Background on Southbridge Public Schools:

Southbridge Public Schools (SPS) serves approximately 2,200 students in five schools and employs nearly 330 educators and staff. 

More information about the district’s turnaround efforts can be found here.

Family Liaison

The Family Liaison job responsibility is to serve as the bridge between families, schools, and the community. The Family Liaison is committed to actively engaging all families in understanding their interests, needs, and aspirations for their child. The Liaison supports teachers, staff and administrators as the school develops and implements best practices to become one force in supporting children, enabling them to become the best versions of themselves. Family Liaisons Communicate, Connect, Collaborate, and Celebrate effectively to support this work.

The Family Liaison helps establish systems and processes to cultivate and leverage family and community partnerships and strengthen positive school climate. They support this by focusing their work on assessing and addressing needs through:

Communicating:

• Through an appropriate cultural and linguistic lens, the Family Liaison ensures that families are aware of:
  • school events and priorities
  • school based and community based resources
  • opportunities to volunteer in and outside of the classroom/school building
  • how to navigate the school system and advocate for their child
    • knowing what questions to ask
    • knowing how to read and interpret their child’s data
    • knowing who to speak with when supporting their child’s school experience
  • Ensure that teachers have the tools and support they need to share information with families regarding students’ progress, and how parents/guardians can support learning at home

Connecting:

• Through effective communication and active listening, be able to:
  • connect families with the resources available through Southbridge Public Schools and Community Partners
  • connect families with volunteer opportunities in and outside the classroom
  • connect teachers and parents/guardians to improve student outcomes

Collaborating:

• Through deliberate efforts, the Family Liaison will develop a mechanism for parental/guardian voice in school decision making.
  • Influence the development of policies, practices, and programs affecting their child
  • parents/guardians will work with liaison and to plan whole school events
• The Family Liaison will collaborate with teachers to identify ways to expand their classroom outside the classrooms’ four walls.
  • teachers will provide learning activities that can be completed at home and during family events

Celebrating:

• By acknowledging the school and greater community’s endeavors, the Family Liaison will highlight accomplishments and improvements in climate and culture, academic success, increased school-parent collaboration and community partner development:
  • partnering with the school PBIS teams
  • coordinating family events - tell our story
  • develop a gateway for parents/guardians to share their culture, ethnicity, and heritage in their child’s school.

Knowledge and Experience:

• Translation and Interpretation competencies
• Correct English and Spanish usage, grammar, spelling, punctuation and vocabulary
• Experience with Student Information Systems: experience with IPASS/ Aspen preferred
• Modern office practices, procedures and use of equipment
• Record-keeping techniques
• Health and safety regulations
• Oral and written communication skills
• Interpersonal skills using tact, patience and courtesy
• Telephone techniques and etiquette

Physical Demands:

• Work is performed while standing, sitting and/or walking
• Requires the ability to communicate effectively using speech, vision and hearing
• Requires the use of hands for simple grasping and fine manipulations
• Requires bending, squatting, crawling, climbing, reaching
• Requires the ability to lift, carry, push or pull light weights, up to 30 pounds

Preferred Education/Experience:

• Associate Degree
• At least two years of experience working in a public school system.
• Formal translation training or experience
• Experience working with online systems and database, student information systems preferred

Equal Opportunity Employer

Southbridge Public Schools is committed to maintaining a work and learning environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, sex, gender identity, disability, religion, age, or sexual orientation.