Instructional Support Guidance Counselor
Job Description
Wissahickon Charter School is looking for a Guidance Counselor for our Awbury site for the 2024-25 school year. The Guidance Counselor’s primary responsibilities include providing individual and group counseling and crisis intervention across grades K-8. The position also includes helping to manage the high school admissions process and teaching guidance classes. The ideal candidate will have a Master’s degree in social work and will have experience working with students in an urban setting.
Key Responsibilities
Counseling
- Working with the existing guidance counselor, establish schedules and provide individual, group and IEP-mandated counseling
- Work as part of the administrative team to determine trends in students’ social and emotional needs across the school
- Work collaboratively with the existing guidance counselor, school leaders, teachers, learning specialists, and other staff to support students
- Provide crisis prevention/ intervention, including steps related to child abuse, suicide, bullying and homelessness
- Support classroom teachers with behavior and emotional concerns of students
- Act as a liaison for outside agencies as needed
- Participate in student-focused meetings and hearings
- Establish and maintain relationships with families through regular communication, updates and opportunities for involvement
- Track student data to help inform interventions
- Supervise and monitor the Peace Center, our hub for student-led conflict resolution
Possible Additional Duties
High School Application Preparation
- Stay abreast of current high school admissions processes
- Build and maintain relationships with School District of Philadelphia, charter, private, parochial and alternative high schools and admissions staff
- Coordinate and manage all administrative duties related to the high school admissions process, including hosting events for families and students and working with teachers to provide necessary documentation
Teaching
- Plan and teach up to 8 guidance classes a week to 5th-8th graders, including content related to high school admissions, career planning, puberty, sexual education, financial literacy and other topics relevant to students’ needs
- Consistently implement classroom management and grading practices
Overall Professionalism
- Exemplify WCS’s CARES values (Collaboration, Academic Excellence, Responsibility, Empathy, Self-Reflection) in interactions with all students, families, colleagues and community partners
- Seek out and be receptive to feedback from the Middle School Principal, existing guidance counselor, and peers
- Participate in all professional development and team planning meetings
Qualifications
Required
- Master’s degree in a position-related field
- All required FBI & PA clearances
- Belief that all children can learn and succeed
- Belief in WCS’s mission and vision
- Collaborative work style; including maturity, humility, and a sense of humor
- Strong oral and written communication skills with all constituents
- High level of personal organization, planning, and follow-through
- Flexibility to adjust strategies in order to reach goals
- Receptiveness to feedback, positive attitude, and a desire to continuously improve
- Willingness to speak openly and honestly about issues of race and equity and to work to dismantle white supremacist culture
Strongly preferred
- Master’s in Counseling or Social Work
- Minimum of 2 years counseling experience in an urban school
- Familiarity/experience with Philadelphia high school admissions process
- Prior K-8 teaching experience
Compensation:
This is a full time, 10-month position with 100% employer-paid benefits (medical, dental and vision) for the employee and any spouse or dependents.
About Wissahickon Charter School
Wissahickon Charter School’s first campus, Fernhill, opened in 2002 and serves 480 K-8 students from across Philadelphia. Our second K-8 campus, Awbury, opened in the fall of 2014. The mission of Wissahickon Charter School (WCS) is to provide a community of learning that stimulates and builds the child’s intellectual, social, and character development.
