School Support Specialist

The City Garden Montessori School Support Specialist understands and promotes the school’s mission, vision, objectives, and policies both within and outside the school community. They are responsible for supporting our teaching and administrative staff in providing an instructional program delivered with both Montessori and an anti-bias/anti racist pedagogy.

At City Garden, we pride ourselves on giving students a vibrant learning experience in a welcoming environment. Our teachers count on our school support staff to bring their best every day. They will build on a student-centered environment which fosters relationships and promotes continual growth for students and staff.

Responsibilities

Reporting to the Building Operations Manager, the School Support Specialist serves as a “floater”, filling in wherever needed each school day. This requires a person who is both experienced, and comfortable, in a role that can change from day to day.

General School Support

• Provide classroom support on a daily basis to lead teachers as directed by the Principal and the Building Operations Manager

• Provide behavior and physical support to students as needed (this may include bathroom assistance to preschool and/or special needs students)

• In-house substitute for Assistant Teacher in classrooms as needed

• Act as a “utility player” throughout the building, providing support as determined by the Building Operations Manager and school administration. Some examples of this:

o A student who needs supervision

o Traffic support during daily pick-up o Front desk support

o Providing help in preparing for a school event

• Serve as a positive, nurturing role model for students

• Model professional and ethical standards when dealing with students, parents, staff, and community, following and upholding school rules and standards

• Safely supervise students in both instructional and assessment activities in and out of the classroom

Lunch Service (if assigned)

• Assist the Food Service Coordinator with preparation/cleanup of food service areas (no cooking required)

• Accepts delivery of food at specified location • Prepare plates of food for students and staff

• Delivers lunch to classrooms

• Maintains kitchen sanitation

• Follows and adheres to the food service guidelines set forth by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)

• Obeys state health code regulations for food service • Meets schedules and timelines

Before-Care (if assigned)

• Facilitate activities for students in after-care

• Keep accurate attendance records following check-in and check-out procedures

• Safely supervise students indoors and outside, using good judgment in dealing with situations – behavioral, safety, instructional, etc.

• Communicate with parents/guardians about their student(s)

• Keep track of all equipment and materials used in after-care; ensure that all equipment and materials that are used are accounted for and put away in designated areas

• Communicate with school leadership about issues that may occur

• Ensure that the building is locked and secure upon your departure

Professional Responsibility

City Garden believes all employees must take an active role in their development as professionals and in developing City Garden as an institution of learning.

• Actively participates in a regular evaluation process including feedback conferences and an annual self-evaluation toward yearly goals which are established with their supervisor

• Participates in professional development activities (both within the school community and attendance at conferences, workshops, etc.)

• Participates in collegial activities designed to make the entire school a productive learning environment, for example, age level meetings, curriculum discussion groups, working committees, mentoring, etc.

• Attends all scheduled meetings and professional days as appropriate

Related Duties

• Responsible for reading and adhering to the guidelines and school policies as established in the employee handbook

• High School graduate with at least 12 hours of post-secondary education, Associate’s degree preferred -- OR --

• High school graduate with substitute teaching certification from the Missouri DESE

• Have at least two years of experience working with young students in a school or other supervised setting (YMCA, community center, day camp, etc.)

• Be flexible to adapt to the changing nature of the work • Be resourceful and a good problem-solver

• Be committed to whole-child education and meeting children’s needs holistically

• Effective communication skills with adults and children

• Understanding of basic principles of childhood development

• Current First Aid and CPR certification • Demonstrated success working with a diverse student population

• Deeply grounded in racial equity and have strong alignment with anti-bias, anti-racism values

Environment

Working Conditions

While performing the duties of this job the employee regularly works indoors and outdoors.

Physical Demands

This can be a physically demanding job, requiring the ability to stand, bend, reach high and low, stoop, walk around, run, crawl, and sit on floor for periods of time. The employee needs to be capable of physically assisting students as required (positioning, lifting, transferring, restraining, etc.).

Requires the ability to communicate and exchange information, collect, compile and prepare work documents, set-up and maintain student records files. Nature of work requires an ability to operate standard office equipment (telephone, computer, printer/copier).

Hourly Rate: $20-21

City Garden Montessori School is an equal opportunity employer and an organization that values diversity, equity and inclusion. Recruiting staff to create an inclusive organization is a priority, and we encourage applicants from all cultures, races, ethnicities, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientations, gender identities, military or veteran status, or other statuses protected by law. All candidates are evaluated solely on their qualifications to perform the work required.