Highline Academy

www.highlineacademy.org

Highline Academy - Northeast

School Counselor Job Description 

MISSION We exist to foster a diverse community of youths and adults striving together for academic, personal, and civic excellence.

VISION Creating inclusive excellence in public education

Assignment: School Counselor

Reporting directly to Highline’s campus principal, our teachers are the heart of our organization - the ones who make the mission come alive for our students. We expect our teachers to be caring about the whole child, great lesson planners, strong and nurturing at classroom management and excellent collaborators with teammates and families. We look for people with good communication skills, dedication to do everything it takes to make a difference for each child, and a growth mindset.

Position Schedule: Teachers are paid year round on a salary. Their student contact days (177) and their professional development days and parent conference days adds up to a 195 day work year. However, the work teachers do outside those days planning, reflecting and pursuing professional growth is also an important part of being an excellent teacher. Teachers are expected to be on campus ready for students by 7:30 am and to stay until 4:00 each day school is in session, including Fridays when we have early release days for students followed by teacher P.D. or planning meetings. There are two weeks of professional development every summer before school begins which is part of the accounted professional development days.

REPORTS TO: Campus Principal

DEPARTMENT: School Faculty

HIGHLINE OVERVIEW: Highline Academy is a community of diverse youth and adults striving together for academic, civic, and personal excellence. Founded in 2004, Highline is committed to inclusive excellence. In 2013, we launched our second school in Green Valley Ranch. Our students come from fifty countries, speak 26 different languages, represent a full range of socio-economic backgrounds, and previous educational experiences. Our diverse and integrated community has already begun to achieve excellence. Highline students have consistently out-performed district and state averages. Strong faculty and student retention rates are emblematic of the school’s positive culture and strong community. 

Highline has a commitment to a liberal arts education which includes Art, Music, Spanish and P.E. instruction for our students. We have high expectations for all of our learners, with an understanding that some learners need more or different instruction. We have Performance Group teachers at each grade level which enable us to give smaller group instruction for the core content areas of math and language arts. Additionally, we have a robust intervention program with additional supports available as students show they need them. We are a fully inclusive organization for students with special needs, who are integrated into the general education classrooms. We have a character education program designed by Highline called Reach. This teaches, practices, and celebrates the Reach values of responsibility, empowerment, aspiration, citizenship and honesty. All our students are taught to Reach Out to support and care about their classmates and community, Reach In to learn about themselves and reflect about their learning and Reach Up to their very best academic achievement. We are a students’ first, growth mindset organization and we expect all of our employees to model these values. All Highline employees are expected to read and follow all policies as written in the employee handbook and to review it annually for updates.

All Highline staff members are also expected to demonstrate the Highline Internal Commitments for Professional Practice.

• We will take responsibility for student learning by valuing diversity, needs, learning styles and through shared ownership. 
• We will commit to being clear and purposeful in our objectives and instruction while continuing to reflect and revise learning strategies by frequently monitoring student assessment data and ensuring that it is used as a tool for learning. 
• We accept and embrace diversity within our community of faculty, students, and parent/guardians by valuing each other for who and where we all are in life as learners and as people, and we commit to providing a safe place for all to succeed. 
• We will be direct, intentional, timely, and graceful in giving and receiving communication without judgment and for positive and proactive purposes. 
• We will create an environment that empowers faculty, students and parent/guardians to be active participants in student success. 
• We will create a focused and sustainable adult community by focusing on what is most essential to student success and staying focused on Highline’s goal.
• We will consistently model and enforce Highline’s academic and behavioral expectations. 

School Counselor Responsibilities: The school counselor is a proactive, preventative role within our community. The school counselor is the restorative practices leader within the building, leading restorative conversations with students and supporting other staff members in leading conversations as well. The school counselor will work alongside the social worker to provide student services including conducting threat assessment, self harm reviews, and suicide risk reviews. The school counselor will lead small groups of students in developing social emotional tools through curriculums and self created activities. The school counselor is responsible for providing behavioral intervention support throughout the school. Additionally, the counselor is responsible for ensuring that our students are engaging in prosocial behaviors during recess through organizing structured play opportunities for students. The school counselor is expected to collect data on students and identify students who may benefit from additional, more formal behavioral supports; the school counselor is expected to be a part of the team that creates and oversees the implementation of these supports. 

School counselors are expected to build positive relationships with their students and also hold them to high expectations. School counselors should work to ensure all families attend the student conferences held twice a year. School counselors are expected to participate in at least three evening or weekend events such as the music performances for their grade level, the Cultural Fair and the Fall festival. School counselors are expected to help plan and lead at least two event for families during the year such as a parent education meeting or a student demonstration of learning.

School counselors are expected to attend all professional development as assigned by their principal and participate with respect and attention. They are expected to participate as a member of at least one network, school, board or parent group committee to support the ongoing work of improving our school and supporting school culture.

Qualifications:

• Valid credential appropriate to their school counseling assignment;
• Master's Degree or higher in School Counseling as defined by accreditation by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs
• Minimum of 100 clock hour practicum
• Minimum of 600 clock hour internship, with multiple grade levels of students under the supervision of a licensed school counselor
• Passing of the Colorado state approved content exam: PLACE #41 (min. score: 220) or PRAXIS 5421 (min. score: 156)
• Demonstrated commitment to and understanding of the Highline mission;
• Strong communication and collaboration skills

Minimum Physical Requirements

• Be able to walk quickly, bend, kneel, crouch, sit, stand, grab or hold with one or both hands.
• To be able to lift up to 40lbs without difficulty
• To maintain appropriate demeanor and professional classroom behavior when working with children and adults
• The ability to sit for extended periods during group training

Salary Range: $46,343 - $78,796

We offer a Comprehensive Benefits Package, including: 

• Colorado PERA/PERA 401K
• Life Insurance
• PTO
• Short Term Disability
• Health
• Gap Insurance
• Dental
• Aflac
• Vision
• FLEX24

Highline Academy does not discriminate in admission to, access to, treatment in, or employment in its services, programs and activities, on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender expression, religious practice, ancestry, athletic performance, special need, proficiency in the English language or a foreign language, or prior academic achievement in accordance with all federal, state and local laws.