SUMMARY - School Counselor

Location | Madison, WI

Application Deadline | Open until filled

Start Date | August 8, 2022

Reports To | Secondary School Principal

One City Preparatory Academy (OCPA) is a unique 6th-12th grade school that combines the features of an EL Education Network School and an Early College and Career Model. OCPA will offer the highly regarded Expeditionary Learning curriculum in sixth through eighth grades and a blended high school, college, and career experience in high school. It is also a unique, two-generation public school, authorized by the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents, that provides a tuition-free education to children, and works directly with families to ensure children are inspired, learning, growing, and achieving to their full potential. OCPA begins its first year of operation in September of 2022 with sixth grade, ninth grade, and tenth grade while One City Elementary School (Grades 4K-5) will enter its fifth year. One City Schools is the only public school in Wisconsin that offers both a longer school day (8:00am to 4:30 pm) and longer school year (September 1 - July 31).

In Fall of 2021, we moved into our permanent home, a $12 million facility located at 1707 W. Broadway in Monona, Wisconsin, a small city located on the South Side of our capital city. This 13.5 acre campus includes a 157,000 square foot school facility that will serve 888 K - 12 scholars by 2024. The master campus plan includes a new 140,000 square foot athletic center with a high school/college-sized indoor soccer field, two high school/college sized basketball courts, weight training and cardio rooms, locker rooms, and underground access to our school facility. Our campus also includes a wooded nature area for science and outdoor learning, and outdoor play space. The campus is situated just 5 blocks from Lake Monona, just north of Lake Waubesa, and 10 minutes from downtown Madison.

ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The middle school program at One City Preparatory Academy is an interdisciplinary, student-centered, project-based learning experience in a school organized around the principles of community and equity. In high school, the program is focused on preparation for college or career through a blended high school, college, and career program. Emphasis for both middle and high school is placed not just on academic skill development, but also on individual and community character skills such as empathy, flexibility, curiosity, and grit. Our scholars are taught how to be lifelong learners and thinkers, equipped to approach unpredictable challenges ahead.

The Pleasant T. Rowland Leadership Campus, our new home at 1707 W Broadway, borders Madison and Monona and includes large outdoor space that will be developed into usable exploration space. Inside the building we are developing innovative spaces including everything from a beauty/barber salon, to a student-run DJ booth, coffee shop, school store, and Summit Credit Union branch, to teacher training suites where new teachers can learn from seasoned professionals through one-way glass.

Our middle school curriculum is framed in Expeditions, eight week interdisciplinary instructional periods, followed by one week immersive workshop experiences. Workshops provide exposure to career paths, opportunities to engage in design thinking cycles through project based work, and specific content knowledge critical to ensuring success in life and career (e.g., financial literacy, life skills, career readiness). Beginning in 6th grade, students will be exposed to technical and very practical workshops that will help them make informed decisions about their future, while providing them with a rich variety of job prospects. Furthermore, these workshops will lead to summer apprenticeship opportunities and internships on campus and locally, therefore increasing graduation and employment rates specifically among traditionally underrepresented communities.

Our high school program is semester-based. OCPA seeks to improve the transition from high school to college and increase access and success in higher education. We do this by offering high school-age students, particularly those from low-income and historically underrepresented communities, tuition-free college programs of study. The bridge between high school and college is weakest for the young people for whom the gap between the two is also the widest. OCPA will provide high-school level support (physical, emotional, social, and academic) to scholars pursuing college level coursework. OCPA seeks to demonstrate that an academically rigorous liberal arts and sciences program can intellectually engage a diverse group of high school students and effectively prepare them for success in college, careers, and civic life.

In our longer school day and longer school year model, we have the ability to be flexible and innovative with schedule and program. We are seeking educators eager to build a school and a program designed to meet the needs of historically underrepresented communities.

MISSION, VISION, VALUES, AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES

MISSION

Our mission is to seed a new model of public education that ensures young children are on track to succeed in a college or career preparatory program from birth through high school graduation.

