School Counselor, 9-12 , Charlotte Lab School | 2023-2024

Job Posting Date: Feb. 14, 2024

Application Closing Date: Feb. 21, 2024

Hours: Full-Time, 12 month, Onsite

Start Date: Mar. 1, 2024

Contract End Date: July 21, 2024

Overview

At Charlotte Lab School, core pillars of our model include wellness and college/career readiness. The Charlotte Lab School Counselor, 9-12 is considered a leadership role and will have responsibilities in support of students’ social/emotional development, college and career planning/placement process, and overall community wellness. In coordination with the 9-12 School Director, Director of Wellness & Culture, Director of Post-Secondary Programming, and each student’s advisor and family – the School Counselor, 9-12 will develop and implement a comprehensive school counseling program, aligned with the NC School Counseling Standards, that includes:

• Development and implementation of advisory curriculum with a focus on social-emotional learning, executive functioning skill-building, and career and college success (exploration, application, and acceptance);
• Management of the 504-plan caseload, student support plans, and student safety plans for all 9th-12th grade students (~250 students);
• Facilitation of student, staff, and family activities related to college readiness and the college admissions process, including the management of student applications, letters of recommendation, and transcript review. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Charlotte Lab School School Counselor, 9-12 will have responsibilities in support of Lab’s curriculum and programming and wellness and culture vision:

• Advisory Program
  • Build and disseminate social-emotional, executive functioning, and college and career curricular materials to be used for individual, small group, and advisory learning sessions;
  • Serve as a resource to Advisors for developmental, educational, and social-emotional concerns of students;
  • Provide professional development opportunities and coaching for staff and advisors, as needed, in various topics related to students’ social-emotional learning and career/college support, including effective advisory sessions, advisory curriculum topics, restorative conversations, mindfulness practices, and other strategies supported by Lab; 
  • Lead and participate in non-evaluative advisory observations, learning walks, instructional rounds visits, and other collaborative learning activities designed to continually improve instructional practice;
• Counseling
  • Design and facilitate small group sessions and student groups that target specific areas of social-emotional and/or executive functioning need;
  • Provide families with resources to individual counseling services or wrap around support; 
  • Identify a 9-12 student check-in caseload and implement and track check-ins on a bi-weekly basis;
  • Work collaboratively with the Director of Wellness and Culture and Wellness and Culture Team to develop, lead, and model wellness, culture and discipline, trauma-informed, and restorative programs, curriculum, and resources to students, parents, staff, and Lab School families;
  • Collaborate with leadership staff, including the School Director, Wellness Assistant, and Dean of Students, to facilitate restorative conversations related to disciplinary matters;
  • Assist with preparing and presenting social emotional qualitative and quantitative data, as needed, for Lab Board, community, donor, and grant purposes;
  • Develop and maintain ongoing relationships with outside professionals and community agencies to provide services and support to students and families through referrals and programming; 
  • Be prepared to recognize and respond to student mental health needs, including crises, and connect students, teachers, and families to relevant resources.
• College and Career Guidance
  • Provide career and college counseling with students individually and in groups as needed;
  • Continuously reach out to colleges and universities to promote and maintain a relationship with admissions offices;
  • Assist in scheduling and providing information about curriculum offerings in the program of studies to staff, students, and parents;
  • Develop and facilitate college and career workshops, activities, advisement and events for students in grades 9-12, including college visits, college admissions workshops;
  • Support students with the process for requesting letters of recommendation, as it relates to college applications;
  • Assist with preparing and presenting college and career-related qualitative and quantitative data – including graduation rates, acceptance rates, persistence rates, alumni data, etc. for Lab Board, community, donor, and grant purposes;
  • Refine and deliver HS transition programming for Lab 8th grade students and families, including individual family meetings, as requested;
  • Manage students’ college applications through the Naviance program.
• Student Support
  • Provide support or counseling resources for students with IEPs;
  • Manage and support students with 504 plans, and/or facilitate the 504 process for students in grades 9-12;
  • Share weekly student development and progress monitoring with Student Support Team and Teacher Teams, as appropriate;
  • Collaborate with the Exceptional Children department in implementing positive behavioral interventions;

Charlotte Lab School School Counselor, 9-12 will also have responsibilities in support of Lab’s operations vision :

• Attend and participate in team meetings and communicate regularly through relevant and appropriate systems;
• Participate actively in Lab’s community activities, in support of Lab’s instructional community-building, fundraising, admissions, and family recruitment efforts;
• Participate actively in ongoing professional development;
• Assist in the maintenance of a clean, orderly, and safe school environment;
• Follow up on attendance issues in collaboration with the Attendance team;
• Maintain appropriate paperwork for documentation of student progress and communication; 
• Take on other responsibilities as needed, and as assigned, to ensure student and organizational success.

