COMPASS MONTESSORI SCHOOL WHEAT RIDGE CAMPUS

Part Time ECE-6th grade School Prevention & Social Emotional Learning Assistant

About Compass:  

Compass Montessori is one of a limited number of public schools in the nation that offers a fully articulated Montessori Education program. 

Compass Montessori is a unique public charter school educating Children's House (Pre-K) through High School on two campuses in Wheat Ridge & Golden, Colorado. 

Our purpose is to guide students using authentic Montessori methods, foster interdependence, and nurture intrinsic motivation from within the whole child academically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially. 

Compass aspires to be authentic, curious, intrinsically motivated, socially conscious, inclusive, respectful, connected to the natural world, ready to change the world and to be in community with one another. 

Other ways to learn more about Compass Montessori:

Learn more about out academic programs HERE

Meet our Leadership Team HERE

Browse our Staff Directory HERE

Compass FAQs HERE

New to Montessori? Learn more HERE

Professional Observation available HERE 

Follow us on Instagram at compass_montessori 

General Description:  

The staff member in this social emotional learning assistant position will work closely with and under direction of the full-time building mental health provider, as well as the building administrative team to coordinate, facilitate, and implement mental health support services. Staff in this position will provide social-emotional support to foster a safe and successful learning environment for students in the ECE through 6th grade level. The primary focus will be upon building students’ capacity for success in the educational setting and positive social-emotional well-being both through proactive and responsive approaches. 

Essential Functions: 

• Provide comprehensive school mental health services to students to foster prosocial skills and appropriate behavior, improving skills in the areas of emotional regulation, coping strategies, situational awareness, problem solving/flexible thinking/conflict resolution, impulse control, and self-advocacy in an elementary Montessori environment
• Promote the social skills and emotional wellness of students and staff through programming that supports an authentic and respectful culture and climate, inside and outside of the classroom setting using both prevention and intervention models.
• Supporting students and advocating for their emotional, mental and physical wellbeing. 
• Develop youth leadership and empowerment skills.
• Facilitate restorative justice and peace process with students on an as-needed basis
• Provide crisis assistance and intervention (i.e., family death, self-harm) strategies on an as-needed basis to improve student success.
• Coordinate referrals with building mental health staff from school administration, parents, teachers, the Student Support Team, the Special Education team, 504 Coordinator and others by providing direct services and by assisting families in accessing appropriate community resources.
• Coordinating universal social emotional programming and supports such as: SEL Curriculum, data-based decision making, professional development, and facilitation of Tier 2 supports, which may include psycho-educational counseling groups.
• Provide individual and/or group psycho-educational counseling in response to school community events that impact students and staff.
• Analyze information gained through record review and interviews to identify previous barriers and/or interventions, determine environmental impacts and appropriate resource needs; integrate gained information into a written report and oral presentation.
• Assist students in general education with challenges, such as gender identity, giftedness, conflict resolution, emotional regulation, and social challenges with peers.
• Collaborate with school leadership to assess, develop and implement initiatives to address social-emotional wellness of students, primarily with students receiving 504 Plan supports, identified through SSIS-SEL, and students identified as gifted.
• Shall conduct interviews and observations of individuals, families and systems/organizations (namely, classroom, school, teachers, neighborhood, district, state) with the goal of identifying the needs, characteristics, and interactions of students, families, and school personnel while improving student social, emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes. Whether this is part of the 504 plan assessment and annual review updates, gifted students, or general education students.
• Attend 504 meetings, as well as other meetings deemed necessary by the mental health team, support services team, and administration team on an as-needed basis (i.e., district monthly SEL meetings, re-entry meetings, mental health team meetings).
• Partner and collaborate with students, families, teachers and school staff to support students' individual needs via teacher consultation, team meetings, MTSS process.
• Participate in professional development activities aimed at current trends and best practices for the provision of comprehensive school social-emotional and mental health services. 
• Maintain an ongoing liaison with families, community agencies and other resources to meet student needs; refers parents and students to agencies when appropriate.
• Document services being initiated, maintain documentation of services provided on an ongoing basis, as well as initial assessments and annual reviews for 504 Plans.
• Collaboration with and supervision by full-time Mental Health Provider
• Perform related work, as needed.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Desire to work as a collaborative team member in a ECE-6th grade public Montessori school
• Knowledge and skills for direct and indirect intervention including, but not limited to: counseling on an individual, group, or family basis; consulting with administrators, teachers, parents/guardians, and other professionals about student struggles and appropriate change strategies
• Experience as a school-based mental health provider with 504/IEP caseloads, in an elementary school setting, preferred
• Understanding of the knowledge, skills, and processes for effective casework practice, using trauma-informed practices 
• Understanding of the school social work profession including associated laws (IDEA, ADA, compulsory attendance, etc.), ethical issues, professional issues and standards
• Prior experience with special education data management systems and caseload management
• Foundations of school psychology; and the role and function of the school mental health provider
• Understanding of child development, psychopathology, approaches to working with twice exceptional and gifted and talented learners, social and environmental conditioning, equity, cultural diversity and family systems

Education/Licensure Requirements:

• Master's of Social Work (MSW) from an accredited school of social work with a Colorado school social work special service provider license or eligibility to qualify for a provisional school social work license

OR

• Master’s in school counseling from an accredited school of school counseling with a Colorado school social work special service provider license or eligibility to qualify for a provisional school social work license

Physical Requirements:

• Routine levels of activity related to bending, carrying, climbing, hearing, reaching, sitting, standing, vision and walking, and may also involve above-average/routine levels of activity at times that can not always be determined.

Interested Applicants Should:

• Apply through Talent Ed or Indeed by Friday, March 7th
• Qualified applicants will be invited to complete a screener and submit a professional artifact
• After screening, applicants will be invited for an in-person, on campus observation and team interview