Job Description

The Alexandria City Public School (ACPS) is seeking School Counselor substitutes for temporary long-term positions throughout the school year. These positions vary in length, location, and grade level.

The School Counselor is responsible for the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of the comprehensive school counseling program in alignment with the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) national model. The Substitute School Counselor provides all students with academic, social-emotional, and career development opportunities through classroom lessons, individual counseling, and group counseling. Substitute School Counselors work to provide preventative and responsive services to all students in order to maximize each student's individual potential towards rigorous achievement. Substitute School Counselors are the liaison between the school administration, teachers and other school staff, parents and families, and the larger ACPS community to support all developmental aspects of a student's schooling. The School Counselor assists students as they explore and plan their post-secondary pathways. This position reports to the Principal.

Qualifications:

• 
  Education: A master's degree in school counseling
  
• Certificates & Licenses: Valid Virginia Department of Education license with an endorsement in school counseling, or eligibility to obtain one through the completion of a master's degree in school counseling.
• Experience: Jobs or internships in the specialized school counseling field

Essential Functions:

• Define and focus the comprehensive school counseling program in response to the needs of students based on the schools' academic, attendance and behavioral data.
• Identify student needs through data collection and analysis and in consultation with school administrators, teachers and other school staff to enhance program development.
• Deliver the school counseling core curriculum via classroom instruction with reinforcements delivered through small group instruction and/or individual instruction towards high student achievement.
• Teach developmentally appropriate lessons, deliver group activities to promote academic, career or social/emotional development in partnership with other counselors and/or teaching staff.
• Provide responsive services based on academic, career and social/emotional data to provide short-term solution-focused counseling interventions.
• Crisis response to assist students with a variety of social-emotional and mental health concerns and make appropriate referrals to outside mental health providers when necessary.
• Consult and work in collaboration with other members of the Student Support Team and community partners in support of positive social-emotional development and overall mental health.
• Educate and assist students with understanding and becoming knowledgeable about all aspects of the college process (e.g. financial aid, college materials, applications, on line registration, scholarships, etc.) in support of academic and career opportunities.
• Collaborate to maintain a variety of confidential and non-confidential student records.
• Participate in a variety of professional learning opportunities to include meetings, workshops and committees related to performing school counseling functions and remaining knowledgeable with program guidelines.
• Prepare a variety of documents, reports and written materials (e.g. emails, individual awards, invitations, event programs, bulletins, reports, etc.) to effectively communicate information to parents and staff.
• Perform other related duties as assigned to ensure the efficient and effective functioning of the school counseling department.

Clearances:

• Criminal Justice Fingerprint/Background Clearance.
• Tuberculosis Skin Test.

Public Health Compliance

• Proof of COVID vaccination. Exemptions for religious/medical will be reviewed.
• Must follow safety and health protocols.

WP