Description | Job Title: ACE SEL Counselor
Wage/Hour Status: Exempt
Reports to: Campus Principal
Pay Grade: AP4
Dept./School: Gus Garcia University School
Date Revised: 1/2020
This position is grant-funded; therefore, continuation of employment is contingent upon available grant funds.
Terms of Employment:
11 months/202 days per year. Salary is on the Administrative Program Pay Plan - AP4 on the EISD Compensation Plan on a term or probationary contract, as applicable. Salary range is $59,998 - $71,427, with additional consideration for directly related experience.
This position will also have an additional annualized stipend of $4,000 for duties and responsibilities associated with the ACE model.
Background:
Gus Garcia University School (GUS) is a unique partnership between Edgewood ISD and Texas A&M-San Antonio. The students, staff, and community at this campus will benefit from the resources that the partnership with the university will contribute to the school environment. GUS serves as an innovative laboratory school incorporating the training of future teachers, educational research, and ensuring that students are college and career ready. Staff at GUS engage in on-going professional growth and continuing educational opportunities offered by the university. Students at GUS are engaged in high-quality instruction, strong social emotional learning programs, and intentional coursework to prepare them for public service occupations such as health science, culinary arts, hospitality, and education/training.
It is the aim of this partnership to staff GUS with the most outstanding educators. We will utilize the Accelerating Campus Excellence (ACE) model for school turn-around to create an exemplary team of educators focused on success for all students.
Key Characteristics of an ACE School
- Schools and classrooms promote an inspiring college-going culture of high expectations
- Educators demonstrate an unwavering belief that ALL scholars can achieve
- A growth mindset is embraced for scholars and adults with a commitment to continuous improvement
- Instructional best practices are used to accelerate learning for all scholars
- A commitment to data driven instruction is utilized to diagnose needs, adjust and measure progress
- Parent and community partnership is valued and supported
For more information about the ACE program, visit http://bestinclass.org/
Primary Purpose:
Work with school faculty and staff, students, parents, and community to plan, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive developmental guidance and counseling program at school assigned. Counsel students to fully develop each student’s academic, career, personal, and social abilities and address the needs of special population students.
Qualifications:
Education/Certification:
- Master's degree in Guidance Counseling
- Valid Counseling Certificate
- Valid Texas Teaching Certificate
- Candidate must have satisfactory outcome of fingerprinting background check. Non-refundable fee (approximately $50.00) paid by the employee
Special Knowledge/Skills:
- Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with diverse groups
- Effective interpersonal skills to interact with all levels of employees, staff members, and the general public
- Competence with the use of technology required in a professional office
- Ability to promote a positive, caring climate
- Process all levels of work on assignments from beginning to end
- Effective and efficient decision-making skills
- Ability to coordinate multiple projects and assignments; high degree of flexibility required
- Knowledgeable of counseling procedures, student appraisal, and facilitating student growth
- Knowledgeable of social and emotional learning competencies, restorative practices, and positive behavior interventions
- Ability to interact and communicate effectively with students, staff, and parents
- Demonstrated ability to coach school staff and provide support with implementing SEL-based approaches (at the student, classroom, and school-wide levels)
- Demonstrated ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions
- Bilingual in English and Spanish preferred
Experience:
- A minimum of three-five years counseling experience preferred
MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES
Student & School-Wide Support
- Provide consultation to school administrators, teachers, staff, students and parents regarding personal social and emotional needs of students.
- Conduct a needs assessment and evaluation of bullying, violence, and risky behavior.
- Provide individual/group counseling for at-risk students.
- Refer students who need intense or specialized services to district or outside agencies.
- Provide support for new and returning students.
- Coordinate or assist the campus-based counseling team in facilitating interventions or strategies to remove barriers to student success.
- Prepare and deliver guidance lessons to all students to develop life skills, promote good character, develop resilience, and emphasize the importance of higher education and goal setting.
- The SEL counselor oversees and helps determine SEL policies, monitors staff needs and issues, and solicits feedback from staff about what is and what is not working. She/he is a good listener, providing support and training as needed to continue a strong and positive experience to meet student social and emotional learning requirements.
- The SEL counselor recognizes shifting cognitive and emotional needs of students within their school, looking for trends before they emerge and are established.
Staff Support & Coaching
- Raise the level of understanding among all staff about the importance of SEL as well as SEL-based approaches for working with individual students, classrooms and incorporating a SEL-focused school culture.
- Coordinate or assist in implementing school wide activities related to healthy student development including Anti-bullying initiatives.
- Coordinate staff-focused SEL and general self-care activities and information sessions.
- Organize and facilitate staff training at monthly meetings, which could continue during the summer months (as needed).
- Participate in all staff meetings and trainings.
Community Engagement & Outreach
- Conduct parent workshops, training, and general outreach to educate parents on the importance of positive environments and SEL, and enhance parents’ ability to support their children’s success.
- Recruit community agencies as a resource to meet student and school needs.
Special Projects
- Coordinate other activities that foster bully prevention and social and emotional and academic well-being of all students.
- Perform all other tasks and duties as assigned.
Working Conditions:
Mental Demands
Maintain emotional control under stress.
Possibility for occasional prolonged or irregular work-day hours
Work with frequent interruptions
Work with frequent deadlines
Physical Demands
Frequent: sitting, standing, waling, climbing stairs and/or ramps, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, pulling, pushing, reaching, repetitive hand motions, hearing speaking clearly, visual acuity, distinguishing colors, driving, traveling
Occasional: Lifting, moderate, 15-44 pounds; carrying moderate 15-44 pounds
Environmental Factors:
Frequent exposure to: temperature extremes (hot and cold), humidity extremes, noise, low or intense illumination, vibration.
Occasional exposure to: biological hazards (communicable diseases, bacteria, insects, mold, fungi, etc.) work outside, work around moving objects or vehicles, work on uneven surfaces, work alone, work prolonged or irregular hours
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