Career Center

The Dean of Students oversees all aspects of student life in the Upper School. The Dean of Students is responsible for implementing the affective curriculum, ensuring that students are provided with opportunities to learn and grow, to be their best selves, and to explore activities outside of the classroom. S/he sets the tone and maintains the positive student culture of the Upper School and upholds the School’s principles of community. The Dean of Students will be an experienced leader, a good listener, an empathetic problem-solver, and a clear communicator. KO is, above all else, a community, and the Dean of Students will interact with all constituencies (teachers, students and parents) on a daily basis.

Major responsibilities include:

Advising

• Oversee advisors and advising curriculum
• Oversee the maintenance of student records which are kept by the US Administrative Coordinator

Student Wellness

• Consult with the Wellness Team and Director of Wellness (MS and US Learning Specialists, MS and US Mental Health Counselors, School Nurse) to ensure support for students of consideration, develop a 6-12 SEL program and standardized protocols for student support and safety
• Work closely with the DEIB Team members to address situations and systemic inequity in the school

Discipline

• Enforce all rules, procedures and regulations involving students (including student safety)
• Communicate to community regarding tone and behavior as needed
• Oversee Citizenship Committee and disciplinary process

Student Life

• Maintain calendar and approve student activities (ie Student Government, forms, clubs) and field trips
• Ensure appropriate supervision at school–student functions
• Work closely with Student Government (SGA) and the Speaker of SGA to address community issues, plan all weekly assembly presentations, and organize community-wide and House system events
• Organize and coordinate Orientations, the Form 3 Trip, and New Student Programming
• Reorganize and support adult-led, student-led, and affinity-based clubs to work within the new schedule’s Community Time block. Oversee the new Service Learning graduation requirement and program with the Director of Service Learning

Supervision and Collaboration

• Supervise and work collaboratively with Form Deans on advising, student-life events, student wellness and discipline
• Serve on the Student Life Administrative Team (SLAT) with the Athletic Director, Head of Middle School (MS), Associate Head of MS and Head of Upper School) to plan for community events and propose systemic changes to better meet student needs and institutional goals
• Serve on the Upper School Leadership Team (USLT) with the Head of the Upper School, Director of College Counseling, Athletic Director, Director of Teaching and Learning, Department Chairs of Fine & Performing Arts to ensure that student mental health and school climate issues are part of ongoing curricular conversations and decisions
• Serve on the Senior Administrative Leadership Team

Other

• Perform and oversee duties of the Dean’s Office (i.e. academic and college counseling attendance, detention sessions)
• Teach one class, and additionally coach or advise
• Teach a Wyvern Wellness course

Kingswood Oxford is seeking our next Dean of Students at an exciting time in our School’s history, as we launch a new Strategic Plan. The Dean of Students will supervise the four Upper School Form Deans, the Director of Wellness, The Director of Service Learning, The Director of Leadership, and the US Administrative Coordinator. The Dean of Students reports directly to the Head of the Upper School.

Qualifications

Kingswood Oxford School is seeking:

• An experienced educational leader who values all facets of a student’s education, including athletics, the arts, and experiential learning.
• A teacher who believes in the potential of all students and maintains the School’s commitment to academic excellence.
• A collaborator who leverages the talent and insight of experienced administrators, faculty, and staff to benefit the School and its students.
• A disposition which embraces change and a proven capacity to lead groups through processes which reimagine, reinvent, and reframe practices and processes.
• A strategic thinker and an effective problem solver who can work with faculty, staff, students and parents using tact, flexibility, and compassion.
• A culturally competent and empathetic leader with a demonstrated commitment to diversity, inclusivity, and equity as important pillars of a community.
• An organized and technologically savvy person with exceptional written and oral communication skills, able to manage a busy division with many moving parts
• Bachelor’s degree; master’s degree in subject area or educational leadership preferred.

