Dean of Students and Belonging

About Boulder Country Day School

BCD is a premier independent school in Boulder. For over 30 years, has been at the forefront of education in the Boulder Valley and we offer an educational experience where children innovate, create, grow, and thrive. We invite you to discover the BCD difference! From the teachers we hire to our welcoming and safe campus environment to the curriculum we teach, at BCD we honor and celebrate children in everything we do.

Our Values

BCD understands that to truly succeed we must first feel safe and supported in all aspects of our lives. We place a high priority on exploring the world around us, discovering new ways to answer old questions. We believe education teaches us how to think, and not what to think, and we lean on each other to push ourselves to the next level. We also know that learning from the perspectives of others opens our minds and hearts. Finally, as BCD Bulldogs, we show up for one another to create a positive shared experience.

The Position

The Dean of Students and Belonging (Dean) serves as the champion of the student experience at BCD. This position is new to BCD and will be responsible for fostering a supportive school environment that brings our vision, mission, and values to life. The Dean will be our lead practitioner for inclusion and belonging, supporting teachers and staff to continue to implement the Learning for Justice Social Justice Standards and leading BCD’s effort to become an anti-bias school. The Dean will build positive relationships with students and families while having primary oversight for student social and emotional growth, student activities, and discipline. The goal of this position is to ensure all members of the BCD community feel seen, valued, respected, and included. The Dean will be a key member of the Academic Leadership Team, report to the Elementary and Middle School Heads, and will maintain a highly collaborative working relationship with administrators and teachers.

Required Skills/Characteristics

The Dean must have deep experience as a leader and teacher, and will possess the following skills/characteristics:

• Love for working with students, teachers, and families in Preschool-8th grade independent school.
• A personal and professional commitment to strengthening a culture of belonging with deep and demonstrated experience in the diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging space
• A team builder who brings joy, kindness, maturity, and flexibility to the school environment
• Strong conflict resolution skills
• Superb interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills
• Ability to supervise and manage multiple functions and activities
• A strategic thinker who sees the larger picture and who can identify and problem solve with appropriate solutions
• A minimum of five years of teaching and leadership experience in an independent school environment with evidence of successful management of the student experience
• Enthusiasm for personal and professional growth

Challenges and Opportunities

• The Dean of Students and Belonging is a new position at BCD. As a result, the Dean will need to build relationships within and across constituencies to enhance the experience for students, staff, and families through clear and consistent communication, fostering an environment of inclusivity and belonging, and highly visible leadership.
• The Dean will serve as the leader of the student experience of a three-division school, each having their own building. With the support and collaboration of the Head of School and the Senior Leadership Team, the Dean will work to strengthen the overall student experience, including social emotional curriculum and implementation from Preschool through 8th grade, with a focus on collaboration, consistency, and connection.
• The BCD faculty is experienced and dedicated to their work. The Dean will need to form authentic relationships with this team, motivating and inspiring them to engage in ongoing professional growth, evolve in response to the global challenges currently facing our students, and designing new and innovative programming to meet the needs of current and future students.
• This position is designed to serve the entire PS - 8th grade experience, integrating social emotional learning with inclusion and belonging.
• Boulder Country Day is in the midst of a review of mission, vision, values and strategic planning to propel us into our next 3-5 years. The Dean will assist in implementing the outcomes of that process into a vibrant, bold, and unapologetic day-to-day experience for students, employees and parents in our community.

Duties and Responsibilities

Primary duties and responsibilities for the Dean of Students include:

• Inspires a joyful, collaborative culture that puts the students at the center of the BCD educational experience
• Emphasizes a forward thinking, growth oriented approach to working with children on a daily basis
• Oversee the student experience and foster a positive school climate that enhances community and student growth
• Leads inclusion and belonging efforts across the entire school, including workshopping with faculty and staff, organizing parent information sessions, and working with school administrators to eliminate bias in all school policies and practices
• Ensure a consistent, developmentally appropriate restorative practices based approach to discipline across the entire School
• Develops and sustain key co-curricular programs, including character education, human development, and plan other special programs
• Reviews student attendance data in the student information system
• In collaboration with the head of school and division heads, and in alignment with the new vision, mission, and values, communicates across constituencies a vision for the student experience.

