Description

Position Summary and Responsibilities

Working from home and in the Maine Connections Academy office in South Portland, the Manager of Counseling Services will work in conjunction with the school’s leadership team to help each student successfully achieve their academic goals. The Manager of Counseling Services will provide supervision to School Counseling/Social Work staff and will assist students and parents in understanding and meeting graduation requirements, course selection and scheduling, post-secondary school planning, and crisis intervention. The overarching goal of the Manager of Counseling services is to implement a comprehensive K-12 counseling program focused on individualized academic, college/career readiness, and personal/social-emotional development of all students.

Key responsibilities include the following:

• Support and promote the Mission/Vision of Maine Connections Academy

• Implement a comprehensive school counseling program including academic, college/career readiness, and person/social-emotional development;

• Ensure student safety and welfare in the virtual environment, reporting and referring critical incidents that jeopardize student well-being as obligated by law, administrative regulations, or ethical standards;

• Managing a counseling caseload of students in grades 10-12

• Provide support and supervision for the Middle School Counselor and the School Social Worker

• Manage 504 plans

• Empower student and staff self-advocacy, leadership, and growth;

• Ensure diversity and inclusion in regard to programming;

• Make ethical decisions in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment;

• Ensure the academic success of individual students by: utilizing all levels of support available, maintaining a high level of communication with parents to deliver program information, and addressing individual student needs;

• Exhibit high quality communication with all staff, students and families;

• Provide additional assistance to families in need of student engagement support and work to increase student participation and success;

• Serve as an advocate and representative for the school and participate in Connections Academy in-person activities as requested;

• Develop and implement methods of creating and maintaining a virtual school community;

• Support students and families with issues and concerns and use de-escalation techniques when appropriate;

• Collaborate with school leadership to provide excellent services to students and families;

• Maintain expert knowledge of all high school graduation requirements, such as community service or required state tests, and communicate this information to all stakeholders;

• Plan and supervise the school course selection and placement process, including pathways for credentials and certifications;

• Understand and manage the process for student participation in dual-enrollment programs;

• Supervise efforts to secure complete and accurate records for Connections Academy students including transcript entry and maintenance;

• Communicate with the Core Leadership Team to ensure that curriculum offerings meet state requirements;

• Maintain accurate data for state reporting when it comes to student withdrawals;

• Identify, maintain and share school and community resources with school teams and families;

• For newly enrolling students, ensure that previous grades, credits, and evaluations are handled appropriately;

• Oversee and coordinate high school graduation ceremonies;

• As a part of the school leadership team, support and lead initiatives to increase school graduation rate

• Understand requirements and provide testing support for state testing, Advanced Placement, SAT/ACT participation including scheduling, tracking participation and contracting for testing facilities;

• Manage/evaluate other school staff as a part of the Core Leadership Team

• All other duties assigned

Requirements

• Minimum of 5 years counseling experience; management/supervisory experience preferred

• Maine Professional Certificate in School Counseling required (or in process)

• Advanced degree preferred

• Technologically proficient (especially with Microsoft Office products and Google Suite)

• Knowledge of the ASCA (American School Counseling Association) National Model for comprehensive school counseling programs including strong understanding of student needs related social/emotional, academic, and college/career readiness

• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written

• Customer focused approach

• High degree of flexibility

• Demonstrated ability to work well in fast paced environment

• Team player track record

• Willingness to travel for school events/activities and state testing events if needed (may require occasional overnight travel)

• Ability to work some occasional evening hours, as needed to support some families

• Ability to work remotely