About Kingswood Oxford School

Mission Kingswood Oxford inspires students to excel and to lead lives of integrity and involvement by nourishing their talents in a community of teachers, friends, and families. Core Values Demonstrate honesty, integrity, and respect Learn with passion and perseverance Embrace intellectual curiosity Care beyond self Take personal responsibility Work hard, take risks, become involved Motto Vincit Qui Se Vincit - “One Conquers By Conquering Oneself” Strategic Vision Statement Kingswood Oxford is a transformative day school that engages students in real-world and interdisciplinary learning opportunities by expanding the classroom beyond our campus and partnering with people and institutions in the Greater Hartford area. Our signature educational approach develops compassionate collaborators, ethical problem solvers, and active citizens who lead and serve in the wider community. Our School Located in West Hartford, Connecticut, Kingswood Oxford is a coeducational, independent day school for motivated students in grades 6-12. KO actively seeks to attract and welcome a diverse population of students, faculty, and staff, including differences in race, color, reli...gion, nationality or ethnic origin, gender expression, gender identity, and sexual orientation. At KO we believe that a diversity of ideas and perspectives enriches our community and improves our understanding. We continually work to increase equity and access within our learning community and seek candidates who are similarly committed to this work. If you would like to join us in this work, we welcome your application. Accredited by the New England Association of Schools & Colleges, KO values academic and co-curricular excellence and meaningful relationships with students and their families. KO’s enrollment in the 2019-2020 academic year is 513 students from 60-plus towns in Connecticut and western Massachusetts. Highly committed to diversity and inclusion, 30 percent of KO’s student population are students of color. KO also welcomes a small number of academically qualified students from other countries who reside with host families from the local community. Kingswood Oxford’s story begins in 1909, with the opening of the all-girls Oxford School – one of Connecticut’s first independent day schools for girls. Meanwhile, a group of prominent Hartford families, looking to secure tutoring for their sons, recruited a former teacher from the Kingswood School in Bath, England, who established the Kingswood School here in Connecticut in 1916. In order to create a quality experience for students in a co-educational setting, the two schools merged in 1969 to form the present-day Kingswood Oxford School. A KO education empowers students to become their best selves intellectually, socially, and emotionally by providing a rich and rigorous academic curriculum, competitive sports, and extra-curricular activities that inspire students to grow into their potential. Exceptional learning is based on strong relationships between the students and their teachers. At KO, students take ownership of their learning and are willing to take risks because they are supported every day by teachers who know them. This encouragement and steady guidance allow students to self-advocate, forge their own paths, and develop their own points of view. KO graduates are well-prepared for the challenges of college and go on to lead meaningful lives of integrity and involvement. West Hartford, Connecticut The Kingswood Oxford campus is located on 33 acres in the center of West Hartford, Connecticut – a thriving community known for its culture, entertainment, and family environment. West Hartford was named as one of the nation’s “Best Places to Live’ by Money magazine. Located next to the state capital of Hartford, residents are able to enjoy all the benefits of the city, including restaurants, museums, nationally touring entertainers and a minor league baseball team. And the Money magazine article states, “West Hartford’s own attractions include a bustling downtown shopping district, restaurants and bars, hiking trails, and the majority of the 101-acre Elizabeth Park, known locally for its rose gardens.” Kingswood Oxford School Equal Opportunity Employer and Anti-Discrimination Statement KO actively seeks to attract and welcome a diverse population of students, faculty, and staff, including differences in race, color, religion, nationality or ethnic origin, gender expression, gender identity, and sexual orientation. At KO we believe that a diversity of ideas and perspectives enriches our community and improves our understanding. We continually work to increase equity and access within our learning community and seek candidates who are similarly committed to this work. If you would like to join us in this work, we welcome your application. More information can be found at https://www.kingswoodoxford.org/ Kingswood Oxford School provides equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, sex, age, disability, religion, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, ancestry, political belief or activity, status as a veteran, or any other status protected by law. This policy applies to all areas of employment, including recruitment, hiring, training and development, promotion, transfer, termination, layoff, compensation, benefits, social and recreational programs and all other conditions and privileges of employment in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.

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Connections working at Kingswood Oxford School