Glenwood Springs Elementary Schools seeks a dynamic and compassionate professional to serve as our School Counselor, starting in August, 2017. An active, CDE-issued School Counselor certification is required. This is a full-time position with full District benefits. 

School Counselor (or Social Worker) Job Description

Glenwood Springs Elementary School is a community-focused, rigorous, project-based elementary school in Glenwood Springs, Colorado that uses the EL Education model (www.eleducation.org). Our community is nestled in the heart of the Colorado Rockies. Outdoor living is a way of life here. Our school thrives on the fact that our students experience diversity in many different ways.

The School Counselor supports students and their families to ensure positive social interactions and academic success. He/She is expected to collaborate with teachers, parents, administrators and other school staff to create a safe, healthy, and supportive learning environment for all students. The School Counselor identifies concerns and trends at the individual, class, and school level, and works in concert with the building leadership to implement effective interventions and initiatives. This job description is meant to provide structure to the responsibilities and accountability of this position. There may be additional responsibilities that the School Counselor undertakes or that are assigned as needs of students and of the school arise. The School Counselor reports to the Assistant Principal.

Duties and Responsibilities

Consultation

• Provide recommendations to administration and staff on how to better meet social, emotional and academic needs of students.
• Provide recommendations and modeling to administration and staff on how to help families support students in the aforementioned goal.
• Collaborate with teachers, parents, and administration to find effective solutions for meeting learning and behavior needs.

• Support teachers with ongoing Crew development that incorporates counseling and best practices and units to proactively and reactively address issues for our students

• Participate in Student Success Team meetings. Consult with teaching teams as needed.

• Meet regularly with Family Resource Liaison for consultation.

• Meet weekly with Assistant Principal to coordinate and plan.

Intervention

• Collaborate with the School Psychologist, Assistant Principal, and teaching staff to provide effective interventions for students.
• Provide counseling services to students to help resolve and manage problems that interfere with school performance.
• Meet with families to help address their needs and the needs of their children.
• Lead and coordinate the home visit team.
• Act as a contact person/ liaison with social service and or community agencies providing services to students.
• Report any pertinent information to the proper authorities in cases of child endangerment, neglect or abuse.
• Respond to crisis situations in tandem with colleagues and community personnel.
• Maintain accurate records of all psychological/ counseling/ social services rendered to students and teacher requests for consultation.
• Participate in the Student Success Team as mutually agreed upon with the Assistant Principal.

Prevention

• Passionately seek to make sure every student has a connection and a support network available at GSES and work to ensure that it does happen and that we fix it if it does not
• Support and understand the Responsive Classroom and EL Education models that our school implements.
• Co-design and facilitate with Assistant Principal team and community building activities to connect students
• Support the development of our approach to character education and achievement of our Habits of a Scholar
• Identify and/or develop programs for children at risk of failing at school, based on needs assessments.
• Implement and deliver programs and strategies to improve school climate, based on consultation, collaboration and observation at all grade levels
• Provides training to faculty and parents as needed
• Collaborate with school staff and community agencies to provide services directed at improving psychological and physical health of students.
• Work with the administrative staff to monitor attendance as a marker of potential risk.

Other School Responsibilities

• Attending and actively participating in Professional Development Time on Wednesdays
• Seeking out additional opportunities for professional development that will lead to achieving personal and school-wide professional development goals.
• Attending and participating in school events
• Making visitors to the school feel welcome

• Offer relentless advocacy for putting students first and supporting the whole child

Ideal Candidate

• Five or more years of successful experience as a full time counselor
• Experience with EL or a similar model
• Has participated in or led team building or challenge activities
• Speaks Spanish

Desired Characteristics

• Experience with adventure therapy
• Commitment to success of all students
• Unbridled sense of adventure in body and mind
• Ability to work and maintain composure in a fast-paced environment with frequent interruptions
• Unflappable sense of humor
• Determination in the face of adversity and uncertainty
• A can- do, proactive attitude
• Initiative- constantly looking for what needs to be done and taking responsibility personally or delegating to someone else and follow up
• Ability to say yes and deliver, or say no when appropriate

Apply online at http://www.rfschools.com 

For more information visit our website at http://gses.rfsd.k12.co.us