School Counselor - K-5; Elementary

Job Description

K-5 Guidance Counselor

FLSA Status:
Exempt

Reports to:

Lower School Principal

Purpose:

Guidance counselors promote student success, provide preventive services, and respond to identified student needs by implementing a comprehensive school counseling program that addresses academic, career, and personal/social development for all students.

• Discuss the comprehensive school counseling program with the school administrator.
• Develop and maintain a written plan for effective delivery of the school counseling program based on the NC Comprehensive School Counseling Standard Course of Study and current individual school data.
• Communicate the goals of the comprehensive school counseling program to education stakeholders.
• Maintain current and appropriate resources for education stakeholders.
• Implement developmentally appropriate and prevention‑oriented group activities to meet student needs and school goals.
• Assist all students, individually or in groups, with developing academic, career, and personal/social skills, goals, and plans.
• Accurately interpret and utilize student data.
• Collaborate with parents/guardians and educators to assist students with educational and career planning.
• Provide individual and group counseling to students with identified concerns and needs.
• Consult and collaborate effectively with parents/guardians, teachers, administrators, and other educational/community resources regarding students with identified concerns and needs.
• Implement an effective referral and follow‑up process.
• Use assessment procedures for determining and structuring individual and group counseling services.
• Provide appropriate information to staff related to the comprehensive school counseling program.
• Assist teachers, parents/guardians, and other stakeholders in interpreting and understanding student data.
• Participate in professional development activities to improve knowledge and skills.
• Use available technology resources to enhance the school counseling program.
• Adhere to laws, policies, procedures, and ethical standards of the school counseling profession.
• Conduct a program audit to review the extent of program implementation annually.
• Analyze and collect data to guide program direction and emphasis.
• Measure results of the school counseling programs/activities and share results as appropriate.
• Monitor student academic performance, behavior, and attendance, and assist with appropriate interventions.

• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
• Ability to reason, make judgments, and maintain effective working relationships with others.
• Ability to utilize positive human relation skills with all staff.
• Keyboarding skills with accuracy at the necessary speed for the position.
• Operating a computer with word processing, spreadsheet, and desktop publishing applications.
• Knowledge of office practices and procedures.
• Ability to compile and summarize information.
• Ability to resolve problem situations with sound judgment.
• Proper telephone etiquette.
• Maintain confidentiality in matters relating to the school system.
• Exercise independent judgment and initiative in completing work assignments.
• Knowledge of business letter writing memos.
• Compose correspondence independently.
• Work in the absence of supervision.
• Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
• Any other assigned duties.

• Physical Requirements:
  
  Ability to exert up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 20 pounds of force as frequently as needed to move objects.
• Interpersonal Communication:
  Ability to speak and/or signal people to convey or exchange information, including giving instructions, assignments, or directions to parents, students, and staff.
• Intelligence:
  Apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral or diagrammatic form.
• Verbal Aptitude:
  Record and deliver information, explain procedures, and follow written and oral instructions; communicate effectively and efficiently in Standard English.
• Numerical Aptitude:
  Ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide.
• Motor Coordination:
  Coordinate eyes and hands to use the keyboard.
• Interpersonal Temperament:
  Ability to deal with people beyond giving and receiving instructions; adapt to perform under minimal to moderate levels of stress.
• Physical Communication:
  Talk, write and hear effectively.

Assessment:
Performance of this job will be assessed annually in accordance with provisions of the Board's policy on assessment of administrative personnel.