Adjustment Counselor

DISTRICT OVERVIEW

Holyoke Public Schools is a PreK-12 public school district serving nearly 4,800 students, of whom 80 percent are Latino/Latina, in 11 schools. We employ nearly 1,300 people who together educate and support a richly diverse community of learners. We are committed to recruiting and retaining top-quality educators who believe all children can and will learn and who strive daily to make school a joyful place of discovery, support, and belonging.

Holyoke Public Schools’ strategic plan, “Moving Forward Together,” builds on the strengths of our past while serving as a call to action to accelerate student learning by thinking differently about how we teach, how we work together, and how we support students’ well-being. 

Many successes contributed to Holyoke’s return to local governance after 10 years in state receivership. These include:

• The highest graduation rate on record of 77.1 percent, an increase of more than 15-points over 10 years
• Meaningful, applied learning opportunities for high school students, including theme-based academies, career vocational technical education programming, work-based learning, and advanced coursework
• A comprehensive approach to early literacy that includes strong core instruction and one-on-one tutoring, contributing to more students reading at grade level
• A thriving dual language English/Spanish program, where nearly 900 students are on their path to becoming bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural

• More than one-third of Holyoke teachers identify as people of color, a 19-point increase over 10 years. Many partnership programs support staff to earn licensure or additional certification.

Please visit the Holyoke Public Schools website to learn more about us, our recent accomplishments, and our commitment to equity. 

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PERSPECTIVA GENERAL DEL DISTRITO

Las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke son un distrito escolar público que cuenta con 11 escuelas de prekínder a 12.° grado y acoge a casi 4 800 estudiantes, de los cuales el 80 % se identifica como latino o latina. Empleamos a casi 1 300 personas que, en conjunto, educan y apoyan a una comunidad de estudiantes altamente diversa. Estamos comprometidos a contratar y retener educadores de alta calidad que creen firmemente que todos los niños pueden aprender y aprenderán, y que se esfuerzan diariamente por hacer de la escuela un lugar alegre de descubrimiento, apoyo y pertenencia.

El plan estratégico de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke , “Avanzando Juntos”, se basa en nuestras fortalezas previas y, al mismo tiempo, sirve como un llamado a la acción para acelerar el aprendizaje estudiantil a través de una nueva perspectiva sobre cómo enseñamos, cómo trabajamos en colaboración y cómo apoyamos el bienestar de los estudiantes. 

Existen numerosos logros que permitieron a Holyoke recuperar el control local después de 10 años de administración judicial.  Entre estos logros se encuentran:

• La tasa de graduación más alta registrada, del 77.1 %, lo que representa un aumento de más de 15 puntos porcentuales en 10 años
• Oportunidades significativas de aprendizaje práctico para estudiantes de secundaria, que incluyen academias temáticas, programas de educación técnica y vocacional, aprendizaje basado en el trabajo y cursos avanzados
• Un enfoque integral de la alfabetización temprana que combina una sólida instrucción básica con tutorías individuales, lo cual ha contribuido a que más estudiantes lean a nivel de grado
• Un próspero programa bilingüe de inglés/español, en el que casi 900 estudiantes avanzan hacia el bilingüismo, la biliteracidad, y la biculturalidad.

• Más de un tercio de los maestros de Holyoke se identifican como personas de etnicidad diversa, lo que representa un aumento de 19 puntos porcentuales en 10 años. Diversas colaboraciones con programas que han contribuido a que miembros del personal obtengan sus certificaciones o credenciales adicionales.

Visite el sitio web de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke para obtener más información sobre nuestra comunidad, nuestros logros recientes y  nuestro compromiso con la equidad.

Job Description: 

• Performs casework service with parents as an integral part of helping students to increase the parents’ understanding, their constructive participation in resolving their child’s problems, and their knowledge and use of appropriate resources available.
• Consults and collaborates with other school personnel in gathering and giving information on a case, and in establishing and planning for respective roles in the modification of student’s behavior.
• Makes home visits for the purpose of gathering helpful information on a student’s background.
• Serves as a liaison between home and school when considerable follow-up is necessary.
• Maintains student records and protects their confidentiality.
• Communicates to school personnel an understanding of the physical, social, emotional and psychological factors that strengthen or detract from a student’s academic achievement.
• Acts as a liaison between home, school and community.
• Provides educational, behavior management and mental health information and consultation to school personnel, parents and the community.
• Works jointly with other school personnel to identify students’ needs, and makes use of staff resources to help bring about positive changes.
• Assists students’ families and school personnel in identifying strengths that enhance educational, social and emotional growth.
• Supports students returning to school settings after a period in a juvenile justice or other facility; assists them in making the transition back to school and developing individual plans; and facilitates as a liaison between students’ teachers, families and other, appropriate persons to ensure a satisfactory re-entry to school.
• Work with students on an individual basis on the solution of personal problems related to home and family relations, health and emotional adjustments.
• Facilitates student support team meetings to determine needs of students and plan/implement appropriate interventions
• Collaborates with Guidance Counselors to create academic courseload for students
• Other duties as assigned by the Superintendent.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree
• Massachusetts Certification in Academic Professional Support Personnel, School Social Worker/Adjustment Counselor with SEI Endorsement prefferred.
• Communication Skills with parents
• Commitment to ensuring academic success for all students
• Experience working in an urban setting, preferred
• Experience working with diverse student populations, preferred
• Ability to read, interpret, and apply student performance data to instructional planning and execution
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; excellent teamwork skills 
• Bilingual applicants (Spanish) strongly encouraged to apply