DISTRICT OVERVIEW Holyoke Public Schools is a PreK-12 public school district serving nearly 5,100 students, of whom 80 percent are Latino/Latina, in 11 schools. We employ nearly 1,300 people who together educate and support a richly diverse community of learners. We are committed to recruiting and retaining top-quality educators who believe all children can and will learn and who strive daily to make school a joyful place of discovery, support, and belonging. Holyoke Public Schools’ strategic plan, “Moving Forward Together,” builds on the strengths of our past while serving as a call to action to accelerate student learning by thinking differently about how we teach, how we work together, and how we support students’ well being. Our Equity Commitments are pledges we are making to address systemic equity challenges. We intentionally build a community that is anti-racist, inclusive, and culturally responsive. We ensure that students, families, and staff get the support they need to be successful. We seek out and incorporate the voices of those impacted, with a commitment to include those who have been excluded in the past. We promote access and inclusion for all students, staff, and families. We respect, embrace, and honor the diversity of our students, families, staff, and community. We reflect on our own behavior to minimize harm to others. We create a culture of acceptance and empathy so that everyone feels valued and is able to contribute to our community’s success. Please visit the Holyoke Public Schools website to learn more about us as well as some of our recent accomplishments.
Holyoke Public Schools (HPS) is seeking passionate, student-centered Student Support Coordinators to join the team at Holyoke High School Opportunity Academy (HHSOA), an innovative alternative high school designed for students who have not found success on traditional campuses. We believe that schools are the unit of change, and that Student Support Coordinators are essential to a school’s success. At HHSOA, Student Support Coordinators play a central role in building strong relationships with students, supporting classroom instruction, and helping students stay on track toward graduation. We are looking for educators who are committed to equity, flexibility, and helping every student thrive in a non-traditional setting.
HPS has engaged in a high school redesign process starting in 2018, with the founding of HHSOA as one of the three main high school campuses as a critical piece of that redesign. Built upon choice, flexibility and access to diverse and challenging educational opportunities, HHSOA’s unique approach to the alternative model deepens student engagement and provides families and business and civic leaders explicit opportunities to partner with educators to help guide students’ career and college plans, as well as strengthen our local economy; while simultaneously addressing each student’s path to graduation and post-secondary readiness through an individualized approach.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

• Assist with redesigning the Student Support Room
• Oversee day-to-day operations of the Student Support Room
• Maintain a welcoming and therapeutic physical space
• Implement social-emotional and restorative justice curriculum and assist with its design
• Collaborate with school administrators, guidance counselors, teachers, restorative justice staff and others.
• Co-design, communicate and implement clear policies and protocols
• Communicate with and maintain positive relationships with parents/guardians
• Develop individual plans with students to address the issues that led to their referral
• Continuously evaluate program effectiveness and make improvements.
• Form caring relationships and model respectful communication and unconditional positive regard for students and families.
• Teach self-regulation skills and self-care strategies to identified students.
• Utilize behavior management techniques respectfully and appropriately.
• Employ relationship and counseling skills effectively.
• Provide occasional restorative classroom interventions when necessary.
• Participate in, and help to facilitate when appropriate, training and support for school
• staff
• Supervise interns and volunteers as needed

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree preferred
• 1-3 years experience working with at-risk youth doing social-emotional development work required
• Commitment to ensuring academic success for all students
• Demonstrated leadership experience
• Strong de-escalation and care planning skills
• Experience working in an urban setting, preferred
• Experience working with diverse student populations, preferred
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; excellent teamwork skills
• Bilingual applicants (Spanish) strongly encouraged to apply

Please refer the Job description for details