Counselor

New America School
High School Guidance Counselor

Purpose Statement
School Guidance Counselors work with other educators to ensure student success.  
They address students’ emotional needs and design approaches to help students chart a course for their lives and careers beyond school. School Guidance Counselors are advocates for the appropriate level of instruction for students, and they engage in interventions designed to support student growth and the achievement of goals. These interventions are accomplished with students individually, in small-group and whole-class settings, and consist of proactive and responsive services. 

School Guidance Counselors work at several levels of responsibility, serving as a resource to individual students, teachers, parents and guardians, and the school. They counsel individual students regarding such matters as excessive tardiness or behavior problems and help them design an appropriate academic program. They may also collaborate with teachers to present curriculum-based guidance lessons or to offer advice on behavior management or study hall procedures. School Guidance Counselors regularly confer with parents about any number of issues that affect student learning, typically including issues related to behavior and emotions. In addition, the counselor might work at the school level, interpreting cognitive, aptitude, and achievement tests; interpreting student records; and assisting the school principal and school psychologist in identifying and resolving student needs, issues, and problems.

Responsibilities and Duties
1.    Assessing student needs
2.    Analyze student transcripts and credit to create a plan for graduation based on graduation requirements
3.    Assisting students and teachers in the formulation of academic, personal/social, and career plans, based on knowledge of student needs
4.    Using counseling techniques in individual and classroom programs 
5.    Brokering resources to meet needs
6.    Maintaining records and submitting them in a timely fashion
7.    Surveys and data collection for reporting purposes
8.    Communicating with families
9.    Engage students through 1-1, small group, or whole class methods that supports SEL/Academic Success/Post-secondary Readiness
10.    Be an integral part of college/career assessment scheduling and delivery as needed
11.    Participating in a professional community
12.    Engaging in professional development
13.    Establishing standards of conduct and contributing to the culture for student behavior throughout the school
14.    Establishing a culture for productive communication
15.    Showing professionalism. This includes integrity, advocacy, and maintaining confidentiality
16.    Other duties as assigned/needed.

Starting Salary:  
42,015-50,211

Benefits: 
Employer paid single coverage ($9856.32 value)
Medical 
Dental
Vision
STD
LTD
Life Insurance

Schedule:
Monday-Thursday
Contract Days 174

To apply for this position please email resume to tfrasier@newamericaschool.org

Minimum Qualifications
1.    Requires a Master’s degree in high school counseling and a school counselor license is a must. Prior experience with at-risk youth helpful. 
2.    Ability to demonstrate deep and thorough understanding of counseling theory and techniques
3.    Knowledge of typical development characteristics of the age group and exceptions to the general patterns, counselor displays knowledge of the extent to which individual students follow the general patterns.
4.    Ability to develop positive relationships with, build rapport with, and motivate both students and co-workers.

Preferred Qualifications
1.    Bilingual (Spanish/English). 
2.    Related professional experience including guidance-related activities, counseling, or human services experiences with high school age students.
3.    Experience in developing and implementing affective/social skills lessons.
4.    Experience working with at-risk high school students.
5.    Strong written and oral communication skills.
6.    Strong interpersonal and human relations skills.
7.    Cultural competency; appreciation, embracing and valuing diversity.
8.    Capacity to function as an independent, self-motivated, and self-reliant self-starter who initiates appropriate actions and strategies and can work successfully without constant direction and close supervision.