One City Schools achieves its mission by:

• Attracting dedicated families committed to the mission of the school
• Sustaining a diverse, inclusive, and multicultural community that affirms and values each individual
• Focusing on wellness, including providing healthy prepared breakfast, lunch, and snack on a daily basis
• Providing a longer school day and longer school year, ensuring our scholars and their families are continually supported
• Ensuring transparency and accountability, including a 20-year longitudinal study in partnership with University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Providing financial, physical, and educational support for scholars from age 2 through HS graduation
• Focusing on professional development and support
• Cultivating resilience, agency, compassion, and community-mindedness
• Embracing the whole child, from athletics to social-emotional development to content knowledge
• Embedding a community-minded approach to education, including a focus on collaboration amongst teachers, parents, and scholars

VISION

Our short-term vision is of a Greater Madison where all children are prepared to contribute and succeed as adults.

‍Our long-term vision is of a Wisconsin and United States of America where all children are prepared to achieve the same. Solving the achievement gap crisis won’t matter if a gap still exists between children in the USA and children in other developed countries around the world.

VALUES

Habits of Character

• We are honest, fair, and fulfill the commitments we make, building a culture of respect and mutual trust.
• We give our best effort, take intellectual risks and learn to persevere.
• We reflect and live with purpose, working toward goals that embody our genuine interests.
• We are a school that values educational excellence, community, and integrity. We are dedicated to lifelong learning.
• We have high expectations for all scholars, staff, and families.

Community

• We embrace the village concept – that it truly takes an entire village to raise a child.
• We support and celebrate one another and take responsibility for our words and actions, acknowledging that we shape the lives of others in our community.
• We work hand-in-hand with parents and the broader community to ensure our students have the fundamental capacity to succeed in school and life.
• We utilize a robust network of community partnerships, routinely evaluate our success, and stay current on the latest research to ensure we are doing our very best to cultivate happy, healthy, and successful children.

Equity

• We embrace and celebrate diversity within our school, knowing that it deepens our learning and enhances our empathy.
• We recognize that each person has different circumstances and we allocate the necessary resources and opportunities needed to provide an equal playing field for our scholars and their families.

Wellness

• We promote the health and wellbeing of our students and employees.
• We provide two nutritious meals and a snack for our scholars and staff on a daily basis.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

One City Scholars will graduate from our school but always be a part of our community. They will emerge from our program as thinkers, learners, and problem-solvers, ready to tackle life’s challenges and provide effective leadership in our state and globally.

Our graduates will be prepared to lead in the local and global community and serve as role models, mentors and problem solvers. They will understand the importance of reflection, perseverance, compassion and risk-taking. One City Scholars, to put it simply, will make the world a better place.

STATEMENT ON DIVERSITY

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are more than just words for One City Schools. We strive to create a team that reflects the scholars and families we serve, and empowers all to bring their full, authentic selves to school each day. Currently, 60% of our staff and 87% of our scholars identify as Black, Brown, Asian, Hispanic, Latino, and/or multi-racial. One City Schools is designed to prepare ALL students for success in school, career, and life, particularly the Black, Brown, Hispanic, Latino, and low-income scholars in the Madison community and beyond, who have been historically underserved in traditional school environments.

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

In September of 2022, One City Preparatory Academy will welcome as many as 72 scholars in Grade 6 and 96 in each of Grades 9 and 10, while One City Elementary School will expand through Grade 5 with 48 scholars/grade. In the following two years (School Years ‘23-24 and ‘24-25), expansion will continue until One City Schools serves children from as young as age 2 (One City Preschool) through high school graduation. The first graduating class will be in June of ‘25.

Our new facility at 1707 W Broadway is currently under renovation while we simultaneously use it for instruction for Grades K-4. Renovations will be complete by September of ‘22, at which time construction on the Athletics Center will begin. Programs will expand as OCPA grows and will always center on our mission and vision.

SCHOOL COUNSELOR

One City Preparatory Academy (OCPA) seeks a thoughtful, visionary, and relentless educator to support scholars, families, teachers, and administration with the goal of increasing student engagement, improving student achievement, and building scholar capacity.

