supporting a joyful, structured, inclusive, and achievement-oriented school culture rooted in the school communitys shared values.2. The Assistant Principal of Culture and Climate develops, implements, and monitors proactive systems and procedures that protect instructional time, reinforce consistent schoolwide expectations, and support the social, emotional, behavioral, and academic success of all students.3.
The Assistant Principal of Culture and Climate serves as a visible and accessible leader who builds positive relationships with students, staff, and families; supports restorative practices; and represents the district in a professional and ethical manner.Supervision: Reports to the Building PrincipalExperience and Training: 1. Five years of successful teaching or related school-based experience.2. Minimum of Masters Degree in teaching field, school counseling, social work, administration, or related field.3. Certification/eligibility for Massachusetts administrative certification.4.
Prior successful experience in a leadership position with student support, school culture, restorative practices, discipline, family engagement, or supervisory responsibilities desirable.5. Demonstrated knowledge of systems that support positive school culture, student belonging, restorative practices, social-emotional learning, and behavior intervention.6. Demonstrated ability to build effective relationships with students, staff, families, and community partners.7. Strong understanding of adolescent development, culturally responsive practices, trauma-sensitive practices, and tiered systems of student support.8.
Strong communication, de-escalation, problem solving, organization, and follow-through skills.9. Demonstrated ability to use student behavior, attendance, discipline, and climate data to identify needs, monitor progress, and improve schoolwide systems.10. Such alternatives to the above qualifications as the Superintendent of Schools may find appropriate.Performance Responsibilities: School Culture and Climate Leadership1. Maintains and further develops a welcoming, structured, inclusive, and achievement-oriented school culture rooted in the school communitys shared values.2.
Builds and implements systems and procedures that protect instructional time and reinforce a positive, consistent, and safe school environment.3. Serves as a point person for discipline and culture issues, while emphasizing preventative work, relationship-building, social-emotional teaching, and early intervention.4. Reinforces schoolwide behavior expectations and restorative practices in collaboration with the Principal, staff, students, and families.5. Develops, implements, and monitors schoolwide systems for behavior support, discipline, restorative responses, and positive reinforcement.6.
Supports a culture in which students feel welcomed, valued, connected, and ready to learn from the moment they enter the building.7. Works with staff to ensure consistent expectations for student behavior across classrooms, hallways, lunch, arrival, dismissal, assemblies, and school events.8. Is highly visible and present during key transition moments, including arrival, dismissal, lunch, hallway transitions, and community meetings.9. Models the schools core values and standards for professional behavior in every interaction with students, families, staff, and community members.10.
Supports student voice, leadership, belonging, and positive school traditions that strengthen pride and connection to the school community.Family and Community Engagement1. Collaborates with families to build trust and maintain open, proactive communication around school culture, student behavior, social-emotional needs, and student well-being.2. Engages in regular, two-way, culturally responsive communication with families regarding student progress, concerns, interventions, and successes.3. Works with families as partners in supporting student growth, positive behavior, attendance, and engagement.4.
Addresses family concerns in an equitable, effective, timely, and solution-focused manner.5. Helps to create welcoming opportunities for families to connect with the school community and participate in events that support belonging, trust, and positive relationships.6. Collaborates with community partners, when appropriate, to support student well-being, family outreach, and school culture initiatives.Staff Support and Professional Culture1. Supports professional development for staff around school culture, classroom culture, restorative practices, social-emotional learning, de-escalation, and positive behavior support.2.
Provides guidance and support to staff in implementing consistent schoolwide expectations, classroom routines, and student support strategies.3. Collaborates with the Principal and leadership team to build shared ownership of school culture among all staff.4. Supports teachers and staff in responding to student behavior in ways that are consistent, restorative, equitable, and aligned with school expectations.5. Conducts classroom observations and provides feedback related to classroom culture, student engagement, routines, and behavior support, as assigned by the Principal.6.
Works collaboratively with the Principal and other school leaders to ensure alignment between school culture, instructional priorities, student support, and district goals.7. Helps plan and lead meetings that focus on student support, school climate, restorative practices, and continuous improvement.8. Develops and nurtures a culture in which staff members reflect on practice, use student data, and continuously adapt strategies to improve student outcomes.Management and Operations1. Develops and executes effective plans, procedures, routines, and operational systems to address the safety, health, emotional, social, and behavioral needs of students.2.
Uses systems to ensure optimal use of time for teaching, learning, collaboration, and student support.3. Helps monitor and improve school systems such as arrival, dismissal, lunch, transitions, assemblies, community meetings, and other shared spaces.4. Understands and complies with state and federal laws and mandates, School Committee policies, collective bargaining agreements, student handbooks, and ethical guidelines.5. Supports implementation of district and school safety protocols, crisis response procedures, and student support processes.6.Participates in student support meetings, leadership meetings, family meetings, and other meetings as assigned by the Principal.7.
Assists with supervision and evaluation of staff, as assigned by the Principal and consistent with state regulations and contract provisions.8. Performs other duties as assigned by the Building Principal or Superintendent of Schools.Terms of Employment: Twelve months a year. Salary to be negotiated with the Superintendent of Schools. Evaluation: Performance of the job will be evaluated on a yearly basis by the Superintendent of Schools consistent with the requirements and expectations of Massachusetts Educator Evaluation regulations, 603 CMR 35.00, and locally developed procedures.Physical Requirements: The position requires a moderate amount of walking, standing, sitting and climbing stairs and step stool whenever necessary.
Activities also include moderate physical exertion in body movement such as reaching, bending, twisting, grasping, pushing, and pulling of objects. The position requires lifting objects of 20 pounds on a frequent basis, and over 20 pounds occasionally. There is a frequent requirement of fine manipulation associated with the required use of a computer, typewriter, keyboard, calculator, and other business machines.Environmental Conditions: The employee is required to work indoors and throughout the building, including classrooms, offices, hallways, cafeteria, arrival and dismissal locations, and other common areas. The employee may also be required to supervise outdoor arrival, dismissal, recess, events, or emergency situations.
The regular chemical solvents include toners and cleaning fluids.
