School Counselor

About the role

ICS seeks a School Counselor to assist, support, and cultivate a strong school culture anchored in social-emotional and academic support, guided by our values of Courage, Community, Teamwork, and Integrity. Serving as the child's in-house advocate, the counselor's main role is to identify and support every child's academic, social-emotional, and behavioral needs both in and outside the school environment.

Responsibilities

• Provide needs assessment of presenting problems and any other social, emotional, cultural, and familial needs.
• Provide direct evidence-based individualized interventions for students and family (academic, social-emotional, and behavioral).
• Classroom/lunchroom observations and push-in for the purpose of assessment and follow-through on management plans.
• Evaluate chosen evidence-based interventions to determine effectiveness and cultural appropriateness.
• Use data to curate 1:1 and strategic group counseling to aid in skill and social-emotional development.
• Collaborate and consult with Principal, Assistant Principal, Dean, teachers, staff, and network support to create plans on how to best support student(s).
• Attend and actively participate in all collaborative meetings with school leadership.
• Work collaboratively with families and outside providers to link families to community-based mental health resources and support when and if necessary.
• Guardian engagement — introduction and outreach to caregivers of the entire caseload to better understand the needs of their child, and provide intentional ongoing collaboration.
• Participate and at times facilitate attendance meetings with the child, guardians, and school-based personnel.
• Provide crisis prevention, de-escalation, and response professional development to staff.
• Facilitate restorative mediation between students or student/teacher.
• AIM (Assessment and Intervention Meeting) — co-facilitate the AIM meeting for teachers and counselors to create intervention plans for students who are struggling behaviorally, emotionally, and/or academically.
• Join academic meetings with school leadership, students, and parents to assess issues related to academic failure and devise a support plan around interventions.
• Participate in and have responsibilities related to the FBA/BIP process.
• May be asked to participate in culture-building activities, family engagement events, open houses, etc.
• Additional duties may be assigned to the counselor by the Principal of the school.

Competencies & Qualifications

• Licensing as a School Counselor, Master or Clinical levels (LCSW preferred, LMSW or LMHC).
• Experience in evidence-based interventions specific to elementary school-aged children in a school environment.
• Strong ability to analyze data/trends and take appropriate initiative to be proactive.
• Desire to participate in the development and implementation of social-emotional events and initiatives within the counseling department.
• Deep understanding of the developmental needs of students in a K-12 setting.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• High degree of organizational skills; detail-oriented with ability to follow through in a fast-paced environment.
• Thorough understanding of best practices for students in a K-12 setting.
• Ability to use tech platforms such as Kickboard, PowerSchool, and Google Drive to track data and communicate effectively with the school community.
• A whatever it takes attitude, one that is centered in the notion of children first.
• A deep belief that every child can succeed, and a willingness to uphold high expectations for students, staff, and oneself to ensure that students are set up for success.
• Ability to model social-emotional skills such as willingness to take feedback, hear new perspectives, and try new things in support of student growth.

Additional Information

• Weekly Wednesday half-day schedule for embedded professional development and planning.
• Small class sizes.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Teaching certification pathway for those who qualify.
• Opportunity to be an integral part of our community, making a genuine difference and shaping the futures of our students.
• Students of ICS employees have access to after-care options.
• Free parking on-campus.
• Comprehensive benefits package that includes health, dental, vision, and life insurance, a flexible spending account, paid time off, short- and long-term disability policy, commuter benefits, professional development opportunities, and a 401(k) retirement plan with an employer match of up to 3%.
• ICS is an Equal Opportunity Employer.