• Coordinate and co-develop SEL programming with the school counselor and other wellness initiatives with the Academic Leadership Team
• Coordinate and develop inclusion and belonging programming across the entire school
• Support teachers with ongoing questions regarding emerging diversity work in their classrooms and curriculum
• Participate and lead appropriate student support conversations at the grade level meetings or Student Success Team as necessary

• Advise Student Council
• Collaborate with division heads to coordinate and oversee student leadership opportunities
• Partner with the senior leadership team to build the annual calendar
• Coordinate and co-plan student assemblies

• Oversee student discipline ensuring a consistent and age appropriate approach across divisions
• Incorporate restorative practices into all discipline matters and overall relationship-building
• Warm and friendly, yet also firm with student accountability for School rules
• Support faculty in managing classroom issues as needed
• Be an active presence on campus throughout the day, especially during recess and transitional times (morning, lunch, after school)
• Collaborate with all necessary parties to oversee student safety
• Review, revise and enforce BCD’s dress code

• Participate in senior leadership team, academic team, and grade level team meetings as needed
• Lead the annual review of student handbook in collaboration with the division heads
• Assist with new faculty orientation and provide support for new teachers
• Collaborates with division heads and the chief enrollment and strategy officer on enrollment and retention strategies
• Performs other duties as assigned by the Head of School

Hours and Pay

• BCD’s Dean of Students and Belonging will work traditional school hours (7:30 - 4:00) following the BCD 10-month school calendar, beginning August 1 and ending the first Friday after Memorial Day.
• Salary starts at $75,000
• This is an exempt position with excellent benefits and paid time off as outlined below
• Generous Paid Time Off including 10 paid holidays, as well as 6 paid vacation days and 6 paid sick days, and breaks during Thanksgiving, winter and spring school breaks
• Approximately 92% employer paid medical/dental/vision insurance for employees
• Annual Health Savings Account (HSA) contribution
• Life Insurance, AD&D, Short- and Long-Term Disability
• A generous retirement savings plan with a 5% employer match
• Tuition reduction up to 50% for students of employees that enroll in BCD

Benefits

• Medical with a Health Savings Account, vision and dental insurance
• Dependent Care Assistance through our 125 flexible spending plan
• Life insurance as well as both short and long-term disability for you
• BCD currently matches your contribution to our 403b retirement plan up to 5% of your salary
• Vacation/sick time plus 4 additional weeks off – 2 weeks for Winter break, Thanksgiving week, March Spring Break
• 50% tuition reduction for children of full time employees that enroll in BCD

Characteristics of Professional Excellence

Members of the BCD’s Leadership Teams:

• Model balance, are deeply curious, and share their interests within and outside of school
• Believing leadership is a privilege, we act with integrity, transparency, and dedication in our service to others.
• Create and nurture a joyful, authentic, and balanced environment for faculty, staff, students, and families
• Cultivate trust; we are accountable and embody vulnerability, kindness, and respect
• Have a growth mindset; we are strategic, tactical, visionary, and proactive
• Support and encourage risk-taking and innovation in the pursuit of excellence
• Recognize strength in diversity; we actively foster a safe and equitable community

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity Commitment

Boulder Country Day School recognizes and values all forms of diversity and is dedicated to providing an inclusive environment which honors each member for their individual differences, experiences and strengths. Our intentional commitment to embracing and exploring issues of diversity, equity and inclusivity in support of social justice affords the freedom for all members of our school community to flourish as unique, confident, compassionate, and ethical individuals.

How to Apply

We invite all interested and qualified candidates to send a current resume and cover letter expressing interest in the position to lhildebrand@bouldercountryday.org.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From $75,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 403(b) matching
• Dental insurance
• Disability insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Experience level:

• 5 years

School type:

• Private school

Ability to Relocate:

• Boulder, CO 80301: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person