Paraprofessional

Paraprofessional

Meridian CUSD 223 is seeking a paraprofessional for Meridian Jr High. Compensation is $16.81/hr with 10 sick days, 2 personal days, and 10 paid holidays. Holidays/school breaks/summers off. Benefits include access to partially district-paid health and dental, as well as vision, accident, hospital indemnity, long term disability, critical care, and term/whole life insurances. Position title is paraprofessional and reports to the building principal. Mission statement of district: To instruct and assist students to be self-directed learners, collaborative workers, complex thinkers, quality producers, and community contributors.

Qualifications: High school diploma or equivalent, paraprofessional endorsement on educator license issued by the Illinois State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, evidence of physical fitness and freedom from communicable disease, successful completion of criminal background check. Required knowledge, skills, and abilities include effective oral and written communication skills, ability to comprehend and follow written and verbal instructions, ability to foster a cooperative work environment, ability to work with students and adults in a positive manner, physical and emotional ability to perform job responsibilities, ability to attend work regularly and punctually and complete duties in a timely manner, of good moral character and possessing temperate, ethical, and industrious habits, skilled in the use of office computer equipment, related software applications, and other standard office machines, effective organizing and coordinating skills, ability to gather data, compile information, prepare reports and use to improve performance, ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community, ability to perform multiple concurrent tasks and attend to detail, knowledge of resources available to best support personal and student growth.

Responsibilities and essential duties include implementing the district's philosophy of education and instructional goals and objectives, prompt arrival and full effort throughout the duration of every shift, reporting suspected child abuse/neglect cases as required by statute and district policy, working cooperatively with other school personnel, students and parents, meeting, as required, with students, parents, administrator and/or consultants, maintaining accurate, complete and correct records and maintaining confidentiality of same as required by law, district policy or building/department procedures, maintaining student discipline with a focus on student safety in accordance with school board policy, assisting the teacher with classroom instructional tasks as assigned, working with students individually and in small groups to assist with the learning of content and skills introduced by the teacher, observing student behavior and learning, communicating observations regularly with the teacher, assisting the teacher with clerical work, record keeping, and preparation of instructional materials, set up of centers, preparation of displays and bulletin boards, and other non-instructional tasks as assigned, assisting the teacher and students with cleanup from activities, assisting students with movement among activities, assisting students with the use of specialized equipment, assisting the teacher with supervision of students, communicating with parents as directed by the teacher/supervisor, accompanying and assisting the teacher in supervision on approved instructional field trips, arranging furniture and equipment for various learning activities and experiences as directed by the teacher, maintaining the orderly arrangement of materials and equipment within the classroom, assisting students with preparing for and moving to other classrooms, school activities, outside activities and arrival and departure from school, helping young students or students with disabilities with clothing, grooming, health habits, and bathroom activities, communicating to the teacher any unusual situations or needs of students, assisting the teacher in managing interruptions and emergencies, maintaining a safe working condition and safely operating electronic and other equipment needed to carry out job functions and responsibilities, participating in appropriate in-service and workshop programs and attending required meetings, serving as a role model for students and staff in demonstrating positive attitudes, appropriate attire and grooming, and effective work ethic, displaying ethical and professional behavior in working with students, parents, school personnel, and outside agencies associated with the school, completing tasks in the expected or assigned time frame without the need for re-direction from supervisor, protecting confidentiality of records and information gained as part of exercising professional duties in accordance with the law and board policies.

Physical demands and work environment include sitting 25-50% of the day, using hands to manipulate, handle, or feel 25-50% of the day, talking and hearing 50-75% of the day, reaching with hands and arms (occasionally above the shoulder) 25-50% of the day, and standing and walking 50-75% of the day. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 40 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include: close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. Other physical demands of the positions include: regular bending, squatting, kneeling, twisting/turning/balancing, reaching above shoulder/outward, and typing/keyboarding. In the work environment, the employee is regularly exposed to video display and regularly works in typical interior/office environmental conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.