Members of Charlotte Lab School’s LeadershipTeam are also required to serve as Advisors to a group of students, with responsibilities in support of Lab’s vision for social-emotional learning, including the following:

• Deliver a social-emotional skills curriculum;
• Develop deep relationships with students in your advisory;
• Develop and implement activities to build community within the advisory;
• Serve as an advocate for advisees, for both academic and disciplinary reasons;
• Provide regular updates and communication with advisees’ families;
• Guide advisees in the preparation of their Student-Led Conferences each trimester;
• Operate as liaison between advisees’ families and the school.

QUALIFICATIONS

Candidate MUST:

• Hold a Bachelor's degree from a four-year institution; 
• Have a minimum of three to five years counseling experience, preferably in a diverse school, with demonstrated exemplary performance results;
• Be comfortable with Google Apps for education, Naviance, and other data applications and assessment tools;
• Demonstrate a passion for working with adolescents;
• Have experience working with students from diverse backgrounds and with varied needs;
• Demonstrate unquestioned integrity, strong judgment and decision-making skills;
• Demonstrate professional demeanor, strong self-confidence;
• Possess excellent interpersonal skills; easily build relationships with teachers, leaders, and board members;
• All applicants will also be evaluated based on Charlotte Lab School’s Faculty Competencies.

In addition, the Lab School Leadership Team will look favorably upon candidates who:

PREPARATION:

• Have an advanced degree in a related field;
• Have experience with North Carolina high school graduation requirements and promotion requirements;
• Have experience with Naviance, Common App, and college applications systems;
• Have experience with career/college readiness work;
• Are fully licensed or willing to obtain North Carolina K-5, 6-8 and/or 9-12 counselor licensure;
• Have dual-certification or experience working with:

• Exceptional Children;
• Academically Gifted students; 
• School Social Worker;
• Family Advocate;
• Families in Transition (McKinney Vento);
• Multi-language learners. 

PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS:

• Demonstrate commitment to Lab’s vision, mission, and growth;

• Possess excellent written communication skills;

• Desire to work collaboratively with others in all aspects of the role;
• Demonstrate ability to work in a dynamic, fast paced, start-up environment both independently and as part of a team.

MINDSET:

• Are motivated to work in an open, progressive school environment; 
• Are independent thinkers;
• Are reflective in their practices and have a growth mindset; 
• Demonstrate flexibility and adaptability, and ability to thrive in ambiguous situations;
• Demonstrate innovation and creativity;
• Take initiative, are self-starters, and demonstrate leadership skills;
• Have high energy, humility, and a good sense of humor.

COMPENSATION

Charlotte Lab School offers competitive compensation commensurate with experience and education level using our compensation rubric. This role falls under Grade 4E on the compensation rubric. All salaries are determined pending verification of experience by our Finance/HR divisions and Board of Directors budget approval. Please note the following regarding use of the rubric:

• Assistant, instructional, dean and counselor salaries (Grades 1-4) are determined based on 1 year credit for 1 year of teaching and/or other relevant experience. Increased pay for advanced degrees (which may include specialized leadership programs or certifications) is indicated above and paid on the basis on completion of qualifying programs.
• Leadership salaries (Grades 5 and above) are determined based on 1 year credit for 1 year of leadership experience, and .5 year credit for each year of teaching experience. Advanced degrees are assumed, so not considered in this scale. 

The position also includes medical insurance for the employee, with voluntary dental and vision plans, and spouse/family coverage. Lab also provides access to a Flexible Spending Account for health and childcare expenses and an opportunity to contribute to a 403b retirement plan. Lab provides Lab employees are given 12 PTO days each year (1/month). Full time Charlotte Lab School faculty members also receive priority in the student admissions process.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Please visit https://www.charlottelabschool.org/working-at-lab.html to learn more about working at Lab and https://charlottelabschool.bamboohr.com/jobs/ to complete an application. You will be asked to include your resume and a detailed cover letter demonstrating your interest in working for Charlotte Lab School.

Charlotte Lab School is strongly committed to hiring a diverse and multicultural staff and we encourage applications from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds. Charlotte Lab School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, handicap, age, religion, sexual orientation, national, ethnic origin, or any other reason prohibited by state or federal law.