School Counselor - K-8

About Us:

Global Village Academy is an innovative charter school where students learn core academic content through language immersion. Language offerings vary by campus: our North - Thornton campus offers Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, and Russian, while our Aurora and Douglas County campuses offer Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, and French. GVA is truly a "global village." Our immersion teachers come from all over the world, each bringing their unique culture and language into the classroom. United by a common core, students are challenged to become world class thinkers, capable of engaging ideas using multiple languages and cross-cultural perspectives, through an internationally benchmarked curriculum spanning each language village.

Location: Global Village Academy North - Thornton, CO

Job Type: Full Time - Exempt

Annual Salary Range: $65,000 - $88,020

Summary:

The School Counselor is responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive school counseling program that promotes the academic, social-emotional, behavioral, and career development of students in grades K-8. The School Counselor partners with students, families, staff, and community agencies to foster a safe, inclusive, and supportive learning environment where every student can thrive.

This position provides direct counseling services, crisis intervention, prevention programming, consultation, and coordination of student support services while collaborating with school leadership and multidisciplinary teams to remove barriers to student success.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive school counseling program aligned with the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model.
• Provide individual, small-group, and classroom counseling to support students' academic achievement, social-emotional growth, behavioral development, and career awareness.
• Deliver short-term, solution-focused counseling and make referrals to outside agencies and community resources when long-term services are needed.
• Provide crisis intervention, risk assessments, safety planning, and follow-up support for students experiencing emotional, behavioral, or mental health concerns.
• Collaborate with administrators, teachers, families, and support staff to identify and address student needs.
• Participate as an active member of the school's Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) team by analyzing student data, developing interventions, and monitoring student progress.
• Coordinate the development, implementation, and annual review of Section 504 Accommodation Plans in collaboration with families, teachers, and administrators.
• Consult with teachers regarding classroom strategies, behavior interventions, and social-emotional supports.
• Support positive student behavior through restorative practices, conflict resolution, mediation, and behavior de-escalation techniques.
• Assist with attendance improvement initiatives and intervention planning for students experiencing chronic absenteeism.
• Promote a positive school climate through prevention programs, character education, bullying prevention, and social-emotional learning initiatives.
• Maintain accurate and confidential student records in accordance with FERPA, state regulations, ethical standards, and district policies.
• Collect, analyze, and report program and student outcome data to evaluate the effectiveness of counseling services.
• Participate in student support meetings, Child Find meetings, MTSS meetings, Section 504 meetings, and other multidisciplinary team meetings.
• Attend parent-teacher conferences, family meetings, and school events as appropriate.
• Build partnerships with community agencies and outside providers to support student and family needs.
• Participate in professional development and maintain current knowledge of best practices in school counseling and student mental health.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Education, Experience, and Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Master's Degree in School Counseling or a closely related field, including School Psychology or School Social Work.
• Valid Colorado Department of Education (CDE) Special Services License with a School Counselor endorsement.
• Knowledge of child and adolescent development, social-emotional learning, and trauma-informed practices.
• Knowledge of the ASCA National Model and comprehensive school counseling programs.
• Experience developing and coordinating Section 504 Accommodation Plans.
• Strong communication, collaboration, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound professional judgment.
• Ability to establish positive relationships with students, families, staff, and community partners.
• Commitment to equity, inclusion, and supporting the diverse needs of all students.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience as a school counselor in an elementary, middle, or K-8 school setting.
• Charter school experience.
• Experience implementing MTSS, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), restorative practices, and behavior intervention strategies.
• Experience with crisis response, suicide risk assessment, and threat assessment protocols.
• Familiarity with Infinite Campus or other student information systems.
• Experience collaborating with multidisciplinary teams and community mental health agencies.
• Bilingual or multilingual skills are preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong understanding of social-emotional learning, mental health, and student wellness.
• Ability to build trusting relationships with students from diverse backgrounds.
• Skilled in crisis intervention, conflict resolution, mediation, and behavior de-escalation.
• Ability to analyze student data to inform interventions and evaluate program effectiveness.
• Strong organizational and time management skills with the ability to prioritize multiple responsibilities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, and student information systems.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to move throughout the school building and campus.
• Ability to sit, stand, walk, bend, and reach throughout the workday.
• Ability to occasionally lift and carry up to 25 pounds.
• Ability to respond quickly during emergency or crisis situations.

Work Environment

This position is performed in a school environment with regular interaction with students, families, staff, and community members. The School Counselor must be able to manage multiple priorities while maintaining professionalism, confidentiality, and a student-centered approach.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. Regular attendance is required for this position.

Global Village Academy shall not discriminate in its employment or hiring practices on the basis of race, color, sex, age, religion, creed, citizenship, national origin, ancestry, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, or any other characteristic prohibited by law. GVA is committed to cultural diversity among school personnel as a means of enriching the educational experience. GVA shall identify, solicit, and consider applicants for employment from a broad spectrum of qualified individuals who will contribute to that effort.

Relocation not provided for this position.