Counselor - Polk Alternative

About the role

The Cedar Rapids Community School District is seeking a highly qualified 6-8 Professional School Counselor.

Responsibilities

• Delivers a comprehensive School Counseling program directly to students through curriculum, individual student planning, responsive services, and indirectly through student-centered collaborations, consultations, and referrals.
• Works collaboratively with administration, school staff, parents, students, and community partners to deliver a comprehensive school counseling program.
• Demonstrates creativity and critical thinking in assisting administration, school staff, parents and students in overcoming barriers to learning.
• Utilizes effective communication skills when interacting virtually, in-person, or in writing with administration, school staff, parents, students and community partners.
• Analyzes and uses data regularly to help inform decisions about programming, innovations, and interventions.
• Provides direct student services: school counseling core curriculuminstruction, team teaching, developing learning activities, group activities, planned activities outside the classroom, promoting academic, career or social/emotional development, individual student planning, appraisal, assisting students in evaluating interests, abilities, skills and achievement, advising, assisting students in goal setting based on academic, career and social/emotional data, responsive services, counseling in individual or small-group settings, providing planned, short-term and goal-focused counseling, crisis response, providing support and assistance to students and families as they navigate crisis and emergency situations.
• Performs indirect student services: consultation, sharing strategies supporting student achievement with parents, teachers, other educators and community organizations, collaboration, working with other educators, parents and the community to support student achievement, referral, support for students and families to school or community resources for additional assistance and information.

Essential Skills and Mindsets

• Works collaboratively with administration, school staff, parents, students, and community partners to deliver a comprehensive school counseling program.
• Demonstrates creativity and critical thinking in assisting administration, school staff, parents and students in overcoming barriers to learning.
• Utilizes effective communication skills when interacting virtually, in-person, or in writing with administration, school staff, parents, students and community partners.
• Analyzes and uses data regularly to help inform decisions about programming, innovations, and interventions.

Education and Experience

• MA in School Counseling required.
• Experience as a school counselor or in classroom teaching is preferred.

Other Skills and Abilities

• Ability to apply knowledge of current research as it relates to the support of the Educational Goals of the District.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with students, staff and the school community.
• Ability to speak clearly and concisely both in oral and written communication.
• Ability to perform duties with awareness of all district requirements and Board of Education policies.

Physical Demands

• Frequent standing, walking, using hands and fingers to handle and/or feel objects, tools or controls, talking and hearing.
• Frequent squatting, stooping or kneeling, reaching above the head and forward 0 - 24 inches and on occasion up to 36 inches.
• Frequent bending or twisting at the neck and trunk.
• Frequent lifting and/or moving up to 50 pounds 0 - 12 feet and occasionally up to 20 feet, such as curriculum materials, desks, chairs, and boxes.
• Sometimes pushing/pulling items such as tables and carts.
• Continuous use of hand strength to grasp items.

Work Environment

• The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.
• The position requires the commitment of professional working hours that may require the employee to extend beyond a typical 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. workday.
• The employee will frequently work in different areas of the classroom including in/at desks, on or near the floor, standing, in movement while supervising indoor and outdoor activities, etc.
• The employee will usually work in indoor temperatures but will work outdoors when supervising students outside of the classroom.

Policies and Practices

• The Cedar Rapids Community School District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
• The district does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, gender, national origin, religion, age, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status, or disability.
• Reasonable accommodation(s) may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.