Job Information
Linn-Mar Community School District School Counselor in Marion, Iowa
School Counselor JobID: 5709
Position Type:
High School Teaching/ School Counselor
Date Posted:
4/18/2024
Location:
High School
Position Title: High School - School Counselor
Immediate Supervisor: Building Principal
Job Summary/Goals: Provide effective leadership in developing, achieving and maintaining the best possible educational programs and instructional services to help the high school students of the District better understand themselves, develop decision-making skills, learn interpersonal skills, and develop positive self-esteem.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities: (Other duties may be assigned.) • Work equitably and collaboratively with staff, students, parents and community. • Counsel students individually and/or in groups in the areas of personal, social, academic and career issues as needed. • Counsel with small groups of students who have common concerns. • Provide personal counseling for students, families and groups to help them learn greater self-understanding, acceptance of responsibility and better decision-making skills. • Provide group counseling for interaction, communication and support skill development. • Assist parents, teachers and administration in relating positively to students by improving human relations skills. • Coordinate with administrators, teachers, support staff and outside agencies those activities designed to promote cognitive, affective and behavioral development of students. • Assist principal and teachers in establishing and maintaining appropriate student behavior throughout the school and grounds. • Provide resources for individual staff/classroom/student needs. • Develop and present classroom guidance activities for assigned student population. • Provide support services for students in the areas of academic programs, team teaching, registration, course planning, school rules and other matters. • Ensure successful student transition to new grade levels (Middle School to High School) • Advise students regarding the accuracy and completeness of records and credits and perform periodic credit checks from grades nine through 12 with an emphasis on the senior year. • Assess and counsel students based on observations, conversations and test results. • Provide written contact and telephone calls to parents/guardians of senior students who are deficient in their credit status. • Provide information to students needing to attend summer programs to make up credit deficiencies. • Assist new, transfer and foreign exchange students in enrollment, registration, class selection, grades in progress and the transfer of credits. Conduct a screening of cumulative records and/or parent/guardian/student interviews of all students new to the school. • Evaluate credits from outside sources. • Coordinate the testing program at the high school and compile and disseminate test results to appropriate personnel, students and parents/guardians. • Direct students to provide them with sources of vocational/technical, career, college, military information and work. • Maintain a library of catalogs, pamphlets and directories from colleges, technical schools and military academies. This information shall include forms, scholarship information, financial aid information, military services information and occupational briefs. • Provide newsletters and other information to parents/guardians and students that relate to testing dates, college visitation dates, deadlines for filing applications, presentations that are held for career speakers and dates of military recruiter visits. • Coordinate military career activities. • Direct students to appropriate Internet sites that will allow students to conduct their own interest inventories and secure information about an array of vocational, career and post high school experiences. • Organize, interpret and administer interest and achievement testing for students. • Coordinate individual visits from college representatives. • Assist outside agencies visiting the school and speaking to groups of interested students. This shall include military, college and technical school representatives and representatives of careers available without post-secondary training. • Process post-secondary and scholarship applications. • Write letters of recommendation for students who want to enter post-secondary institutions or are applying for jobs. • Prepare and process scholarship materials; establish, organize and meet with scholarship committees; make scholarship applications available to students; and guide students through the total process. • Maintain information on institutions that offer scholarships. • Be responsible for programming meetings with the parents/guardians of seniors to explain financial aid. • Collect and analyze personal, social and educational information. • Interpret personal, social and educational information to the students, parents, teachers, administrators and other professionals in an effort to promote the optimal adjustment and welfare of each student. • Coordinate building testing programs. • Interpret test results to students, parents, teachers and administrators • Participate in staffing when deemed necessary. • Participate in the IDM process to best assist student development. • Articulate the "Guidance Program" to community and staff. • Serve as a referral source to outside agencies. • Participate in in-service training programs relative to guidance programs. • Serve on District committees as directed. • Keep abreast of and share new ideas and developments within the guidance field. • Collaborate with teachers, parents and other staff to enhance their effectiveness in helping students in ways to promote the attainment of the Linn-Mar educational goals. • Regular and reliable attendance. • Other duties as assigned.
Supervisory Responsibilities: Supervise students throughout the building. Provide input to the supervision of a secretary.The principal may assign additional supervisory duties according to building need.
Minimum Education and/or Experience: MA degree required. High School teaching experience preferred.Cross cultural experience preferred.
Licensure or Certification: ValidIowalicense with (7-12) Counseling endorsement required.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: (To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed here are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.)
• Knowledge of young adolescent development and developmentally appropriate practices; appropriate counseling strategies for use with young adolescents; working knowledge of agencies and institutions for support and referral purposes; effective instructional strategies; effective classroom management strategies.
• Knowledge of current research in learning; interpretation of a variety of assessment measures; integrated instruction; cooperative learning.
• Excellent interpersonal skills; communication skills; teaming skills; flexibility and openness to change; commitment to continued professional growth.
• Ability to lead.
• Proficient in computer/technology skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively with parents, school personnel, and other agencies to meet the needs of students; ability to assess and monitor student progress; ability to teach groups of adults and children.
Physical Demands: (The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.)
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, speak, hear, see, and walk to carry out routine duties. Must be able to bend arms, torso, and neck. Must be able to occasionally lift, move, or push items of 50 lbs such as assisting children or moving/rearranging furniture. Specific vision requirements include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. Must be able to supervise students in all types of conditions, meet multiple demands from several people, and interact effectively with the public and other staff.
Work Environment: (The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.)
Noise level is quiet to loud. Work may be indoors or outdoors. Work may be in non-air conditioned rooms. Tobacco and alcohol-free environment. Fast-paced atmosphere with constant contact with students, staff, or the public. May include evenings. Direct responsibility for the safety and well-being of students.
The Linn-Mar Community School District shall provide equal opportunity to employees and applicants for employment in accordance with applicable equal employment opportunity and affirmative action laws, directives, and regulations of federal, state, and local governing bodies. In employing individuals, the District will consider the qualifications, credentials, and records of the applicants without regard to age, color creed, national origin, race, religion, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical attributes, genetic information, physical or mental ability or disability, ancestry, political party preference, political belief, military status, socioeconomic status, pregnancy, or familial status.
The statements in this job description are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel in this position. These statements are not intended to limit or in any way modify the right of any supervisor to assign, direct, and control the work of employees under his or her supervision.