The Lower School Counselor serves as a resource to students, faculty, administration and parents of the St. Andrew’s community, primarily in preschool through Grade 5, on a variety of health and wellness issues. The Lower School Counselor reports to the Co-Heads of Lower School and works directly with the School Counselor and Administrative team. This part-time position is an outstanding opportunity for a candidate that has a flexible schedule and is interested in working up to 10 hours a week in a school setting.

This exciting position will require a faculty member who can work collaboratively with fellow teachers and administrators. The successful candidate will have at least a Master’s Degree in Social Work, Counseling or Psychology. Applicants who have worked in a school setting and are licensed to work in the state of Maryland are preferred.

About St. Andrew’s  

The mission of St. Andrew’s Episcopal School is to know and inspire each child in an inclusive community dedicated to exceptional teaching, learning, and service. Founded in 1978, St. Andrew’s is a co-educational independent day school, enrolling 645 students in preschool through grade 12. St. Andrew’s 19-acre Postoak Campus has been enhanced in recent years with the addition of the 43,000 square-foot Student Center and Izzo Quadrangle (2016) and 31,000 square-foot Lower School (2019).

St. Andrew’s faculty and staff uphold a powerfully innovate, positive culture that challenges and supports one of the most broadly diverse student bodies in greater Washington. The school seeks growth-minded, highly motivated, collaborative leaders that will continue the school’s growth and focus on the development of each student’s and employee’s full potential. Through its Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning (www.thecttl.org), St. Andrew’s has become a global leader in Mind, Brain, and Education (MBE) Science, including training thousands of educators worldwide and cultivating a research-based approach to teaching and learning throughout St. Andrew’s.

As an Episcopal School, we seek to express the faith and perspective of the Episcopal Church in our chapel life, commitment to service-learning, religion curriculum, and in the overall character of our community. We strive to be an inclusive and hospitable community that welcomes and respects students and families from all faiths, including those who identify with no particular faith tradition.

As a Responsive Classroom school, the Lower School provides a balance of academic rigor and emotional and social nurturing. From interdisciplinary design thinking projects, active participatory lessons, monthly field trips, service learning activities, teachers craft a positive, engaging, structured environment where students learn to become invested, self-motivated learners. We encourage interested candidates to find out more about the school by visiting www.saes.org.

Major Responsibilities:

• Maintain a current knowledge of developmentally appropriate best practices and trends in early and elementary childhood education and social-emotional development;
• Support Division Heads and Curriculum Coordinators with reviewing and implementing social-emotional curriculum for the Lower School;
• Provide direct social-emotional student support in the classroom, hallways, and on the playground through behavioral modeling, use of language, and scaffolding; and
• Observe and assess students’ social-emotional functioning in order to establish goals and objectives, and regularly review these with teachers, administrators, and parents.
• Meet with the Health Support Team on a weekly basis and coordinate SEL programming with Division Head, Learning Strategist, and LS Diversity Coordinator.

Student Specific Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement grade-level small group programming;
• Create and deliver social-emotional lessons pertaining to body boundaries, privacy, families, differences, friendship, feelings, and mindfulness;
• Identify and address small group and whole class dynamics which interfere with positive interactions of the the larger classroom community;
• Counsel students who are having challenges in the classroom or at home; and
• Partner with students who need support being successful in social situations.

Teacher Specific Responsibilities:

• Support teachers through consultation and student observation;
• Provide resources on best practices in early childhood and elementary social emotional development and
• Meet regularly with grade-level teaching teams to discuss classroom challenges and appropriate strategies to support specific children as well as the whole classroom.

Parent Specific Responsibilities:

• Provide individual parent-related support services, resources, and coaching;
• Maintain regular communication with parents by means of email, phone calls, and conferences;
• Coordinate with Division Heads and participate in parent conferences as needed.

Administrative Specific Responsibilities:

• Maintain accurate and complete records and confidential student files;
• Oversee referrals to and coordination with external behavioral health providers;
• Develop handbook, policies, and protocols for Student Support services in consultation with Division Heads, School Counselor, and Learning Strategist;
• Member of Student Health Support;
• Monitor reports of behaviors that may include verbal or physical aggression, social alienation, racial, ethnic, or sexual harassment, molestation, or child abuse and neglect.