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Mind. Body. Spirit

School Psychologist

At Brillante Academy, we believe:

• Every child possesses inherent dignity & infinite potential.
• Parents are the first educators.
• Learning and excelling in two languages (English and Spanish) builds bridges, opens doors, and strengthens minds.
• Truth, Goodness, and Beauty cultivate the mind, body, and spirit of every child.

About Brillante Academy

Brillante Academy Public Charter School opened its doors in August 2023 with Pre-K through 1st grade and serve over 350 students from the Rio Grande Valley in the Mission area and surrounding communities in its first year. We will grow one grade-level a year until 8th grade. Over the next decade, we plan to expand our network across the state of Texas to serve over 7,000 students. The Charter Management Organization (CMO) for Brillante Academy isSeton Education Partners, a Catholicly inspired organization that also manages the Seton Teaching Fellows missionary program and El Camino, an optional after-school Catholic faith formation program. Seton Education Partners is also the CMO for our sister schools, theBrilla Schools Network, which are having a transformational impact in Bronx, NY.

Why Brillante? 

Brillante Academy is a two-way, dual language school that aims to empower our scholars and community through an innovative approach that combines personalized blended learning and co-teaching with a classical approach to education. We focus on teaching the whole child, instilling a deep sense of character through our core values (courage, justice, wisdom, and self-control) while setting a high bar for academic achievement and teaching a content-rich curriculum that has stood the test of time. All in service of preparing our scholars for excellence in high school, college and beyond. Our scholars acquire and master English and Spanish to become bilingual and biliterate citizens who will leave a lasting positive impact on their community as problem solvers, advocates, and contributors. Brillante’s commitment to holistic child development is paralleled with its commitment to creating a joyful community for families and staff. You can learn more about mission and approach on ourwebsite.

Team members of Brillante will play an instrumental leadership role in bringing our vision to life and grow their impact while contributing to building our school from the ground up. Join us!

Position Overview

We are looking for a mission-driven leader who is experienced in driving school-wide initiatives and delivering an array of direct services that contribute to ensuring ALL students receive the support they need to thrive. You specialize in understanding the barriers that interfere with student learning and overall wellness, and partner with families and teachers to employ the strategies to proactively tackle them. As the founding School Psychologist, you will also play an active role in developing the vision and programming for providing a social, emotional, holistic approach to student achievement and behavior. One in which every child feels safe, loved and inspired to strive for and meet Brillante’s ambitious goals. This role sits on the leadership team, and is managed, coached and supported by the Principal. The primary objectives of this role include:

• Designing and implementing school-wide, research-based programming and prevention strategies that create the conditions for a safe and joyful school culture
• Providing direct services to students struggling academically, behaviorally or emotionally and consulting with teachers and parents on how best to support their students
• Working in deep partnership with Special Education Lead to set the vision for the Student Services team (in the short and long-term), coordinate key processes (RTI, 504, etc.) and execute strategies that will accelerate progress towards Brillante’s ambitious goals for student achievement and character development
• Conducting all evaluations to determine student eligibility for Special Education services and operating in full compliance with state and federal laws and regulations
• Equipping the Brillante community - families, staff, and scholars - to be advocates and partners in creating a school environment where all can thrive

In pursuit of these objectives, your typical week would include a variety of tasks such as:

• Conducting assessments and collecting and analyzing various data-sources to understand the needs of our school community and collaborating with others to implement the highest-impact strategic actions to accelerate progress towards goals
• Spending time in the classroom, observing teacher and student interactions and serving as thought-partner and consultant to teachers with students who have complex needs
• Researching, designing and implementing school programs (safe school, anti-bullying, social-emotional and behavioral systems and structures, etc.) and prevention strategies
• Providing direct services to students in the form of individual counseling, group counseling, conflict mediation, and real-time crisis intervention to students in emotional or behavior distress
• Tracking and monitoring students in RTI for academic, behavioral or emotional challenges and ensure they receive interventions for the appropriate amount of time prior to referral for Special Education evaluation
• Conducting pyscho-educationalevaluations and formal behavior assessments and writing quality, compliant assessment reports
• Building a strong relationship with the Special Education Lead and partnering to analyze formal and informal data to develop aligned strategies that build on a student’s strengths and support their areas of need
• Scheduling ARD/IEP meetings and facilitating student-centered meetings, in partnership with Special Education Coordinator, that honor parents as the first educator
• Developing behavior intervention plans (BIPs) and supporting the creation of any social-emotional goals of a student’s IEP, and participating in ARD Meetings

• Building strong and enduring relationships with parents and families and communicating regularly to share student progress and resources
• Work with students and their families to develop strategies, including providing referrals to outside agencies, for addressing the safety, emotional, and basic needs of the students and their families
• Facilitating workshops and meetings for parents and connecting them with available resources from community based organizations
• Designing and facilitating engaging and data-driven professional development and training for staff 
• Establishing systems for timely and accurate paperwork completion, record keeping and service tracking that honors the privacy and confidentiality of such information
• Assessing high-risk situations and making immediate recommendations and referrals in effort to ensure child safety and reduce or eliminate risk factors
• Staying knowledgeable on best practices in the field and all applicable federal and state laws, guidelines and procedures
• Serving as an active member of the leadership team always striving to bring the perspectives of our students, families and staff members to the table
• Planning time effectively to manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet deadlines while radically focusing on the highest impact priorities
• Learning and continuously developing your leadership and practice to deepen your impact

Qualifications 

• Belief in the Brillante Academy mission, model and values
• Master’s degree in psychology from an accredited college or university
• Valid Texas license as a licensed specialist in school psychology granted by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists 
• Verbal and written fluency in Spanish 
• Experience providing a range of psychological services in a school setting preferred
• Experience with early childhood or elementary students preferred

Compensation

We offer a competitive compensation package that includes comprehensive health, retirement and wellness benefits. All school leaders are equipped with the tools and supports needed to thrive including but not limited to curriculum, professional development, coaching, technology, supplies, etc.

Diversity & Inclusivity 

We are building an organization in which talented individuals from all walks of life and experiences can join our team and make significant contributions. We are particularly committed to attracting and developing individuals who share the life experiences or backgrounds of the students we will serve.