OVERVIEW

The school counselor is an integral part of a healthy, supportive school community and may occupy several roles, simultaneously serving on the faculty, staff, administration, or coaching staff. The nature of counseling work requires the full-time school counselor to be on duty and available for students during traditional working hours as well as when the school may be closed.

One City is seeking a thoughtful, creative, forward-thinking individual with experience working with adolescent students and families. The School Counselor is responsible for creating and maintaining programs to support the social, emotional, and developmental well-being of the school community. In collaboration with the Student Support Team and reporting to the Secondary School Principal, the School Counselor will support students, faculty and families (when appropriate) in social emotional development, mental health, and classroom behavior. The School Counselor works with the administration, faculty, and Parent Council on existing programs and supports students’ needs.

SPECIFIC DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

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  Assess students' social, emotional, and psychological needs and provide short-term individual and crisis counseling.
  
• Provide individual consultation for faculty and parents/guardians regarding students' mental health and emotional concerns/needs to develop supportive strategies for the classroom and home.
  
• Collaborate with external mental health providers (when necessary) in assessing or supporting students who are having an acute or chronic issue.
  
• Collaborate with external organizations to help proactively plan all-school or grade-level specific programming.
  
• Serve as a member of the Student Support Team to plan and implement support strategies for students.
  
• Classroom observations for academic and social/emotional concerns as requested.
  
• Lead new student orientation and check-ins.
  
• Work with the leadership team on various health and wellness initiatives.
  
• Follow established school-wide community policies and procedures.

• 
  OCPA staff must be willing to participate in overnight off-site retreats designed for scholar or staff development. (Please understand, these events may be outdoor adventure based trips that include camping, canoeing, cycling, rock climbing, etc.)

• 
  Help foster an active professional learning community by collaborating and sharing information and resources in order to carry out the vision of OCPA.

• 
  Effectively plan and lead classes, seminars and workshops offered within the schedule.

• 
  Serve as advisor for a small (10-12) group of students, providing guidance in academic, extracurricular, social, and personal areas and serving as the school’s key liaison to parents.

OTHER DUTIES

Perform other duties as assigned by the Principal.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Education: Master’s degree in school counseling or related field

Experience: Experience with adolescents

Certifications: Certified/Certifiable in Wisconsin

Other Requirements:

• Strong commitment to the mission, vision, goals and objectives of One City.
• Experience with adolescents; urban teaching (or student-teaching) experience and teaching children from racial, ethnic, and linguistically diverse backgrounds also preferred.
• Candidates for this position must demonstrate the ability to: facilitate meetings; demonstrate self-initiative; organize self and others; develop realistic action plans; act in an ethical manner; consider new ideas; lead others; build teams; handle periods of high stress; communicate effectively with all groups; manage multiple projects; and have a working knowledge of instructional technology.
• Flexibility
• Comfort with discomfort
• Enthusiasm to build a school together
• Compassionate
• Community-focused
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills

APPLICATION PROCESS:

• Resume
• List of 3-5 references with contact information (references will not be notified until candidate is notified)
• Cover letter outlining interest in position
• Background checks are a condition of employment

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

One City offers salaries and wages that are competitive within our local market and area public schools, as well as comprehensive benefits to all full-time employees. Benefits include:

• 
  Salary depending on education, experience, and demonstrated impact on student academic growth and achievement
• 11-month contract with dedicated planning time each week. Standard school year breaks apply (e.g., Thanksgiving break, winter break, spring break, national holidays).
• Healthy prepared breakfast, lunch, and snack provided while at work
• Comprehensive health benefits (medical, dental and vision)
• Investment in comprehensive professional development
• 401K with employer match of 5.9%
• Voluntary Benefits (Supplemental Life, Accident, Short Term Disability, etc.)
• Your age-eligible children automatically admitted to One City Elementary School
• Life Insurance and Long-term Disability
• Employee Assistance Plan

Compensation will be consistent with One City’s approved compensation plan as stipulated by the Board of Directors.

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