Elementary School Counselor (5365)

Fales Elementary School, Westborough, MA, seeks a dynamic

Elementary School Counselor

to join our caring staff beginning in the 2024-2025 School Year

The Westborough Public Schools enthusiastically welcome professionals to our district who thrive in a diverse environment that focuses on the importance of relationships with our students, staff, families, and community.

• We are an innovative, supportive, and high-performing district whose stellar staff provides high quality services for our diverse students and their families.

• We educate approximately 4,000 students from Pre-K through age 22, from homes that speak almost 30 different languages.Our student population is approximately 49% Students of Color and 51% White students.

• We support our vibrant, passionate, dedicated, skilled and professional staff through ongoing collaboration and feedback to ensure their safety, health, joyful practice, sense of belonging, and professional growth!

With a graduation rate of 97% and 90% of our students attending post-secondary schools, we are proud of our commitment to excellence in educating students to be informed and successful citizens of a global world.

Job Title: School Counselor

Reports to: Principal

Department: Counseling

School Year and days: 2024-2025 school year, 184 days

FSLA Status: Exempt, Unit A

Qualifications:

• Education: Master's degree from an accredited college/university in Counseling, Social Work, Psychology or a related field

• Professional Certification: MA DESE license as a School Counselor, SEI Endorsement preferred

• Specialized Knowledge: child development, mental health, evidence-based practices/interventions, trauma-based care, wellness, inclusive practices, cultural proficiency, anti-racist instruction, social-emotional learning, CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning), growth mindset, universal screening assessment/mental health screening, progress monitoring

• Bilingual skills, especially in Spanish and Portuguese, are highly desirable

• Hiring Requirement: Successful completion and approval of DESE mandated CORI and SAFIS fingerprinting

Preferred Experience:

• Working in a diverse public school setting with English Language Learners

• Supporting students with mental health, wellness, special needs, including students with emotional, behavioral, and/or learning challenges

• Delivering services consistent with MTSS (Multi-Tiered Systems of Support)

• Highly desirable to have experience with some of the following:

• Using EBI (Evidence-Based Intervention) with students

• Experience with the following interventions preferred:

• Second Step SEL program

• PBS (Positive Behavioral Supports) using the FAIR system

• Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in Schools

• Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) in Schools

• Rational-Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT)

• Collaborative Problem Solving

Skills and Abilities:

• Establish and maintain effective relationships with students, colleagues, families/caregivers, outside providers, and community resources

• Create a welcoming, supportive, creative, flexible learning environment that ensures equitable access to information and supports for all students

• Apply knowledge of current research and theory to instructional/counseling design

• Apply knowledge of child development and diverse counseling approaches that result in social-emotional growth for students

• Plan and facilitate counseling services that are evidence-based: identification of students, goal-setting, progress-monitoring, and measured outcomes of progress.

• Empower students to be critical thinkers

• Collaborate with colleagues to implement supports that enhance the social-emotional growth of students

• Communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing

• Understand and conform to professional and ethical standards for school adjustment counselors/social workers

• Create a welcoming and supportive environment that embraces the diversity among individuals and ensures equitable opportunities for student learning and community membership

• Maintain a meeting space and resources that reflects the diversity of our community and affirms diverse identities

• Welcome new students and their families, providing orientation and entry-support

Case Management and Counseling

• Identifies and assists students at risk in their social, emotional, behavioral, and academic adjustment to school

• Provides counseling experiences as guided by the Multi-Tiered System of Support, the Massachusetts Frameworks, and district standards

• Delivers and reinforces direct 1:1 and group, strategy-based/goals-based counseling services to students

• Monitors students' understanding and adjusts instruction, materials, supports, or assessments when appropriate

• Evaluates, innovates, and refines practice to increase student learning, engagement, and confidence

• Assists students in developing knowledge, skill and abilities to gain independence and fully utilize the targeted skills

• Collaborates with students and staff to design, teach, facilitate, and evaluate how to use knowledge meaningfully for self-assessment, critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making

• Provides crisis intervention and conflict resolution when needed

• Serves as the liaison and facilitates supports for students students returning to school from absences related to mental health or behavior, including but not limited to hospitalization or juvenile justice facilities

• Serves as primary staff to administer and oversee student wellness screenings, risk assessments, and other individual student safety checks

• Manages all aspects of cases for students on 504 and IEP plans

Consultation With Staff and Families/Caregivers

• Consults and collaborates with administrators/principals, families/caregivers, general education and special education staff about students in the Counselor's caseload

• Communicates to school personnel an understanding of the physical, social, emotional and psychological factors that strengthen or detract from a student's achievement

• Actively participates in Targeted Supported Teams at the school during which time teams of teachers, administrators, and service providers review strengths and challenges of struggling students and identify targeted interventions, with follow-up assessment on the success of the intervention

Leadership/Collaboration

• Shares responsibility for accomplishing the goals and priorities of his/her/their department, school, and school district, and actively participates in all meetings and committees

• Models instructional strategies and coaches colleagues and families/caregivers in the integration of social-emotional learning practices

• Maintains close working relationships with specialists and staff in the Student Services department, as well as with community agencies and outside resources

• Serve as primary contact to private therapists, mental health workers, and appropriate agencies, such as the Department of Child and Families (DCF)

Coordinates Systems

• Provides support, if needed, with registration, enrollment, and placement of new students

• Provides support for course selection and changes for new and existing students

• Provides support/guidance with post-secondary schools, private schools, colleagues and universities, financial aid, and careers

• In cooperation with middle school classroom teachers, implement whole class Social Emotional Learning (SEL) lessons based on the DESE competencies of self-management, self-awareness, responsible decision making, relationship skills, and social awareness

• Any other relative duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities

The School Counselor does not have supervisory responsibilities, except to direct any paraeducators who may be working with a student and the Counselor, and to train and supervise interns as needed

Salary and Benefits

Salary and benefits for permanent staff are per the contract between the Westborough School Committee and the Westborough Education Association.

The Westborough Public Schools do not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, sex, religion, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or any other class protected by law.

Date Updated: 5/14/2024