Core Duties and Responsibilities

The Lower and Middle School Counselor focuses on the following areas;

• Student and family support:
• assists in the development of and helps facilitate social and emotional programming to promote wellness, safety, and resilience by reinforcing communication and social skills, problem solving, anger management, self-regulation, self-determination, and optimism.
• supports a positive learning environment for all members of the school community and addresses the needs of all students through culturally relevant prevention and intervention programs; 
• provides individual and small group support to students as needed, and maintains appropriate communication and support for their families; when necessary, the Counselor refers families to outside counselors or psychologists for appropriate counseling or care; 
• facilitates the affinity group program and supports program advisors and students in the Middle School in partnership with the DEI Working Group;
• assists in crisis situations by providing leadership and/or direct services;
• provides parent education opportunities throughout the year and parent support as needed; 
• Programmatic support:
• works closely with teachers, learning specialists, division director and PYP coordinator as part of the Student Support Team to identify, strategize on, and support students’ social and emotional needs;
• maintains an active, positive and collaborative role with the Upper School counselor regarding the overall needs of the school, students, and families.
• Administrative duties:
• assists families and Student Support Team in creating and implementing support plans for students;
•  Maintain documentation as required by State Law and Health Services policies and procedures.
• Fulfills other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

The Lower and Middle School Counselor, will demonstrate key elements of the listed expertise and experiences. This is an aspirational list and Annie Wright Schools encourages candidates to apply who may not currently possess, but are working on building, all of these qualities. The Counselor:

• holds an MA in School Counseling or a related field, relevant licensure, and experience working as a school counselor; 
• demonstrates the ability to build rapport with Lower & Middle School-aged students (Preschool-Grade 8), a high level of emotional intelligence, and experience collaborating with colleagues to support students and develop relevant programming; 
• demonstrates familiarity with current research and best practices in counseling, child development, social-emotional learning, and education;
• understands legal standards regarding compliance with state and federal laws, and the ability to maintain appropriate confidentiality; 
• possesses organizational skills, ability to effectively set priorities, be flexible, and work independently;
• demonstrates Interpersonal skills, ability to create responsive, caring and appropriate relationships with students, parents and colleagues;

Application process

Annie Wright Schools remain firmly committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity. Annie Wright shall hire, promote, transfer, terminate, and make all other employment related decisions without regard to an employee’s race, color, creed, sex, religion, age, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, political ideology, the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability, or any other basis prohibited by law. Annie Wright Schools are actively seeking to create a more culturally diverse school community and accordingly, applicants of color and underrepresented backgrounds are encouraged to apply. 

To apply, email a cover letter, resume, and email and telephone contact information for 3-5 professional references, all in PDF format, to Mrs. Erin Gann, Executive Assistant to the Head of Schools, at erin_gann@aw.org. In accordance with Annie Wright Schools’ strategic focus on issues related to social justice, candidates should anticipate being asked to address how their past work, as well as future contributions, might serve to advance Annie Wright’s commitment to a more diverse and inclusive community. Applications for this position will be accepted until February 28, 2021.