POSITION DESCRIPTION

St. Catherine's School is an Episcopal day school in Richmond, Virginia, founded in 1890 enrolling 946 girls age 3 through grade 12.  Located on a 16-acre campus in the western part of the city, St. Catherine's core values include pursuing academic excellence, developing character, nurturing spiritual growth, celebrating individuals, and building community.  

St. Catherine's School provides a rigorous education that prepares girls with diverse perspectives for a lifetime of learning, leadership, and service in a global community. 

POSITION OVERVIEW       

St. Catherine’s School seeks a full-time Middle School Learning Support Specialist passionate about working with middle school girls and faculty. As part of the Middle School team, the Learning Support Specialist  will engage with faculty and students through the Middle School program in which we purposefully define program outcomes to benefit our girls. The learning specialist has the responsibility of providing support for students with learning differences, partners with teachers to provide appropriate accommodations, oversees standardized testing, and analyzes student psycho-educational testing results. She or he works closely with team leaders, the faculty, school counselors, and families. The Department Chair aspect of this position will work with school administration to inventory current school needs regarding learning support for all students in order to design a program that will allow the school to reach strategic plan goals. The Department Chair also oversees programming and members of the learning support team in Lower School and Upper School, as well as the Pathways to Learning teachers in the Middle School.

Reports to: Head of Middle School and Associate Head of School for Academics

Supervisory Responsibilities:  N/A

Position Status: Salaried, exempt, full-time, regular, 9-month

Hours of Work: Standard work week. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

The learning specialist will:

• Partner proactively with faculty and administration to support students with different learning styles and teachers in their efforts to advance students with different learning needs.
• Work with administration to analyze current school needs in the area of learning support and help design a program to meet student needs.
• Observe and evaluate individual students displaying academic or behavioral difficulties and assess their learning strengths and challenges.
• Participate in classroom instruction as needed.
• Facilitate learning support for students with accommodations in grade level specific MS classes.
• Attend grade-level team meetings.
• Direct one-on-one or small-group instruction.
• Develop and write student accommodation/learning plans.
• Work with teaching teams to identify overall weaknesses and strengths and make suggestions for curriculum adjustments.

• Maintain confidential student records and keep accurate documentation of sessions, meetings, and assessments.
• Initiate and schedule parent conferences as needed.
• Recommend in-school and community resources for identified students.
• Communicate with professionals outside the school to support students, as needed.
• Coordinate and facilitate communication between student, family, school, and other involved professionals.
• Secure standardized testing accommodations for qualifying students.
• Oversee the administration of standardized testing in Middle School.

• Network with learning specialists at other independent schools.
• Attend conferences and professional meetings in order to remain current with industry trends.
• Participate in committee, department, and staff meetings as well as school-sponsored events that would benefit from area of expertise.
• Be involved in the school community at large.
• Assume responsibility for other projects as assigned 

Note:  This position description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work to be performed by employees within this classification.  This position description should not be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties and responsibilities required or assigned to an employee in this position.  Nothing contained in this position description restricts St. Catherine’s School’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this position at any time. 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is required to sit; stand; walk; use hands to handle and feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch and crawl; talk and hear; engage in moderately strenuous physical activity both indoors and out; and smell. The employee may occasionally lift or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.  Ability to become CPR and First Aid Certified. 

TRAVEL  

Travel is not a requirement for this role.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY   

St. Catherine’s School does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, or national and ethnic origin in the administration of its hiring practices. St. Catherine’s School is committed to providing an inclusive educational environment. We actively engage students, families, faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Our School community respects the differences in ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation and socioeconomic status. Consistent with the School’s mission, St. Catherine’s fosters in our students, and experts from all others, respect for the dignity and wholeness of every person. For more information about the school’s Access, Equity and Belonging please follow this link https://www.st.catherines.org/about/access-equity-and-belonging. 

CONDITIONAL OFFERS  

An offer of employment for this position is contingent upon the applicant’s right to work in the United States, authorization for and completion of successful background checks as may be requested by the school or required by law. 

BENEFITS 

St. Catherine’s School offers a highly competitive compensation package for this full-time position with benefits to include excellent health plan options, retirement benefits, exhaustive professional development and networking opportunities as well as state-of-the art facilities. 

REQUIREMENTS AND QUALIFICATIONS  

• Bachelor’s degree in Special Education or a related field; graduate degree preferred
• 3+ years of teaching experience
• Knowledge of learning disabilities, psycho-educational tests, reports, and assistive technology
• Knowledge of administering and interpreting assessments and test results, academic achievement, and diagnostic testing
• Proven success as a leader in program development
• Full understanding of differentiated instructional strategies across the curriculum
• Outstanding interpersonal and organizational skills
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills
• Strong networking skills to ensure access to resources in the broader community
• Detail-oriented and resourceful
• Tactful and discreet
• Technologically savvy
• High-energy and enthusiastic about working in an academic atmosphere

About St. Catherine's School

A leader in girls’ education since its founding in 1890, St. Catherine’s School is deeply committed to developing strong, smart, and confident girls who are prepared for a lifetime of learning, leadership, and service. With a community of 946 girls age 3 through grade 12, St. Catherine’s combines a warm and supportive learning environment with a well-rounded and challenging curriculum designed to inspire girls to develop courage, explore their passions, and expand their hearts and minds. St. Catherine’s is one of the six member Episcopal schools of Church Schools in the Diocese of Virginia. The School embraces a diversity of backgrounds, nationalities, faith traditions, experiences, and perspectives and cherishes the inclusive nature of its community.

Connections working at St. Catherine's School