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2 May 2024

Instructional Support Guidance Counselor

Wissahickon Charter School
 Anywhere

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.

How to Apply

To be considered, visit our website at http://wissahickoncharter.org/join-our-team and click on the Apply Now button. Please note that a cover letter and resume are required.

Bureaus: Philadelphia. Job Categories: Full-Time. Job Types: Instructional Support. Salaries: 60,000 - 80,000.